Neighborhood-level racialized socioeconomic deprivation and contraceptive use in the United States, 2011-2019.

Introduction: The social and structural environments where people live are understudied in contraceptive research. We assessed if neighborhood measures of racialized socioeconomic deprivation are associated with contraceptive use in the United States.

Methods: We used restricted geographic data from four waves of the National Survey of Family Growth (2011-2019) limited to non-pregnant women ages 15-44 who had sex in the last 12 months.

Can 3-dimensional cranial ultrasound be used to successfully reconstruct a 2-dimensional image without compromising on image quality in a neonatal population?

Background: Cranial ultrasound is frequently performed in neonatal intensive care units and acquiring 2-dimensional (D) images requires significant training. Three-D ultrasound images can be acquired semi-automatically.

Objective: This proof-of-concept study aimed to demonstrate that 3-D study image quality compares well with 2-D.

Stagnation of maternal mortality decline in Bangladesh between 2010 and 2016 in spite of an increase in health services utilisation: Examining data from three large cross-sectional surveys.

Background: After a 40% reduction in maternal mortality ratio (MMR) during 2001-2010 in Bangladesh, the MMR level stagnated between 2010 and 2016 despite a steady increase in maternal health services use and improvements in overall socioeconomic status. We revisited the factors that contributed to MMR decline during 2001-2010 and examined the changes in these factors between 2010 and 2016 to explain the MMR stagnation in Bangladesh.

Methods: We used data from the 2001, 2010, and 2016 Bangladesh Maternal Mortality Surveys, which sampled 566 115 households in total, to estimate the changes in the risk of dying of maternal causes associated with a pregnancy or birth between 2001-2010 and 2010-2016.

Contraceptive Behavior Dynamics and Unintended Pregnancy: A Latent Transition Analysis.

The average U.S. woman wants to have two children; to do so, she will spend about three years pregnant, postpartum, or trying to become pregnant, and three decades trying to avoid pregnancy.

Influence of family planning and immunization services integration on contraceptive use and family planning information and knowledge among clients: A cross-sectional analysis in urban Nigeria.

Reproductive autonomy necessitates that women have access to high quality family planning information and services. Additionally, closely spaced pregnancies increase maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. Although integrating family planning into child immunization services may increase access to information and services and postpartum contraceptive use, evidence on how integration affects service delivery and health outcomes is scarce.

In Vivo Measurements of the Bulk Ultrasonic Attenuation Coefficient of Breast Tissue Using a Novel Phase-Insensitive Receiver.

This study describes the first in vivo acoustic attenuation measurements of breast tissue undertaken using a novel phase-insensitive detection technique employing a differential pyroelectric sensor. The operation of the sensor is thermal in nature, with its output signal being dictated by the acoustic power integrated over its surface. The particularly novel feature of the sensor lies in its differential principle of operation, which significantly enhances its immunity to background acoustic and vibration noise.

Obstetric fistula in Bangladesh: estimates from a national survey with clinical validation correction.

Background: Obstetric fistula, which develops after a prolonged or obstructed labour, is preventable and treatable. However, many women are still afflicted with the condition and remain untreated in low-income and middle-income countries. Concerns have also been raised that an increasing trend of caesarean sections is increasing the risk and share of iatrogenic obstetric fistula in these countries.

Exploring association between place of delivery and newborn care with early-neonatal mortality in Bangladesh.

Objective: Bangladesh achieved the fourth Millennium Development Goal well ahead of schedule, with a significant reduction in under-5 mortality between 1990 and 2015. However, the reduction in neonatal mortality has been stagnant in recent years. The purpose of this study is to explore the association between place of delivery and newborn care with early neonatal mortality (ENNM), which represents more than 80% of total neonatal mortality in Bangladesh.

A comparison of approaches to measuring maternal mortality in Bangladesh, Mozambique, and Bolivia.

Background: Many low- and middle-income countries cannot measure maternal mortality to monitor progress against global and country-specific targets. While the ultimate goal for these countries is to have complete civil registrations systems, other interim strategies are needed to provide timely estimates of maternal mortality.

Objective: The objective is to inform on potential options for measuring maternal mortality.

Assessing the Reliability of the Retrospective Reproductive Calendar: Evidence from Urban Kenya.

The reproductive calendar is a data collection tool that collects month-by-month retrospective histories of contraceptive use. This survey instrument is implemented in large-scale demographic surveys, but its reliability is not well-understood. Our analysis helps to address this research gap, using longitudinal panel data with overlapping calendars from urban Kenya.

Facility-level characteristics associated with family planning and child immunization services integration in urban areas of Nigeria: a longitudinal analysis.

Background: Unmet need for postpartum contraception is high. Integration of family planning with routine child immunization services may help to satisfy unmet need. However, evidence about the determinants and effects of integration has been inconsistent, and more evidence is required to ascertain whether and how to invest in integration.

Development of integration indexes to determine the extent of family planning and child immunization services integration in health facilities in urban areas of Nigeria.

Background: Integrating family planning into child immunization services may address unmet need for contraception by offering family planning information and services to postpartum women during routine child immunization visits. However, policies and programs promoting integration are often based on insubstantial or conflicting evidence about its effects on service delivery and health outcomes. While integration models vary, many studies measure integration as binary (a facility is integrated or not) rather than a multidimensional and varying continuum.

Women's Perspectives on Contraceptive-Induced Amenorrhea in Burkina Faso and Uganda.

