Libraries, democracy, information literacy, and citizenship : An agonistic reading of central library and information studies’ concepts

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to advocate and contribute to a more nuanced and discerning argument when ascribing a democratic role to libraries and activities related to information literacy.Design/methodology/approachThe connections between democracy and libraries as well as between citizenship and information literacy are analysed by using Mouffe’s agonistic pluralism. One example is provided by a recent legislative change (the new Swedish Library Act) and the documents preceding it. A second, more detailed example concerns how information literacy may be conceptualised when related to young women’s sexual and reproductive health. Crucial in both examples are the suggestions of routes to travel that support equality and inclusion for all.FindingsWithin an agonistic approach, democracy concerns equality and interest in making efforts to include the less privileged. The inclusion of a democratic aim, directed towards everyone, for libraries in the new Library Act can be argued to emphasise the political role of libraries. A liberal and a radical understanding of information literacy is elaborated, the latter is advocated. Information literacy is also analysed in a non-essentialist manner, as a description of a learning activity, therefore always value-laden.Originality/valueThe agonistic reading of two central concepts in library and information studies, namely, libraries and information literacy is fruitful and shows how the discipline may contribute to strengthen democracy in society both within institutions as libraries and in other settings

Adolescent pregnancy: a community engaged participatory approach to design and implement an educational intervention

Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 focuses on improving maternal health, due to global acknowledgment that no woman should have to die as a result of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Adolescents have an increased risk of maternal death compared with older women. Adolescent pregnancy also poses a threat to the empowerment of young girls by mitigating their physical, educational, social, and economic development. In this context, maternal health promotion strategies which inclusively target adolescents are crucial, not only in improving maternal health outcomes, but also in optimising the overall transition of adolescent girls to adulthood. This study was a first time collaborative partnership of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Community Engagement Office of Rhodes University with the Angus Gillis Foundation (a non-profit community development organisation), and community participants of Glenmore and Ndwayana, two rural communities in the Eastern Cape. The aim of this study was to identify the maternal health issue of most concern to community participants and to design and implement an appropriate educational intervention for a suitable target group. During the baseline phase of this study, ten focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with 76 community stakeholders. Semi-structured interviews (SSIs) were conducted with two Sisters-in-Charge from each Primary Health Care (PHC) facility in the study setting. Data on the stock status of World Health Organization (WHO) identified lifesaving priority medicines for women’s health was also collected at both PHCs. Thereafter, pre- and posteducational interventions SSIs with female adolescent participants were conducted. The educational intervention was followed up with the development of a booklet on reproductive health. FGD participants identified adolescent pregnancy as the maternal health issue of most concern. They also highlighted challenges in service delivery of ambulance services for expectant mothers in urgent need of transportation to a referral hospital. A majority of preintervention SSI participants indicated coercion from both younger and older men as a factor influencing early sexual debut amongst adolescent girls in their communities. Despite availability in the PHCs, challenges in accessing contraceptives were highlighted by the participants. Additionally, a number of sexually active adolescent girls defaulted on their next allocated visit to the PHC due to myths regarding use of oral and injectable contraceptives. During the educational intervention sessions, participants recognised knowledge gaps regarding reproductive health issues and the influence of peer pressure as constraining factors in preventing adolescent pregnancy. During the post-intervention phase, participants highlighted that the educational intervention of this study had provided a forum to discuss ways of preventing adolescent pregnancy. The educational booklet developed is intended to serve as a resource tool of the educational programme on prevention of adolescent pregnancy, which is expected to be incorporated into the Angus Gillis Foundation’s existing ‘Positive Health’ Programme. The results of this study show that community-based participatory research facilitated the identification of the maternal health issue of most concern to these communities. Working synergistically with key stakeholders in designing and implementing an educational intervention for preventing adolescent pregnancy provides a good foundation for future up scaling and sustainability of this educational programme

Women, literacy and health: comparing health and education sectoral approaches in Nepal

Functional adult literacy interventions have been regarded for many decades by policy makers as an effective way of imparting health knowledge. Supported by research on the statistical relationships between women’s literacy rates and health indicators, this dominant policy discourse is based on assumptions that non-literate women lack understanding and confidence, and that formal programmes and institutions constitute the main sites of learning. Proposing a broader conceptualisation of literacy as a social practice and of health as connected with social justice, this article draws on policy analysis and the authors’ earlier research in Nepal to re-examine the relationship between gender, literacy and health. By comparing health and literacy approaches used within the education and health sectors and taking account of new and indigenous informal learning practices, the article points to ways of investigating the complex interaction of factors that influence inequalities in gender and health at community level

Sexual and Reproductive Health Service Knowledge and Use among Youth in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: Influence of Gender–Power Relations

