A systematic review of selected human rights programs to improve HIV-related outcomes from 2003 to 2015: what do we know?

Background: Repressive legal environments and widespread human rights violations act as structural impediments to efforts to engage key populations at risk of HIV infection in HIV prevention, care, and treatment efforts. The identification and scale-up of human rights programs and rights-based interventions that enable coverage of and retention in evidence-based HIV prevention and treatment approaches is crucial for halting the epidemic.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of studies that assessed the effectiveness of human rights interventions on improving HIV-related outcomes between 1/1/2003-28/3/2015 per PRISMA guidelines.

Planning of births and maternal, child health, and nutritional outcomes: recent evidence from India.

Objectives: In an effort to provide recommendation for maximizing synergy between maternal, infant, and young children's nutrition and family planning in India, this study makes a comprehensive assessment of the effects of the planning of births in terms of timing, spacing and limiting childbearing on maternal and child health outcomes.

Study Design: This study used the latest National Family Health Survey data of India that is globally known as the Demographic and Health Survey. A robust two-stage systematic random sampling was used for selecting representative samples for measuring demographic and health indicators.

The Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework: a global, crosscutting framework to inform research, intervention development, and policy on health-related stigmas.

Stigma is a well-documented barrier to health seeking behavior, engagement in care and adherence to treatment across a range of health conditions globally. In order to halt the stigmatization process and mitigate the harmful consequences of health-related stigma (i.e.

Results of a Couples-Based Randomized Controlled Trial Aimed to Increase Testing for HIV.

Background: Although couples HIV testing and counseling (CHTC) is effective for facilitating mutual disclosure and linkage to HIV care, uptake remains low. Using a randomized controlled design, we tested the efficacy of a behavioral couples-based intervention aimed to increase CHTC.

Setting: The Vulindlela district of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Fertility intentions and the adoption of long-acting and permanent contraception (LAPM) among women: evidence from Western Kenya.

Background: The use of long-acting and permanent method (LAPM) for family planning (FP) is of importance to the FP movement. A better understanding of how fertility-related intentions shape the usage of LAPM is important for programming. This paper explored the interaction of fertility intentions with LAPM use in rural western Kenya.

The health-related impacts and costs of violence against women and girls on survivors, households and communities in Ghana.

Past research on violence in Ghana primarily discusses domestic violence and some types of sexual violence, but lacks a comprehensive analysis of violence against women and girls (VAWG) and its wider costs and impacts. Our study on the social costs of VAWG is a unique contribution, which aims to fill that gap. Through indepth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) with adult women and men, we explored the health impact of VAWG and the resulting social and economic consequences on survivors, their families and their communities.

A Meta-Narrative Literature Synthesis and Framework to Guide Future Evaluation of Legal Empowerment Interventions.

Legal empowerment is increasingly recognized as a key approach for addressing socio-structural determinants of health and promoting the well-being and human rights of vulnerable populations. Legal empowerment seeks to increase people's capacity to understand and use the law. However, limited consensus remains on the effectiveness of legal empowerment interventions in optimizing health outcomes.

"Being seen" at the clinic: Zambian and South African health worker reflections on the relationship between health facility spatial organisation and items and HIV stigma in 21 health facilities, the HPTN 071 (PopART) study.

Health workers in 21 government health facilities in Zambia and South Africa linked spatial organisation of HIV services and material items signifying HIV-status (for example, coloured client cards) to the risk of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) 'being seen' or identified by others. Demarcated HIV services, distinctive client flow and associated-items were considered especially distinguishing. Strategies to circumvent any resulting stigma mostly involved PLHIV avoiding and/or reducing contact with services and health workers reducing visibility of PLHIV through alterations to structures, items and systems.

Depression Among Alcohol Consuming, HIV Positive Men on ART Treatment in India.

Depression, as well as other psychosocial factors, remains largely unaddressed among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in low and middle-income countries. Depression is a common occurrence among PLHIV and is elevated in those who consume alcohol. This paper will document the presence of depressive symptoms in alcohol-consuming male PLHIV receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) in India.

Child marriage and relationship quality in Ethiopia.

Child marriage is prevalent in Africa, with almost 40% of girls being married before age 18. Although child marriage is linked to a range of adverse outcomes, including intimate partner violence, little is known about the quality of these marriages in terms of the levels of communication, trust, equality, intimacy, conflict, marital satisfaction or happiness. We used both quantitative and qualitative data to examine how exact age at first marriage influenced multiple domains of relationship quality in Ethiopia.

Alcohol use and relationship quality among South African couples.

Objective: The HIV literature has largely ignored the importance of alcohol use in the quality of intimate relationships in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), despite evidence of alcohol's role in relational behaviors that increase risk for HIV infection and other harms. The present study explored the association of alcohol use with relationship functioning among heterosexual couples from rural South Africa.

Method: Dyadic analyses were conducted with 443 sexually active, heterosexual, South African couples (886 individuals) to examine the association between male partners' alcohol use (abstinent, nonhazardous, and hazardous), and male and female partners' reports of relationship intimacy, trust, mutually constructive communication, demand/withdraw communication, and satisfaction.

Sexual intimacy and marital relationships in a low-income urban community in India.

Data from a six-year study of married women's sexual health in a low-income community in Mumbai indicated that almost half the sample of 1125 women reported that they had a negative view of sex with their husbands. Qualitative interviews and quantitative survey data identified several factors that contributed to this diminished interest including: a lack of foreplay, forced sex, the difficulty of achieving privacy in crowded dwellings, poor marital relationships and communication, a lack of facilities for post-sex ablution and a strong desire to avoid conception. Women's coping strategies to avoid husband's demands for sex included refusal based on poor health, the presence of family members in the home and non-verbal communication.

