Documenting the Provision of Emergency Contraceptive Pills Through Youth-Serving Delivery Channels: Exploratory Mixed Methods Research on Malawi's Emergency Contraception Strategy.

Introduction: Emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) are effective and can be used safely at any age repeatedly within the same cycle. They are often favored by youth yet are underutilized. Private facilities can increase ECP access but present barriers including cost.

Sexual and reproductive health of migrant women and girls from the Northern Triangle of Central America.

Objective: To understand the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) experiences of migrant women and girls of reproductive age (15-49 years) from the Northern Triangle of Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras) during their journey to the United States.

Methods: A descriptive, qualitative research design included 39 in-depth interviews with migrant women and unaccompanied migrant girls from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras from January to June 2022. Participants were recruited using purposive sampling.

Interpersonal violence victimisation, HIV-related behaviours and STIs among adult, urban Indigenous and non-Indigenous gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Guatemala.

Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men are disproportionately affected by HIV in Guatemala; interpersonal violence may increase behaviours that augment the risk of HIV in this group. Although 44% of Guatemalans identify as Indigenous, little information exists on the experiences of Indigenous sexual minority individuals. In this study, we sought to compare different forms of violence and HIV-related behaviours by Indigenous identity among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men; and determine if associations between violence and HIV-related behaviours differed by Indigenous identity.

Women's circles as a culturally safe psychosocial intervention in Guatemalan indigenous communities: a community-led pilot randomised trial.

Background: Indigenous Maya women in Guatemala show some of the worst maternal health indicators worldwide. Our objective was to test acceptability, feasibility and impact of a co-designed group psychosocial intervention (Women's Circles) in a population with significant need but no access to mental health services.

Methods: A parallel group pilot randomised study was undertaken in five rural Mam and three periurban K'iche' communities.

Healthy casetas: A potential strategy to improve the food environment in low-income schools to reduce obesity in children in Guatemala City.

Developing countries have undergone transitions driven by globalization and development, accelerating increases in prevalence of overweight and obesity among children. Schools have been identified as effective settings for interventions that target children's dietary behaviors. In Guatemala, public schools commonly have food kiosks (Casetas) that sell products to children.

Effectiveness of an mHealth intervention to improve the cardiometabolic profile of people with prehypertension in low-resource urban settings in Latin America: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Poor diet and physical inactivity strongly affect the growing epidemic of cardiovascular disease worldwide. Mobile phone-based health interventions (mHealth) have been shown to help promote weight loss and increase physical activity and are an attractive approach for health-care systems with limited resources. We aimed to assess whether mHealth with advice for lifestyle improvements would reduce blood pressure, promote weight loss, and improve diet quality and physical activity in individuals with prehypertension living in low-resource urban settings in Latin America.

[Acceptability of a mobile health based intervention to modify lifestyles in prehypertensive patients in Argentina, Guatemala and Peru: a pilot study].

Objectives: To evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of an intervention based on mobile health, for the adoption of healthy lifestyles in prehypertensive people living in low-income urban areas in Argentina, Guatemala and Peru.

Materials And Methods: Prehypertensive people aged 30-60 years were recruited for a pilot study. The intervention included two counseling calls made by a nutritionist followed by a weekly customized text message.

Guatemalan school food environment: impact on schoolchildren's risk of both undernutrition and overweight/obesity.

Guatemala suffers the double burden of malnutrition with high rates of stunting alongside increasing childhood overweight/obesity. This study examines the school food environment (SFE) at low-income Guatemalan elementary schools and discusses its potential impact on undernutrition and overweight/obesity. From July through October 2013, direct observations, in-depth interviews with school principals (n = 4) and food kiosk vendors (n = 4, 2 interviews each) and also focus groups (FGs) with children (n = 48, 8 FGs) were conducted.

Snack food advertising in stores around public schools in Guatemala.

Obesity in school-age children is emerging as a public heath concern. Food marketing influences preferences and increases children's requests for food. This study sought to describe the type of snack foods advertised to children in stores in and around public schools and assess if there is an association between child-oriented snack food advertising and proximity to schools.

A qualitative study of children's snack food packaging perceptions and preferences.

Background: Food marketing is pervasive in high- and low/middle-income countries and is recognized as a significant risk factor for childhood obesity. Although food packaging is one of the most important marketing tools to persuade consumers at the point-of-sale, scant research has examined how it influences children's perceptions. This study was conducted in Guatemala and aimed to understand which snack foods are the most frequently purchased by children and how aspects of food packaging influence their product perceptions.

Formative research to develop a community-based intervention for chronic disease prevention in Guatemalan school-age children.

Background: Noncommunicable diseases (NCD) are the most common causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, even in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Recent trends in health promotion emphasize community-based interventions as an important strategy for improving health outcomes. The aim of this study was to conduct formative research regarding the perceptions of NCD risk factors, their influencing factors, and community resources available to aid the development and implementation of a community-based intervention with school-age children.

Child-oriented marketing techniques in snack food packages in Guatemala.

Background: Childhood overweight in Guatemala is now becoming a public health concern. Child-oriented marketing contributes to increase children's food preference, purchase and consumption. This study sought to assess the availability of child-oriented snack foods sold in school kiosks and convenience stores near public schools in Guatemala, to identify the marketing techniques used in child-oriented snack food packages and to classify the snacks as "healthy" or "less-healthy".