Iron nutrition and COVID-19 among Nigerian healthcare workers.

Background And Objectives: The optimal iron hypothesis (OIH) posits that risk for infection is lowest at a mild level of iron deficiency. The extent to which this protection results from arms race dynamics in the evolution of iron acquisition and sequestration mechanisms is unclear. We evaluated the OIH with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), an emerging infectious agent.

"…"-Socio-cultural construction of intimate partner violence and traditional birth attendants: implications for maternal & child health in rural communities in Hohoe, Ghana.

Introduction: Most research on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) focuses on the physical, sexual and psychological abuse, with less focus on the financial abuse. This study explores nursing mothers' experiences and perceptions of financial and material support from their significant others and traditional birth attendants' (TBA) observations of support to nursing mothers in their communities.

Methods: Using purposive sampling, focus groups and interviews were conducted primarily in Ewe language among nursing mothers and TBAs in rural communities in Hohoe, Volta region, Ghana.

Maladaptive coping among military-connected adolescents: Examining combined risk using QCA.

Introduction: Military-connected students in public schools face a unique set of stressors that may impact their wellbeing and academic functioning.

Methods: Twenty-four youth in the 7th to 12th grades who had an active-duty parent (mother or father) serving in the U.S.

Social context surrounding HIV diagnosis and construction of masculinity: a qualitative study of stigma experiences of heterosexual HIV positive men in southwest Nigeria.

Background: Though research has documented experiences of stigma and its effects on the lives of women living with HIV/AIDS, there is limited research on heterosexual positive HIV men experience of stigma in Nigeria. This study explored how social context surrounding HIV diagnosis impacts stigma experiences of heterosexual HIV positive men and their construction of masculinity in southwest Nigeria.

Methods: Using purposive sampling, 17 heterosexual HIV positive men were recruited through community based organization to participate in two hours focus group discussions or 45 min in-depth interviews that were audio-recorded.

Focus Group Study of Chinese International Students' Knowledge and Beliefs About HPV Vaccination, Before and After Reading an Informational Pamphlet About Gardasil(®).

An increasing need for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines in China remains unmet in the mainland and the knowledge and intentions of Chinese youth regarding vaccination is unknown. In the fall of 2013, 44 Chinese international students (CIS) attending a university in the United States Midwest participated in 10 focus group discussions (five female and five male). Result showed that participants have limited awareness and knowledge about HPV infection and vaccination, participants erroneously believed that the causes of cervical cancer are abortion and miscarriage.

Listening to Chinese Immigrant Restaurant Workers in the Midwest: Application of the Culture-Centered Approach (CCA) to Explore Perceptions of Health and Health Care.

This study engages with the culture-centered approach (CCA) to explore Chinese immigrant restaurant workers' perception of the U.S. health care system and their interactions with the health care system in interpreting meanings of health.

Management of conflicts arising from disclosure of HIV status among married women in southwest Nigeria.

This study examined if disclosure to their spouses by married women living with HIV/AIDS resulted in conflicts. Fifty-seven women completed a questionnaire on conflict indicators. While 93% disclosed their status within 6 months of diagnosis, 12.

HIV positive women's perceptions of stigma in health care settings in Western Cape, South Africa.

We explored the cultural context of HIV positive women's perceptions of stigma in health care settings in Western Cape, South Africa. We conducted seven focus groups with women living with HIV/AIDS in Gugulethu and Khayelitsha. We used deductive/inductive approaches to identify themes.

Exploring the cultural context of HIV stigma on antiretroviral therapy adherence among people living with HIV/AIDS in southwest Nigeria.

This study explored the cultural context of HIV stigma on antiretroviral therapy adherence among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in southwest Nigeria. Using purposive sampling, participants were recruited through a community-based organization. Consenting PLWHA participated in in-depth interviews and focus group discussions that were audio-taped.

The relevancy of community-based methods: using diet within Native American and Alaska Native adult populations as an example.

The rates of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in Native Americans and Alaska Natives far exceed that of the general US population. There are many postulating reasons for these excessive rates including the transition from a traditional to a contemporary diet. Although information on the dietary intakes of Native American and Alaska Native communities are limited, there seems to be a consensus that the Native American and Alaska Native diet is high in total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium.

A cultural lens to understanding daily experiences with type 2 diabetes self-management among clinic patients in M'bour, Senegal.

Diabetes is a steadily increasing threat in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Factors such as urbanization, obesity, physical inactivity, and inadequate access to healthcare are believed to contribute to the increasing burden of diabetes. Interventions that optimize diabetes self-management are critically important since obtaining diabetes medications is challenging due to cost constraints and availability.

Stigma, Culture, and HIV and AIDS in the Western Cape, South Africa: An Application of the PEN-3 Cultural Model for Community-Based Research.

HIV- and AIDS-related stigma has been reported to be a major factor contributing to the spread of HIV. In this study, the authors explore the meaning of stigma and its impact on HIV and AIDS in South African families and health care centers. They conducted focus group and key informant interviews among African and Colored populations in Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, and Mitchell's Plain in the Western Cape province.

An overview of cardiovascular risk factor burden in sub-Saharan African countries: a socio-cultural perspective.

Background: Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries are currently experiencing one of the most rapid epidemiological transitions characterized by increasing urbanization and changing lifestyle factors. This has resulted in an increase in the incidence of non-communicable diseases, especially cardiovascular disease (CVD). This double burden of communicable and chronic non-communicable diseases has long-term public health impact as it undermines healthcare systems.