Background: Young peoples’ sexual and reproductive health is a major public health concern across the globe. This is especially so in developing countries like Nepal where there are poor healthcare delivery systems as well as harmful traditional socio-cultural values related to gender roles and norms that impact adversely on women’s freedom to access care. Aims: The aim of this body of research is to examine gender-power relations amongst youth in Nepal and knowledge of sexual and reproductive health (SRH). The specific aims include examining the associations between knowledge of SRH issues and services and socio-demographic factors. The research also seeks to explore the factors associated with gender equitable norms in relation to sexuality and reproductive health. Methods: This research uses a mixed methods approach, combing both quantitative and qualitative methods. For the quantitative research, data were obtained from a household level cross-sectional survey of 680 males and 720 females age 15 to 24 years. Qualitative data were obtained from 72 participants in eight focus group discussions and 11 in-depth interviews, conducted in the five major urban cities in the Kathmandu Valley. Results: The quantitative study found that young people’s knowledge about contraception, fertility and unwanted pregnancy risk was poor. After adjusting for socio-demographic factors, the main predictors of greater SRH knowledge were being single, having a higher level of education and sourcing information from radio. Although the vast majority of young men and women had heard about modern contraceptive methods, less than half reported knowledge of the most reliable long-acting reversible methods. Furthermore, a third of the young people interviewed had been sexually active, but 42% of them had not used contraception at the time of first sexual intercourse. With respect to knowledge and understanding of sexually transmitted infections, our study demonstrated that youth reported significant gaps both in knowledge about Chlamydia, the most common STI, and between knowledge and practice. Of all respondents, less than one quarter had ever visited a health facility or doctor to seek SRH information or treatment. The study also revealed that women face extreme discrimination in spheres such as decision-making, education and household activities, and their mobility is restricted due to gender-related socialisation processes and power relations. The gender equitable men scale revealed that just over half of young people held moderately gender equitable attitudes, and that males expressed more gender equitable views than females. Being male and having at least secondary education were the two most important variables influencing attitudes towards gender equity. Men were found to have higher sexual relationship power and higher decision-making power than women in relationships and this was again associated with level of education. The qualitative findings supported the quantitative findings providing rich information regarding the influence of gender power relations on youth sexual and reproductive health. Despite stringent controls on the mobility and activity of unmarried youth, particularly women, opportunities do exist for sexual relationships, sometimes with adverse consequences for young people’s health and lives such as early marriage and unwanted pregnancies. Conclusions: This study examined knowledge, experience and practice of SRH, the risks youth take with their SRH, and service utilisation, and found some notable differences between young men and women. Gaps in knowledge about fertility, contraception and STIs suggest that the information reaching youth is not adequate. There is an urgent need for better information to be disseminated through the media, and for improved education at public and non-government health facilities. Further the youth expressed a lack of confidence in SRH services and acknowledged the importance of their cultural and religious environment in restricting open expression of sexual issues, particularly for young women. The expansion of youth friendly services that ensure confidentiality has been demonstrated elsewhere to improve access and should be a model supported in Nepal. Although we were surprised to find that a large proportion of young people held gender-equitable attitudes, there still remains considerable gaps especially between men and women in relation to their power and decision making ability in relation to sexual relationships and reproductive health

Family planning service provision in Solomon Islands: a case study approach

Relmah Harrington explored family planning service provision at three health clinics in Solomon Islands. She found, not everyone accessed the service. Predominantly married women attended family planning, men and young people rarely access the services. Policy makers and service providers are using results to improve family planning service provision in Solomon Islands

Maintaining Momentum to 2015? An impact evaluation of interventions to improve maternal and child health and nutrition in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has experienced rapid fertility decline and reductions in under-five mortality over the last three decades. This impact study unravels the various factors behind these changes. Economic growth has been important, but so have major public sector interventions, notably reproductive health and immunization, supported by external assistance from the World Bank and other agencies. By contrast, nutrition began to improve only in the 1990s and remains high. The Bangladesh Integrated Nutrition Program (BINP) has played a small role, if any, in this progress, which is mainly attributable to higher agricultural productivity.Bangladesh, mortality, fertility, nutrition, health, population

Measuring empowerment in practice: structuring analysis and framing indicators

This paper presents an analytic framework that can be used to measure and monitor empowerment processes and outcomes. The measuring empowerment (ME) framework, rooted in both conceptual discourse and measurement practice, illustrates how to gather data on empowerment and structure its analysis. The framework can be used to measure empowerment at both the intervention level and the country level, as a part of poverty or governance monitoring. The paper first provides a definition of empowerment and then explains how the concept can be reduced to measurable components. Empowerment is defined as a person's capacity to make effective choices; that is, as the capacity to transform choices into desired actions and outcomes. The extent or degree to which a person is empowered is influenced by personal agency (the capacity to make purposive choice) and opportunity structure (the institutional context in which choice is made). Asset endowments are used as indicators of agency. These assets may be psychological, informational, organizational, material, social, financial, or human. Opportunity structure is measured by the presence and operation of formal and informal institutions, including the laws, regulatory frameworks, and norms governing behavior. Degrees of empowerment are measured by the existence of choice, the use of choice, and the achievement of choice. Following the conceptual discussion and the presentation of the analytic framework, this paper illustrates how the ME framework can be applied, using examples from four developmentinterventions. Each example discusses how the framework guided analysis and development of empowerment indicators. The paper also presents a draft module for measuring empowerment at the country level. The module can be used alone or be integrated into country-level poverty or governance monitoring systems that seek to add an empowerment dimension to their analysis.Decentralization,Public Health Promotion,Regional Rural Development,Health Economics&Finance,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Health Economics&Finance,Gender and Social Development,Community Based Rural Development,Non Governmental Organizations,Regional Rural Development

The adolescent girls vulnerability index: Guiding strategic investment in Uganda

Adolescence (from the ages of 10 to 19 years) is a critical stage of human development during which children experience rapid social, physical, psychological, and emotional changes on the path from childhood to adulthood. The decisions that are made during this period of life affect not only the individual well-being of young people, but also the well-being of the entire society. The Adolescent Girls Multilevel Vulnerability Index (AGI) was developed based on a growing recognition of the need to channel resources to vital—yet highly vulnerable and vastly underserved—populations of adolescent girls in Uganda specifically, and the East and Southern Africa region in general. AGI aims to be a summary indicator that can serve as an advocacy tool to draw attention to adolescent girls, a rigorous measure to inform decisions about policymaking and macro-level resource allocation, and an instrument for planning and monitoring progress. The report is a joint collaboration between the Government of Uganda, UNICEF, and the Population Council