Training university teachers and students in Sri Lanka on Gender Based Violence: testing of a participatory training program [version 1]

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. In all societies, violence is a social problem and violation of human rights. Changing attitudes and behaviors, which accept violence at individual and societal levels are key components in prevention strategies. The aim of this study was to produce educational material on Gender Based Violence (GBV). A participatory study design including educators and university students was used to create four teaching modules. The teaching was evaluated by descriptive surveys before and after the training and focus group discussions followed the training session. The questionnaire covered attitudes to gender, violence and laws. One hundred eleven teachers and 25 students representing different faculties and universities participated in separate workshops in three Sri Lankan universities. The students lacked knowledge of the meaning of GBV, consequences and existing laws. Women held more gender-equitable attitudes. Both women and men favoured equal participation of work and decision in the households. Male undergraduates showed less accepting attitudes toward rape or blaming women for rape Three categories emerged after the FGDs; Make training module compulsory and teacher led; Mind your own business; What can be done. The newly prepared and context specific material was well-received by educators and students and they provided valuable inputs, which improved the educational modules

Community Health Workers Can Improve Male Involvement in Maternal Health: Evidence from Rural Tanzania.

Male involvement in maternal health is recommended as one of the interventions to improve maternal and newborn health. There have been challenges in realising this action, partly due to the position of men in society and partly due to health system challenges in accommodating men. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the effect of Home Based Life Saving Skills training by community health workers on improving male involvement in maternal health in terms of knowledge of danger signs, joint decision-making, birth preparedness, and escorting wives to antenatal and delivery care in a rural community in Tanzania. A community-based intervention consisting of educating the community in Home Based Life Saving Skills by community health workers was implemented using one district as the intervention district and another as comparison district. A pre-/post-intervention using quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the effect of Home Based Life Saving Skills training on male involvement and place of delivery for their partners. The effect of the intervention was determined using difference in differences analysis between the intervention and comparison data at baseline and end line. The results show there was improvement in male involvement (39.2% vs. 80.9%) with a net intervention effect of 41.1% (confidence interval [CI]: 28.5-53.8; p <0.0001). There was improvement in the knowledge of danger signs during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum periods. The proportion of men accompanying their wives to antenatal and delivery also improved. Shared decision-making for place of delivery improved markedly (46.8% vs. 86.7%), showing a net effect of 38.5% (CI: 28.0-49.1; p <0.0001). Although facility delivery for spouses of the participants improved in the intervention district, this did not show statistical significance when compared to the comparison district with a net intervention effect of 12.2% (95% CI: -2.8-27.1: p=0.103). This community-based intervention employing community health workers to educate the community in the Home Based Life Saving Skills programme is both feasible and effective in improving male involvement in maternal healthcare

Birth preparedness and complication readiness – a qualitative study among community members in rural Tanzania

Background: Birth preparedness and complication readiness (BP/CR) strategies are aimed at reducing delays in seeking, reaching, and receiving care. Counselling on birth preparedness is provided during antenatal care visits. However, it is not clear why birth preparedness messages do not translate to utilisation of facility delivery. This study explores the perceptions, experiences, and challenges the community faces on BP/CR. Design: A qualitative study design using Focused Group Discussions was conducted. Twelve focus group discussions were held with four separate groups: young men and women and older men and women in a rural community in Tanzania. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. Results: The community members expressed a perceived need to prepare for childbirth. They were aware of the importance to attend the antenatal clinics, relied on family support for practical and financial preparations such as saving money for costs related to delivery, moving closer to the nearest hospital, and also to use traditional herbs, in favour of a positive outcome. Community recognised that pregnancy and childbirth complications are preferably treated at hospital. Facility delivery was preferred; however, certain factors including stigma on unmarried women and transportation were identified as hindering birth preparedness and hence utilisation of skilled care. Challenges were related to the consequences of poverty, though the maternal health care should be free, they perceived difficulties due to informal user fees. Conclusions: This study revealed community perceptions that were in favour of using skilled care in BP/CR. However, issues related to inability to prepare in advance hinder the realisation of the intention to use skilled care. It is important to innovate how the community reinforces BP/CR, such as using insurance schemes, using community health funds, and providing information on other birth preparedness messages via community health worker

Сквозное творческое задание как диагностика компетенций студентов по дисциплине «Физическая культура»

BACKGROUND: Male involvement in maternal health is recommended as one of the interventions to improve maternal and newborn health. There have been challenges in realising this action, partly due to the position of men in society and partly due to health system challenges in accommodating men. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the effect of Home Based Life Saving Skills training by community health workers on improving male involvement in maternal health in terms of knowledge of danger signs, joint decision-making, birth preparedness, and escorting wives to antenatal and delivery care in a rural community in Tanzania. DESIGN: A community-based intervention consisting of educating the community in Home Based Life Saving Skills by community health workers was implemented using one district as the intervention district and another as comparison district. A pre-/post-intervention using quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the effect of Home Based Life Saving Skills training on male involvement and place of delivery for their partners. The effect of the intervention was determined using difference in differences analysis between the intervention and comparison data at baseline and end line. RESULTS: The results show there was improvement in male involvement (39.2% vs. 80.9%) with a net intervention effect of 41.1% (confidence interval [CI]: 28.5-53.8; p &lt;0.0001). There was improvement in the knowledge of danger signs during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum periods. The proportion of men accompanying their wives to antenatal and delivery also improved. Shared decision-making for place of delivery improved markedly (46.8% vs. 86.7%), showing a net effect of 38.5% (CI: 28.0-49.1; p &lt;0.0001). Although facility delivery for spouses of the participants improved in the intervention district, this did not show statistical significance when compared to the comparison district with a net intervention effect of 12.2% (95% CI: -2.8-27.1: p=0.103). CONCLUSION: This community-based intervention employing community health workers to educate the community in the Home Based Life Saving Skills programme is both feasible and effective in improving male involvement in maternal healthcare