Context: Women's concerns about contraceptive-induced menstrual changes can lead to method discontinuation and nonuse, contributing to unmet need for contraception. Research on women's perceptions of amenorrhea related to longer acting methods and in low-income countries is limited.

Methods: Data were from nationally representative household surveys and focus group discussions with women of reproductive age conducted in Burkina Faso and Uganda in 2016-2017.

A study of the clinical, treatment planning and dosimetric feasibility of dose painting in external beam radiotherapy of prostate cancer.

Background And Purpose: Radiotherapy dose painting is a promising technique which enables dose escalation to areas of higher tumour cell density within the prostate which are associated with radioresistance, known as dominant intraprostatic lesions (DILs). The aim of this study was to determine factors affecting the feasibility of radiotherapy dose painting in patients with high and intermediate risk prostate cancer.

Materials & Methods: Twenty patients were recruited into the study for imaging using a 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner.

"If the Big Fish are Doing It Then Why Not Me Down Here?": Informal Fee Payments and Reproductive Health Care Provider Motivation in Kenya.

Informal fees are payments made by patients to their health care provider that are over and above the official cost of services. Payments may be motivated by a combination of factors such as low supervision, weak sanctions, and inadequate provider salaries. The practice of soliciting informal fees from patients may result in restricted access to medical care and reduced care-seeking behavior among vulnerable populations.

Understanding healthcare provider absenteeism in Kenya: a qualitative analysis.

Background: Healthcare worker absenteeism is common in resource limited settings and contributes to poor quality of care in maternal and child health service delivery. There is a dearth of qualitative information on the scope, contributing factors, and impact of absenteeism in Kenyan healthcare facilities.

Methods: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted between July 2015 and June 2016 with 20 healthcare providers in public and private healthcare facilities in Central and Western Kenya.

What works best for ensuring treatment adherence. Lessons from a social support program for people treated for tuberculosis in Ukraine.

Background: Worldwide, TB is one of the top 10 causes of death and the leading cause from a single infectious agent. Ukraine is one of 30 countries with the highest burden of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Global literature shows that social support (SS) is important in improving TB treatment adherence, reducing lost to follow up rates and improving treatment outcomes.

The impact of India's accredited social health activist (ASHA) program on the utilization of maternity services: a nationally representative longitudinal modelling study.

Background: In 2006, the Government of India launched the accredited social health activist (ASHA) program, with the goal to connect marginalized communities to the health care system. We assessed the effect of the ASHA program on the utilization of maternity services.

Methods: We used data from Indian Human Development Surveys done in 2004-2005 and in 2011-2012 to assess demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with the receipt of ASHA services, and used difference-in-difference analysis with cluster-level fixed effects to assess the effect of the program on the utilization of at least one antenatal care (ANC) visit, four or more ANC visits, skilled birth attendance (SBA), and giving birth at a health facility.

Are community health workers effective in retaining women in the maternity care continuum? Evidence from India.

Objectives: Despite the recognised importance of adopting a continuum of care perspective in addressing the care of mothers and newborns, evidence on specific interventions to enhance engagement of women along the maternity care continuum has been limited. We use the example of the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) programme in India, to understand the role of community health workers in retaining women in the maternity care continuum.

Methods: Using the Indian Human Development Survey data from 2011 to 2012, we assess the association between individual and cluster-level exposure to ASHA and four key components along the continuum of care-at least one antenatal care (ANC) visit, four or more ANC visits, presence of a skilled birth attendance (SBA) at the time of birth and postnatal care for the mother or child within 48 hours of birth, for 13 705 women with a live birth since 2005.

Gender norms and modern contraceptive use in urban Nigeria: a multilevel longitudinal study.

Background: Evidence suggests that gender equality positively influences family planning. However, the evidence from urban Africa is sparse. This study aimed to examine the association between changes in gender norms and modern contraceptive use over time among women in urban Nigeria.

Evaluating the impact of social support services on tuberculosis treatment default in Ukraine.

Ukraine is among the top 20 highest drug-resistant tuberculosis burden countries in the world. Driving the high drug-resistant tuberculosis rates is an unchecked treatment default rate. This evaluation measures the effect of social support provided to tuberculosis patients at risk of defaulting on treatment during outpatient treatment.

Contraceptive Practices, Preferences, and Barriers Among Abortion Clients in North Carolina.

Objectives: Abortion clinics provide an ideal setting for women to receive contraceptive care because the women served may not have other contacts with the health system and are at risk for unintended pregnancies. The objective of this study was to understand practices, preferences, and barriers to use of contraception for women obtaining abortions at clinics in North Carolina.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of abortion clients and facilities at 10 abortion clinics in North Carolina.

Women's television watching and reproductive health behavior in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has made significant social, economic, and health progress in recent decades, yet many reproductive health indicators remain weak. Access to television (TV) is increasing rapidly and provides a potential mechanism for influencing health behavior. We present a conceptual framework for the influence of different types of TV exposure on individual's aspirations and health behavior through the mechanisms of observational learning and ideational change.

Trends in Abortion Incidence and Availability in North Carolina, 1980-2013.

Objectives: Abortion incidence has declined nationally during the last decade. In recent years, many states, including North Carolina, have passed legislation related to the provision of abortion services. Despite the changing political environment, there is no comprehensive analysis on past and current trends related to unintended pregnancy and abortion in North Carolina.