Dealing with disclosure: Perspectives from HIV-positive children and their older carers living in rural south-western Uganda.

There are limited data on the challenges faced by carers, in particular older carers, in managing the difficult task of status disclosure for HIV-positive children. We report findings from qualitative interviews with 18 care dyads of older people and HIV-positive children living in rural south-western Uganda. Our data provide insights into perceptions and norms influencing communication during and following disclosure among both carers and children, including those shaped by gendered expectations of girls' and boys' sexual behaviour. Young participants reported several advantages of knowing their status and showed considerable resilience in the face of HIV disclosure. Better and more support is needed to help health workers and carers (particularly older carers) manage cross-generational communication around HIV disclosure and other related aspects of sexual and reproductive health as critical aspects of children's psychosocial development and well-being

A qualitative exploration of perceptions and experiences of contraceptive use, abortion and post-abortion family planning services (PAFP) in three provinces in China

Background: The INPAC project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of integrated post-abortion family planning (PAFP) services into existing hospital based abortion services in China. A qualitative study was conducted in three provinces to contribute to developing effective PAFP services through understanding influences on contraceptive use, experiences of abortion and existing PAFP, and their effect on future contraceptive practices from the perspective of users, in the context of social and institutional change. Methods: Twenty-nine in-depth interviews (IDIs) were undertaken with women who had experienced abortion between 1 and 6 months prior to interview, recruited from three urban and two rural facilities in each province. Thirteen IDIs were also conducted with male partners. Six focus group discussions (FGDs) were carried out with community members from different social groups, including unmarried and married women and men, urban residents and rural-to-urban migrants. Results: Social networks and norms are important in shaping attitudes and behaviour towards abortion and contraception. Widespread concerns were expressed about side-effects, reliability and effects on future fertility of some modern contraceptives. The combination of limited information and choices and a lack of person-centred counselling in PAFP with anxieties about side effects underlies the widespread use of unreliable methods. Gendered power relations significantly influence contraceptive (non) use, with several examples illustrating women's relative lack of power to decide on a method, particularly in the case of condoms. Although the availability of contraceptive information from respected providers can offer impetus for individual behaviour change, social distance from providers reduces opportunities for clients to discuss their difficulties regarding contraceptive use; particularly, but not exclusively for young, unmarried clients. Conclusions: Increased access to non-commercial, reliable information on contraceptive methods is needed. PAFP services must go beyond simple information provision to ensure that providers take a more personcentred approach, which considers the most appropriate method for individual clients and probes for the underlying influences on contraceptive (non) use. More sensitive reflection on gender norms and relationships is required during counselling and, where women choose this, efforts should be made to include their male partners. Specific attention to provider positionality and skills for counselling young, unmarried clients is needed

Are health systems interventions gender blind? examining health system reconstruction in conflict affected states

Background Global health policy prioritizes improving the health of women and girls, as evident in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), multiple women’s health initiatives, and the billions of dollars spent by international donors and national governments to improve health service delivery in low-income countries. Countries recovering from fragility and conflict often engage in wide-ranging institutional reforms, including within the health system, to address inequities. Research and policy do not sufficiently explore how health system interventions contribute to the broader goal of gender equity. Methods This paper utilizes a framework synthesis approach to examine if and how rebuilding health systems affected gender equity in the post-conflict contexts of Mozambique, Timor Leste, Sierra Leone, and Northern Uganda. To undertake this analysis, we utilized the WHO health systems building blocks to establish benchmarks of gender equity. We then identified and evaluated a broad range of available evidence on these building blocks within these four contexts. We reviewed the evidence to assess if and how health interventions during the post-conflict reconstruction period met these gender equity benchmarks. Findings Our analysis shows that the four countries did not meet gender equitable benchmarks in their health systems. Across all four contexts, health interventions did not adequately reflect on how gender norms are replicated by the health system, and conversely, how the health system can transform these gender norms and promote gender equity. Gender inequity undermined the ability of health systems to effectively improve health outcomes for women and girls. From our findings, we suggest the key attributes of gender equitable health systems to guide further research and policy. Conclusion The use of gender equitable benchmarks provides important insights into how health system interventions in the post-conflict period neglected the role of the health system in addressing or perpetuating gender inequities. Given the frequent contact made by individuals with health services, and the important role of the health system within societies, this gender blind nature of health system engagement missed an important opportunity to contribute to more equitable and peaceful societies

The Catholic Church and reproductive health and rights in Timor-Leste: contestation, negotiation and cooperation.

