Analysis of cesarean section rate according to Robson’s classification in an urban health centre in Senegal

Background: Robson, proposed a new classification system, the Robson’s Ten-Group Classification System to allow critical analysis according to characteristics of pregnancy. The objective was to describe caesarean rates in an urban health centre in Dakar using Robson’s Ten groups classificationMethods: This study was performed in Philippe Senghor health centre in Dakar (Senegal), a secondary health centre that performs CS since 2011. Before this date, only midwifes performed deliveries in this centre. The study took place between 1 January and 31 December 2013. All patients who delivered during this period by CS were included.Women were classified in 10 groups according to Robson’s classification, using maternal characteristics and obstetrical history. For each group, we calculated its relative size and its contribution to the overall caesarean rate.Results: The overall rate of caesarean was 18.2%. The main contributors to the overall caesarean rate were primiparous women in spontaneous labour (group 1) and women with previous caesarean section (group 5). Further analysis of group 1 showed that more than half of CS indications in this group were fetal-pelvic disproportion in 55.2% and fetal hypoxia in 27%.Conclusion: The Robson’s classification is easy to use. Each maternity unit can compare its rates with those of units with similar level, to find whether some groups of women have very high rates of caesarean sections. Attention should be made because CS rates is rising up and will be problematic in our low resource countries. It is time to implement obstetric audits to lower the CS rates

HIV infection risk and condom use among sex workers in Senegal::evidence from the list experiment method

International audienceSocial desirability bias, which is the tendency to under-report socially undesirable health behaviours, significantly distorts information on sensitive behaviours that is gained from self-reports. As a result, self-reported condom use among high-risk populations is thought to be systematically over-reported, and it is impossible to identify the determinants of condom use. The main objective of the article is to elicit unbiased information on condom use among female sex workers (FSWs) using the double list experiment method to analyse the role of HIV infection and exposure to HIV prevention methods in condom use. More specifically, the difference in levels of condom use between HIV-positive and HIV-negative FSWs is estimated. In addition, the role of FSWs’ registration and participation in a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) demonstration project in condom use is considered. A list experiment was designed to elicit condom use information from 786 FSWs in Senegal who were surveyed in 2015 and 2017. Using the list experiment method, participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups (treatment or control) and were asked to report the number of statements they agreed with. Respondents assigned to the control group were presented with three non-sensitive items, whereas those allocated to the treatment group were presented with the same three statements plus the sensitive item (e.g. ‘I used a condom during my last intercourse with a client’). Comparing the average number of sentences that were agreed with in both groups provides an estimation of the condom use rate in the treatment group and estimating such prevalence for several sub-groups allows the role of HIV infection risk in condom use to be identified. The percentage of FSWs using condoms in their last sexual intercourse with a client was 80% in 2015 and 78% in 2017, which was significantly lower than the 97% obtained in the face-to-face surveys in both waves. When estimating condom use among sub-groups with the list experiment method, we found that condom use among HIV-positive FSWs was only 34%, which was 47 percentage points lower than condom use among HIV-negative FSWs. We also found that registered FSWs are more likely to use condoms than clandestine FSWs. However, we did not find any difference in condom use between FSWs who were enrolled in the PrEP demonstration project and those who were not enrolled. Health policies should therefore aim to increase condom use among HIV-positive FSWs

Reforming the registration policy of female sex workers in Senegal? Evidence from a discrete choice experiment

Evidence suggests that treating sexually transmitted infections (STIs) amongst female sex workers (FSWs) is a cost-effective strategy to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. Senegal is the only African country where sex work is regulated by a public health policy which aims to monitor and routinely treat STIs. The law requires FSWs to be at least 21 years old, register with a health centre and the police, carry an up-to-date registration booklet, attend monthly health check-ups, and test negative for STIs. Despite health and legal benefits of registration, 80% of FSWs in Senegal are not registered. Hence, the potential health benefits of the policy have not materialised. To understand why FSWs do not want to register and to define policy changes that would increase the registration rate of FSWs in Senegal, we designed and implemented a discrete choice experiment (DCE) completed by 241 registered and 273 non-registered FSWs. Participants made choices between a series of hypothetical but realistic registration policy changes. Conditional logit models were used to analyse the DCE data. The results highlighted that confidentiality at the health facility was an important element, registered and non-registered FWs were respectively 26.0 percentage points (pp) and 22.1 pp more likely to prefer a policy that guaranteed confidentiality at the health centre. Similarly, both groups preferred a policy where their health record was only held at the health centre and not with the police. Several interventions to increase FSW registration rate and improve their wellbeing may be implemented without modifying the law. For example, the introduction of psychosocial support in the registration policy package, replacing the registration booklet by a QR code, the use of electronic medical files and the integration of FSWs routine visits with maternal health appointments to increase confidentiality have the potential to encourage registration of FSWs

Reforming the registration policy of female sex workers in Senegal? Evidence from a discrete choice experiment

Evidence suggests that treating sexually transmitted infections (STIs) amongst female sex workers (FSWs) is a cost-effective strategy to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. Senegal is the only African country where sex work is regulated by a public health policy which aims to monitor and routinely treat STIs. The law requires FSWs to be at least 21 years old, register with a health centre and the police, carry an up-to-date registration booklet, attend monthly health check-ups, and test negative for STIs. Despite health and legal benefits of registration, 80% of FSWs in Senegal are not registered. Hence, the potential health benefits of the policy have not materialised. To understand why FSWs do not want to register and to define policy changes that would increase the registration rate of FSWs in Senegal, we designed and implemented a discrete choice experiment (DCE) completed by 241 registered and 273 non-registered FSWs. Participants made choices between a series of hypothetical but realistic registration policy changes. Conditional logit models were used to analyse the DCE data. The results highlighted that confidentiality at the health facility was an important element, registered and non-registered FWs were respectively 26.0 percentage points (pp) and 22.1 pp more likely to prefer a policy that guaranteed confidentiality at the health centre. Similarly, both groups preferred a policy where their health record was only held at the health centre and not with the police. Several interventions to increase FSW registration rate and improve their wellbeing may be implemented without modifying the law. For example, the introduction of psychosocial support in the registration policy package, replacing the registration booklet by a QR code, the use of electronic medical files and the integration of FSWs routine visits with maternal health appointments to increase confidentiality have the potential to encourage registration of FSWs

