Aboriginal young people’s perspectives and experiences of accessing sexual health services and sex education in Australia: A qualitative study

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Aboriginal) young people seek information and access health services for their sexual health needs. This study examined Aboriginal young people’s perspectives on sexual health services and sex education in Australia. Overall, 51 Aboriginal people aged 16–26 years were interviewed by peer researchers in Sydney, Australia in 2019–2020. The findings suggest that the internet was used to assess information quickly and confidentially, but Aboriginal young people questioned its reliability and accuracy. Family, Elders and peers were seen as sources of advice because they had real-life experience and highlighted intergenerational learning that occurs in Aboriginal communities. School-based sex education programmes had mixed reviews, with a preference for programmes delivered by external specialists providing anonymity, clear and accurate information about sex and relationships and positive approaches to sex education, including how to gain consent before sex. There was a need identified for school-based programmes to better consider the needs of Aboriginal young people, including those who identified as LGBTQI +. Aboriginal Medical Services were highly valued for providing culturally safe access to services, while sexual health clinics were valued for providing specialised confidential clinical services with low levels of judgement

Talking to migrant and refugee young people about sexual health in general practice

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Young people are an important group to target with health promotion and preventive healthcare. This paper focuses on the engagement of migrant and refugee young people with sexual and reproductive healthcare in general practice. METHOD: Semi-structured first interviews (n = 27; 16 female, 11 male) and follow-up interviews (n = nine; six female, three male) were undertaken with migrant and refugee young people aged 16-24 years living in Sydney. RESULTS: The majority of participants had seen a general practitioner (GP) for general health issues. However, most were reluctant to discuss sexual health with a practitioner whom they described as their 'family doctor', primarily because of concerns about judgement and confidentiality. Most described negative experiences with GPs for sexual health matters, including not being listened to or being rushed through the appointment. DISCUSSION: There appears to be a lack of effective engagement with migrant and refugee young people by GPs in relation to sexual health. Building the skills and confidence of GPs to work with this group and promote sexual health and wellbeing should be considered, and efforts should be made to communicate confidentiality and trustworthiness

Maternal and child health in South Sudan: Priorities for the post-2015 agenda

The Republic of South Sudan continues to face considerable challenges in meeting maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) care needs and improving health outcomes. Ongoing instability and population displacement undermine scope for development, and damaged infrastructure, low coverage of health services, and limited government capacity and human resource base have resulted in a fragmented health system. Despite considerable attention, effort and support, the issues and challenges facing South Sudan remain deep and sustained, and urban-rural disparities are considerable. There is a need to maintain investments in MNCH care and to support developing systems, institutions and programs. This paper review of the published literature provides an overview and summary of the current MNCH situation in South Sudan. It explores the barriers and challenges of promoting MNCH gains, and identifies priorities that will contribute to addressing the Millennium Development Goals and the emerging health priorities for the post-2015 development agenda

Men and masculinities in qualitative research on vasectomy: perpetuation or progress?

Although vasectomy is a safe and highly effective method of contraception, uptake is variable globally, with scope for increased engagement in high income nations. Very little qualitative research has been published in recent years to explore men’s perspectives on vasectomy, which represents a key opportunity to better understand and strengthen men’s contribution to reproductive and contraception equality. This paper takes a scoping review approach to identify key findings from the small but important body of qualitative literature. Recent masculinities research argues that, despite some expansion in ways of being masculine, an underpinning ethos of masculinist dominance remains. Extant research on men’s attitudes to vasectomy supports this ambivalent picture, indicating that while there are extending repertoires of masculinity for men to draw on in making sense of vasectomy, many remain underpinned by masculinist narratives. There remains scope for education and health promotion ensuring vasectomy is viewed as a suitable and safe option by more men of reproductive age. Increased uptake of vasectomy may also help shift the longstanding social expectation that women take primary responsibility for contraceptive practices, challenging gender discourses on contraception

Young migrant and refugee people’s views on unintended pregnancy and abortion in Sydney

Although abortion rates appear to be declining in high-income nations, there is still a need for accessible, safe abortion services. However, limited attention has been paid to understanding the social contexts which shape access to abortion information and services for communities who are less engaged with sexual and reproductive health care more generally. This paper explores the views and experiences of 27 migrant and refugee young people (16–24 years old) living in Sydney, Australia, regarding unintended pregnancy and abortion. Pregnancy outside marriage was described by all participants as a shameful prospect as it revealed pre-marital sexual activity. Even when abortion was described as culturally and/or religiously unacceptable, it was believed many families would find an abortion preferable to continuing an unintended pregnancy outside marriage. However, a pervasive culture of silence regarding sexual and reproductive health may limit access to quality information and support in this area. To better meet the needs of these young people, greater attention must be paid to strengthening youth and community awareness of the availability of contraception including emergency contraception, pregnancy options, and access to abortion information and services

THE MEMBRANE TOPOLOGY OF THE RHIZOBIUM-MELILOTI C4-DICARBOXYLATE PERMEASE (DCTA) AS DERIVED FROM PROTEIN FUSIONS WITH ESCHERICHIA-COLI K12 ALKALINE-PHOSPHATASE (PHOA) AND BETA-GALACTOSIDASE (LACZ)

Jording D, Pühler A. THE MEMBRANE TOPOLOGY OF THE RHIZOBIUM-MELILOTI C4-DICARBOXYLATE PERMEASE (DCTA) AS DERIVED FROM PROTEIN FUSIONS WITH ESCHERICHIA-COLI K12 ALKALINE-PHOSPHATASE (PHOA) AND BETA-GALACTOSIDASE (LACZ). MOLECULAR & GENERAL GENETICS. 1993;241-241(1-2):106-114.The Rhizobium meliloti dctA gene encodes the C4-dicarboxylate permease which mediates uptake of C4-dicarboxylates, both in free-living and symbiotic cells. Based on the hydrophobicity of the DctA protein, 12 putative membrane spanning regions were predicted. The membrane topology was further analysed by isolating in vivo fusions of DctA to Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase (PhoA) and E. coli beta-galactosidase (LacZ). Of 10 different fusions 7 indicated a periplasmic and 3 a cytoplasmic location of the corresponding region of the DctA protein. From these data a two-dimensional model of DctA was constructed which comprised twelve transmembrane alpha-helices with the amino-terminus and the carboxy-terminus located in the cytoplasm. In addition, four conserved amino acid motifs present in many eukaryotic and prokaryotic transport proteins were observed