Social capital and the decline in HIV transmission - A case study in three villages in the Kagera region of Tanzania.

We present data from an exploratory case study characterising the social capital in three case villages situated in areas of varying HIV prevalence in the Kagera region of Tanzania. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews revealed a range of experiences by community members, leaders of organisations and social groups. We found that the formation of social groups during the early 1990s was partly a result of poverty and the many deaths caused by AIDS. They built on a tradition to support those in need and provided social and economic support to members by providing loans. Their strict rules of conduct helped to create new norms, values and trust, important for HIV prevention. Members of different networks ultimately became role models for healthy protective behaviour. Formal organisations also worked together with social groups to facilitate networking and to provide avenues for exchange of information. We conclude that social capital contributed in changing HIV related risk behaviour that supported a decline of HIV infection in the high prevalence zone and maintained a low prevalence in the other zones

Individual Placement and Support is the keyhole : Employer experiences of supporting persons with mental illness

BACKGROUND: Rehabilitation professionals are increasingly interested in the vocational rehabilitation approach called Individual Placement and Support (IPS) for persons with serious mental illness. OBJECTIVE: Since employers play a crucial supporting role for the IPS service user in the workplace, the aim of this study was to explore the experiences and views of employers in Sweden who have participated in the IPS network and taken IPS service users into their workforce. METHODS: Grounded theory with situational analysis was used to analyze data from nine employers. RESULTS: The core category being socially committedwas identified. Six stages/categories illustrated the employer process, from taking on IPS service users to supporting them at work: 1) IPS is the keyhole, 2) being ready to open the door, 3) making a job offer, 4) removing barriers, 5) achieving the goal, and 6) pride mixed with negative feelings. CONCLUSION: The study results suggest that collaborative relationships with employers must be based on trust and professionalism, and that employers must be provided with adequate support

Communicating about AIDS-changes in understanding and coping with help of language in urban Kagera, Tanzania

Faced with the problems of HIV/AIDS, people have to find ways to communicate around them. The aim of this paper is to mirror changes over time in the Kagera people\u27s social cognition regarding HIV/AIDS, using their own language as a tracer of this process. Focus group discussions and personal and group interviews conducted during 1992 to 1995 in urban Bukoba, Kagera, constitute the basis for an analysis of metaphorical expressions in use since 1985. Pronounced uncertainty is later transformed into a deeper understanding of the pandemic and an increased disposition to cope with the situation. Knowledge about the socio-linguistic expressions mapped out in this article can be of help when developing guidelines on how to communicate about interventions

Intimate partner violence and depression among women in rural Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Background: Studies from high-income countries have shown intimate partner violence to be associated with depression among women. The present paper examines whether this finding can be confirmed in a very different cultural setting in rural Ethiopia. Method: A community-based cross-sectional study was undertaken in Ethiopia among 1994 currently married women. Using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), cases of depressive episode were identified according to the ICD-10 diagnosis. Using a standardized questionnaire, women who experienced violence by an intimate partner were identified. A multivariate analysis was conducted between the explanatory variables and depressive status of the women, after adjusting for possible confounders. Results: The 12-month prevalence of depressive episode among the women was 4.8% (95% CI, 3.9% and 5.8%), while the lifetime prevalence of any form of intimate partner violence was 72.0% (95% CI, 70.0% and 73.9%). Physical violence (OR = 2.56, 95% CI, 1.61, 4.06), childhood sexual abuse (OR = 2.00, 95% CI, 1.13, 3.56), mild emotional violence (OR = 3.19, 95% CI, 1.98, 5.14), severe emotional violence (OR = 3.90, 95% CI, 2.20, 6.93) and high spousal control of women (OR = 3.30, 95% CI, 1.58, 6.90) by their partners were independently associated with depressive episode, even after adjusting for socioeconomic factors. Conclusion: The high prevalence of intimate partner violence, a factor often obscured within general life event categories, requires attention to consider it as an independent factor for depression, and thus to find new possibilities of prevention and treatment in terms of public health strategies, interventions and service provision. © 2009 Deyessa et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Анализ факторов, связанных с развитием вторичного трубно-перитонеального бесплодия у женщин позднего репродуктивного возраста

ЖЕНЩИНЫБЕСПЛОДИЕ ЖЕНСКОЕРЕПРОДУКТИВНЫЙ ВОЗРАСТФАКТОРНЫЙ АНАЛИЗ СТАТИСТИЧЕСКИЙТРУБНО-ПЕРИТОНЕАЛЬНОЕ БЕСПЛОДИЕФАКТОРЫ РИСКАРЕПРОДУКТИВНОЕ ЗДОРОВЬЕФЕРТИЛЬНОСТ

Lived Experiences of Patients Suffering from Acute Old World Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: a Qualitative Content Analysis Study from Iran

Background: The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of patients who suffer from acute cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran, focusing on quality of life.Methods: The study was conducted at two different sites in Iran in 2010–2011. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with six men and six women parasitologically confirmed acute cutaneous leishmaniasis. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and translated into English. Qualitative content analysis was used for data analysis.Results: The participants, aged 23 to 63yr, had mild to severe disease. Based on the analysis four main themes were developed. "Fearing an agonizing disease" reflects patients' experiences of disease development resulting in sadness and depression, "struggling to cope" and "taking on the blame" both illustrate how patients experience living with the disease, which included both felt and enacted stigma as major social concerns. "Longing for being seen and heard" refers to patients' experiences with healthcare as well as their expectations and demands from communities and healthcare to be involved in closing the knowledge and awareness gap.Conclusion: Mental and social dimensions of cutaneous leishmaniasis were complex and adversely affected patients' lives by causing psychological burden and limiting their social interactions. Health authorities have to plan programs to increase the disease awareness to prevent the existing stigma to improve patients' social condition and medical care.</p