In Timor-Leste, high fertility, high maternal mortality and low levels of contraceptive prevalence demonstrate the importance of exploring perceptions, policies and practices around reproductive health and rights. This paper explores the influence of the Catholic Church on reproductive decision-making at different levels of policy and practice. Utilising a feminist qualitative research methodology, in-depth interviews were conducted with a range of participants including nuns and priests, Timorese women and men of different ages and backgrounds and local and national stakeholders working in reproductive health and women's rights. Findings reveal that the Church is reported to play a significant role in reproductive health and rights decision-making at all levels of society, from policy-making to the reproductive decisions made by individual Timorese women and men. Nevertheless, the translation of Church teachings into practice, particularly by nuns, priests and Timorese men and women, reveal a range of attitudes and opinions; some that support and others that contest official Catholic doctrine. In light of the significant influence of the Timorese Catholic Church on policy and practice at many levels of society, there is a need to prioritise the development of rights-based strategies to improve reproductive health services in Timor-Leste

Influence de la cohésion familiale et de l’alexithymie parentale sur le contrôle glycémique

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Chapter 23: Capacities to exercise strategic decision-making agency: exploring the gendered production of health within intimate partnerships and households

This chapter explores the conceptualization and empirical evidence for gendered social processes for the production of health and illness within intimate relationships and households, drawing on international literature, additional grey literature from the Global South and four case studies from the authors’ own research. In particular, the chapter considers the capacity (by both women and men in different contexts) to exercise strategic agency in making decisions with regard to health and well-being both in their own lives and in those of their children. The authors explore how these capacities are conceptualized in both the development and health literature and the findings of empirical research in this area, particularly in three areas that have received particular attention in health: maternal, sexual and reproductive and child health. They then present and discuss four case studies from their own research in sub-Saharan Africa which illustrate the dynamics of the gendered production of health in intimate partnerships and households at different stages of the life cycle, including gendered bargaining processes (and their material and ideological bases), in order to explore these complex processes and outcomes in more depth. The case studies also examine the ways in which gender interacts with other axes of inequality to shape health experiences and outcomes, including for example age, livelihood strategies, socio-economic status, geographical location (for example, urban or rural), marital status and household structure. Finally, the authors discuss whether and how capacities for exercising strategic agency have been considered in health policies, programming and interventions within different contexts, and identify key areas for action and further research

Going beyond the surface: Gendered intra-household bargaining as a social determinant of child health and nutrition in low and middle income countries

A growing body of research highlights the importance of gendered social determinants of child health, such as maternal education and women's status, for mediating child survival. This narrative review of evidence from diverse low and middle-income contexts (covering the period 1970–May 2012) examines the significance of intra-household bargaining power and process as gendered dimensions of child health and nutrition. The findings focus on two main elements of bargaining: the role of women's decision-making power and access to and control over resources; and the importance of household headship, structure and composition. The paper discusses the implications of these findings in the light of lifecycle and intersectional approaches to gender and health. The relative lack of published intervention studies that explicitly consider gendered intra-household bargaining is highlighted. Given the complex mechanisms through which intra-household bargaining shapes child health and nutrition it is critical that efforts to address gender in health and nutrition programming are thoroughly documented and widely shared to promote further learning and action. There is scope to develop links between gender equity initiatives in areas of adult and adolescent health, and child health and nutrition programming. Child health and nutrition interventions will be more effective, equitable and sustainable if they are designed based on gender-sensitive information and continually evaluated from a gender perspective

Mystery Client Scripted Scenarios and Debrief Checklists.

<p>Mystery Client Scripted Scenarios and Debrief Checklists.</p