Alcohol Availability, Marketing, and Sexual Health Risk Amongst Urban and Rural Youth in South Africa.

South Africa has high rates of HIV prevalence and incidence and very high binge drinking rates amongst youth. GIS mapping of alcohol outlets and participatory research methods were used to explore and understand youth's perception of alcohol availability and marketing, and their associated risks for HIV and sexual violence. Twenty seven youth 18-24 years from an urban and rural area participated in the study.

Evaluation of a mobile approach to gender-based violence service delivery among Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

As the landscape of humanitarian response shifts from camp-based to urban- and informal-tented settlement-based responses, service providers and policymakers must consider creative modes for delivering health services. Psychosocial support and case management can be life-saving services for refugee women and girls who are at increased risk for physical, sexual and psychological gender-based violence (GBV). However, these services are often unavailable in non-camp refugee settings.

The influence of caregiver depression on adolescent mental health outcomes: findings from refugee settlements in Uganda.

Background: Family-level predictors, including caregiver depression, are considered important influences on adolescent mental health. Adolescent depression and anxiety in refugee settings is known to be a significant public health concern, yet there is very limited literature from humanitarian settings focusing on the relationship between caregiver mental health and adolescent mental health. In the context of a larger study on child protection outcomes in refugee settings, researchers explored the relationship between caregiver depression and adolescent mental health in two refugee settlements, Kiryandongo and Adjumani, in Uganda.

"My mother told me that I should not": a qualitative study exploring the restrictions placed on adolescent girls living with HIV in Zambia.

Introduction: Adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa are disproportionately affected by HIV due to a range of social and structural factors. As they transition to adulthood, they are recipients of increasing blame for HIV infection and 'improper' sex, as well as increasing scrutiny, restrictions and surveillance. This study used a qualitative and participatory approach to explore the messaging and restrictions imposed on adolescent girls living with HIV in Zambia.

Defining the research agenda to measure and reduce tuberculosis stigmas.

Crucial to finding and treating the 4 million tuberculosis (TB) patients currently missed by national TB programmes, TB stigma is receiving well-deserved and long-delayed attention at the global level. However, the ability to measure and evaluate the success of TB stigma-reduction efforts is limited by the need for additional tools. At a 2016 TB stigma-measurement meeting held in The Hague, The Netherlands, stigma experts discussed and proposed a research agenda around four themes: 1) drivers: what are the main drivers and domains of TB stigma(s)?; 2) consequences: how consequential are TB stigmas and how are negative impacts most felt?; 3) burden: what is the global prevalence and distribution of TB stigma(s) and what explains any variation? 4): intervention: what can be done to reduce the extent and impact of TB stigma(s)? Each theme was further subdivided into research topics to be addressed to move the agenda forward.

The Role of Alcohol on Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Persons Living With HIV in Urban India.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of alcohol use among men living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and examine the association of alcohol use and psychosocial variables on ART adherence. The study was a cross-sectional survey supplemented by medical records and qualitative narratives as a part of the initial formative stage of a multilevel, multicentric intervention and evaluation project.

Method: A screening instrument was administered to men living with HIV (n = 3,088) at four ART Centers using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-consumption questions (AUDIT-C) to determine alcohol use for study eligibility.

Counseling during Maternal and Infant Health Visits and Postpartum Contraceptive use in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Context: Postpartum family planning is a compelling concern of global significance due to its salience to unplanned pregnancies, and to maternal and infant health in developing countries. Yet, women face the highest level of unmet need for contraception in the year following a birth. A cost-effective way to inform women about their risk of becoming pregnant after the birth of a child is to integrate family planning counseling and services with maternal and infant health services.

Global, Regional, and National Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases for 10 Causes, 1990 to 2015.

Background: The burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remains unclear in many regions of the world.

Objectives: The GBD (Global Burden of Disease) 2015 study integrated data on disease incidence, prevalence, and mortality to produce consistent, up-to-date estimates for cardiovascular burden.

Methods: CVD mortality was estimated from vital registration and verbal autopsy data.

Measuring Sexual Behavior Stigma to Inform Effective HIV Prevention and Treatment Programs for Key Populations.

Background: The levels of coverage of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment and prevention services needed to change the trajectory of the HIV epidemic among key populations, including gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and sex workers, have consistently been shown to be limited by stigma.

Objective: The aim of this study was to propose an agenda for the goals and approaches of a sexual behavior stigma surveillance effort for key populations, with a focus on collecting surveillance data from 4 groups: (1) members of key population groups themselves (regardless of HIV status), (2) people living with HIV (PLHIV) who are also members of key populations, (3) members of nonkey populations, and (4) health workers.

Methods: We discuss strengths and weaknesses of measuring multiple different types of stigma including perceived, anticipated, experienced, perpetrated, internalized, and intersecting stigma as measured among key populations themselves, as well as attitudes or beliefs about key populations as measured among other groups.

Understanding social norms and violence in childhood: theoretical underpinnings and strategies for intervention.

Violence in childhood is a widespread human rights violation that crosses cultural, social and economic lines. Social norms, the shared perceptions about others that exist within social groups, are a critical driver that can either prevent or perpetuate violence in childhood. This review defines injunctive and descriptive social norms and lays out a conceptual framework for the relationship between social norms and violence in childhood, including the forces shaping social norms, the mechanisms through which these norms influence violence in childhood (e.