Sexuality-Based Stigma and Access to Care: Intersecting Perspectives Between Health Care Providers and Men Who Have Sex With Men in HIV Care Centres in Senegal

Context: Men who have sex with men (MSM) in Senegal face a challenging socio-legal context, marked by homophobia and the illegality of homosexuality. In addition, HIV prevalence among MSM is 27.6%, 46 times greater than the one in the general population (0.5%). Nevertheless, access to health care by MSM may be hampered by stigmatising attitudes from health facility staff (medical and non-medical). // Aims and Methods: This article describes the health facility staff/MSM relationship and analyses its effects on access to healthcare by MSM. The data used was collected through a field survey based on observations and qualitative interviews conducted in 2019 and 2020 with 16 MSM, 1 NGO staff and 9 health care providers in Dakar (the capital city) and Mbour (secondary city on the West Coast) hospitals. The data was subject to a thematic analysis assisted by the ATLAS software. // Results: The relationship between MSM and health care providers is ambiguous. On the one hand, health care providers are torn between their professional duty to treat MSM and the cost of being stigmatised by other colleagues. Therefore, they often limit their empathy with MSM within the hospital context. On the other hand, MSM, trusting in the confidentiality of health care providers, feel safe in the care pathway. However, we identify the following stigmatising factors limiting access to care include: (1) fear of meeting a relative, (2) difficult relationships with non-medical support staff (mainly security guards), (3) HIV status disclosure and (4) potential conflicts with other MSM. // Conclusion: This study is unique as it includes non-medical staff in its respondents. It shows that hospitals are divided into several areas, based on the stigma perceived by MSM. It is important to map out MSM’s care trajectories and spaces and to identify all types of staff working within them, including non-medical staff, and enrol them in stigma reduction interventions

The design and evaluation of a training program on culturally competent psychosocial care provision for men who have sex with men in Senegal

Men who have sex with men (MSM) experience a high degree of discrimination and marginalization in Senegal. Homophobia is pervasive in Senegalese society at the cultural, religious, and political levels. Its effects are reflected in the disproportionately high levels of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse among men who have sex with men when compared to the general population. Given the widespread stigma and the lack of structural support, healthcare providers play a critical role in reconciling the physical and psychological needs of men who have sex with men. This led to the design of a training program that aimed to improve the capacity of healthcare providers to deliver MSM-competent psychosocial care. The training was delivered virtually to 37 Senegal-based nurses and physicians. The program was quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated using pre- and post-testing. The findings demonstrate a general post-training increase in knowledge acquisition (9. 23%, p-value = 0.0021) and a 6.39% reduction in homophobia, which was statistically significant (p = 0.0376); with male providers outperforming female providers, and physicians outperforming nurses. This demonstrates the effectiveness and applicability of the program to support the psychosocial needs of men who have sex with men, and its capacity for future and broader implementation among healthcare providers

Men who have sex with men (MSM) and factors associated with not using a condom at last sexual intercourse with a man and with a woman in Senegal

BACKGROUND: Men who have sex with other men (MSM) are a vulnerable population in Africa that has been insufficiently explored. Given the high rate of bisexuality among MSM (73% in the past year), it is important to understand their risk-taking behaviors regarding both men and women. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A socio-behavioral survey was carried out in 2007 among 501 MSM recruited using the snowball sampling method. We explore in this article why a condom was not used during last sexual intercourse with a man and with a woman, taking into account the respondent's characteristics, type of relationship and the context of the sexual act. In the survey, 489 men reported that they had had sexual intercourse at least once with another man during the previous year, and 358 with a man and with a woman. The main risk factors for not using a condom at last sexual intercourse with another man were having sex in a public place (aOR = 6.26 [95%CI: 2.71–14.46]), non-participation in an MSM prevention program (aOR = 3.47 [95%CI: 2.12–5.69]), a 19 years old or younger partner (aOR = 2.6 [95%CI: 1.23–4.53]), being 24 years or younger (aOR = 2.07 [95%CI: 1.20–3.58]) or being 35 years or over (aOR = 3.08 [95%CI:1.11–8.53]) and being unemployed (aOR = 0.36 [95%CI: 0.10–1.25]). The last sexual intercourse with the respondent's wife was hardly ever protected (2%). With women, the other factors were a 15 years or younger partner (aOR = 6.45 [95%CI: 2.56–16.28]), being educated (primary: aOR = 0.45 [95%CI: 0.21–0.95], secondary or higher: aOR = 0.26 [95%CI: 0.11–0.62]), being a student (aOR = 2.20 [95%CI: 1.07–4.54]) or unemployed (aOR = 3.72 [95%CI: 1.31–10.61]) and having participated in a MSM prevention program (aOR = 0.57 [95%CI: 0.34–0.93]). CONCLUSION: Having participated in a prevention program specifically targeting MSM constitutes a major prevention factor. However, these programs targeting MSM must address their heterosexual practices and the specific risks involved

NP-completeness of the random binary quasi-dyadic Coset Weight problem and the random binary quasi-dyadic Subspace Weight problem

International audienc

NP-completeness of the coset weight problem for quasi-dyadic codes

International audienc