Social capital and hypertension in rural Haitian women.

Hypertension is a major global public health risk and significant precursor to cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and maternal mortality. A possible strategy to reduce chronic disease in resource-poor areas is social intervention. Research into the possible relationship of social determinants and disease is needed to determine appropriate social interventions.

Implementation and expansion of an electronic medical record for HIV care and treatment in Haiti: an assessment of system use and the impact of large-scale disruptions.

Purpose: System use is a key criterion of success in an electronic medical record (EMR) implementation, and there is little research on long-term use of systems following implementation. The aim of the paper was to describe the development, implementation and use of iSanté, Haiti's national HIV care and treatment EMR.

Methods: To build a picture of the history of iSanté, we interviewed 11 staff involved with the development and implementation of the EMR, and reviewed organization records.

Intimate partner and nonpartner violence against pregnant women in rural Haiti.

Objective: To examine the association between violence experienced by pregnant Haitian women in the previous 6 months and pregnancy-related symptom distress.

Methods: A total of 200 women seeking prenatal care at community health dispensaries in the Artibonite Valley were interviewed.

Results: Over 4 in 10 women (44.

Health seeking behavior among pregnant women in rural Haiti.

The purpose of this study was to further knowledge of health care seeking behavior among pregnant women in rural Haiti. Eighty-two pregnant women were interviewed to assess care seeking behaviors during pregnancy, satisfaction with services, reliance on social networks, and management of pregnancy-related illness. Twenty-five percent reported not seeking care in the formal health sector for a pregnancy-related illness; 32% delayed seeking care.

Determinants of HIV/AIDS risk behaviors in expectant fathers in Haiti.

Haiti has an HIV/AIDS epidemic of the highest magnitude outside of sub-Saharan Africa. Factors such as relationship power imbalances, traditional gender role acceptance, and patriarchal belief systems that devalue women's sexuality have increased Haitian women's vulnerability to HIV infection. Because of these influences and since the HIV epidemic is largely heterosexually transmitted, it is important to understand the role that men's beliefs and behaviors play in the continuing risk of young men and women in Haiti.

The influence of power on HIV risk among pregnant women in rural Haiti.

Given that condom use is not directly under a woman's control, the sexual division of power may play an important role in sexual behavior among pregnant women. We assessed the influence of factors related to the theory of gender and power (e.g.

Characteristics of preeclampsia- and eclampsia-related maternal death in rural Haiti.

Objective: The maternal mortality ratio in Haiti remains one of the highest in the world at 600/100 000 live births. Preeclampsia- and eclampsia-related complications are one of the leading causes of maternal death. In this resource-limited setting, effective, efficient hospital-based interventions are necessary to reduce this risk.