Enhancing awareness of STIs and cervical cancer among husbands in an urban slum of Mumbai, India: a comparative study focusing on General, OBC and SC/ST/NT population

Background: Globally, cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers among women, 80 percent of cervical cancer cases present with an advanced stage of the disease when cure is impossible.  This may be due to lack of awareness and knowledge, and lack of access to proper treatment including screening facility. Involvement of husband for understanding and supporting the wife may be more effective in reproductive health related matters.Methods: An intervention study was undertaken in an urban slum of Mumbai with the objectives to investigate the awareness, knowledge and perceptions about STIs and cervical cancer and to identify programme strategies contributing to effective participation of husbands in three different categories. Baseline data was obtained from 1020   married men followed by interventions for 18 months and endline data was collected from 1013 married men to evaluate the impact of intervention. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test was used for data analysis.Results: The results indicate significant increase in awareness about STIs, cervical cancer and Pap smear with low awareness about symptoms, abnormal discharge from vagina and abnormal vaginal bleeding in all the three groups.Conclusions: Study concludes that intervention strategy adopted at community as well as clinic level can play better role as a source of information of STIs and cervical cancer. Similar changes observed in all three categories suggest, programmes need to focus on general population rather than specific categories in a metropolitan city like Mumbai as population in urban slums of Mumbai is ethnically mixed in nature.

Abusive yet affectionate husbands: Conflicting perceptions of domestic violence experiences of wives living in urban slum communities of Mumbai, India

Background: The prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) contributed to reproductive health problems worldwide. Data on coping mechanism of women within domestic violence (DV) were unexplored.Methods: The objective of the paper was to explore the perceived cause of DV and coping mechanism of women who reported affectionate nature of husband. A community-based intervention study was carried out in urban slums to screen women with an unmet need for family planning. Women reported of DV in the past one year preceding the survey were counselled on marital communication and family planning methods. During these sessions, women shared their views on the cause of DV and their coping mechanism.Results: The narratives of the sessions threw light into the cause of DV, which includes decision-making, the influence of significant others and fewer time couples spent with each other. Affectionate nature and violence by husbands created a conflict of emotions. Fear of loss of the relationship and socio-cultural attitude made them remain in the relationship.Conclusions: The wives develop an emotional attachment with their partners and do not want to leave the relationship. They create a space within the abusive relationship; enjoy limited functionings, a bonus of affections and demoting violence from the partner without taking a chance to lose the relationship

Regioselective reactions of phenacyl bromide with active methylene compounds

1519-1522The reactivity of phenacyl bromide with active methylene compounds in the presence of alcoholic KOH, BTEAC (PTC) , NaOEt and K2CO3 has been studied

3,3-Disubstituted 1,5-diaryl-1,5-pentanediones as versatile intermediates for spiro heterocycles

1670-1675The spiro heterocycles, spiro-4H-pyra pyrazolidinedione/isoxazolidinedione/ pyrimidinetrione/thioxopyrimidinedione and spiro-4H-pyran aminopyrazolidinone/ isoxazolidinone/ hydroxypyrimidinonel mercaptopyrimidinone have been prepared from 3,3-disubstituted 1,5-diaryl-1,5-pentanedione. All the compounds have been characterised by spectral parameters

Reproductive health concerns of women contending with spousal violence and husband\u27s alcohol use in a Mumbai slum community

Mumbai, India, has diverse slum communities consisting primarily of migrants struggling to survive in a high-cost living environment. Financial and survival stressors and increased access to low-cost alcohol have been cited as reasons for increased alcohol problems and spousal violence in these slums. Studies from India indicate heightened risk for spousal violence among men reporting alcohol use, and poorer reproductive health outcomes among women contending with such violence. Less is known about reproductive health risks among women who report risky alcohol use by their husband