Incidence of stillbirth and perinatal mortality and their associated factors among women delivering at Harare Maternity Hospital, Zimbabwe: a cross-sectional retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND: Death of an infant in utero or at birth has always been a devastating experience for the mother and of concern in clinical practice. Infant mortality remains a challenge in the care of pregnant women worldwide, but particularly for developing countries and the need to understand contributory factors is crucial for addressing appropriate perinatal health. METHODS: Using information available in obstetric records for all deliveries (17,072 births) at Harare Maternity Hospital, Zimbabwe, we conducted a cross-sectional retrospective analysis of a one-year data, (1997–1998) to assess demographic and obstetric risk factors for stillbirth and early neonatal death. We estimated risk of stillbirth and early neonatal death for each potential risk factor. RESULTS: The annual frequency of stillbirth was 56 per 1,000 total births. Women delivering stillbirths and early neonatal deaths were less likely to receive prenatal care (adjusted relative risk [RR] = 2.54; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 2.19–2.94 and RR = 2.52; 95% CI 1.63–3.91), which for combined stillbirths and early neonatal deaths increased with increasing gestational age (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 3.98, HR = 7.49 at 28 and 40 weeks of gestation, respectively). Rural residence was associated with risk of infant dying in utero, (RR = 1.33; 95% CI 1.12–1.59), and the risk of death increased with increasing gestational age (HR = 1.04, HR = 1.69, at 28 and 40 weeks of gestation, respectively). Older maternal age was associated with risk of death (HR = 1.50; 95% CI 1.21–1.84). Stillbirths were less likely to be delivered by Cesarean section (RR = 0.64; 95% CI 0.51–0.79), but more likely to be delivered as breech (RR = 4.65; 95% CI 3.88–5.57, as were early neonatal deaths (RR = 3.38; 95% CI 1.64–6.96). CONCLUSION: The frequency of stillbirth, especially macerated, is high, 27 per 1000 total births. Early prenatal care could help reduce perinatal death linking the woman to the health care system, increasing the probability that she would seek timely emergency care that would reduce the likelihood of death of her infant in utero. Improved quality of obstetric care during labor and delivery may help reduce the number of fresh stillbirths and early neonatal deaths

"Jag hatar allt med böcker" Vilken kännedom har lärare om elevernas läsvanor och preferenser?

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka andraspråkselevers läsvanor och i vilken mån undervisande lärare har kännedom om och använder sig av denna information vid val av och arbete med texter i skolan. För att besvara våra frågeställningar har vi valt att göra en kvalitativ studie och den metod vi använder för att samla in det empiriska materialet är intervjuer med elever och deras undervisande svensklärare. Resultatet av studien visar att eleverna i de klasser vi har studerat lägger väldigt lite av sin fritid på att läsa skönlitteratur och att de istället läser texter på internet och dagstidningar. Lärarnas kännedom om elevernas läsvanor och litterära repertoarer påverkar vid textval, men är inte den enda faktor som påverkar deras val. Vilken kännedom man har och hur man använder den i undervisningen varierar mellan de olika lärarna vi har intervjuat. Den slutsats som vi drar av resultatet är att det som lärare är viktigt att ha kännedom om elevernas fritidsläsning, vad det gäller läsvanor och litterära preferenser, framför allt om man vill anlägga ett erfarenhetspedagogiskt perspektiv på svenskundervisningen

Gymnasielärare och Matematik 1 : Åskådliggörande av gymnasielärares synpunkter på förändringarna i kursplanen för matematik 1 i Gy 2011

Syftet med undersökningen är att åskådliggöra hur gymnasielärare i matematik samtycker några utvalda förändringar i gymnasiereformen Gy 2011, främst i förhållande till kursen Matematik 1.Vi har undersökt detta genom intervjuer med sex matematiklärare på sex olika gymnasieskolor i Uppsala. Tanken med undersökningen är inte att svara på frågan hur den svenska lärarkåren tänker kring dessa förändringar, utan att få fram en mängd olika åsikter och tankar för att belysa hur det kan se ut. Detta hoppas vi kan fungera som ett avstamp inför framtida forskning. Det framkommer i studien att lärarnas åsikter går isär både sinsemellan och mellan lärare och Skolverket och regeringen, men att man även samtycker på flera punkter bland de förändringar som gjorts i Gy 2011

Gymnasielärare och Matematik 1 : Åskådliggörande av gymnasielärares synpunkter på förändringarna i kursplanen för matematik 1 i Gy 2011

Syftet med undersökningen är att åskådliggöra hur gymnasielärare i matematik samtycker några utvalda förändringar i gymnasiereformen Gy 2011, främst i förhållande till kursen Matematik 1.Vi har undersökt detta genom intervjuer med sex matematiklärare på sex olika gymnasieskolor i Uppsala. Tanken med undersökningen är inte att svara på frågan hur den svenska lärarkåren tänker kring dessa förändringar, utan att få fram en mängd olika åsikter och tankar för att belysa hur det kan se ut. Detta hoppas vi kan fungera som ett avstamp inför framtida forskning. Det framkommer i studien att lärarnas åsikter går isär både sinsemellan och mellan lärare och Skolverket och regeringen, men att man även samtycker på flera punkter bland de förändringar som gjorts i Gy 2011