L’état de santé perçu et les incapacités en Afrique subsaharienne : différences socioéconomiques et de genre

Bien que la relation entre l’état de santé perçu et les mesures de santé physique et mentale soit bien documentée dans les pays développés, très peu d’études ont examiné cette association dans le monde en développement, particulièrement en Afrique subsaharienne. De même, les études menées dans divers contextes sociaux ont documenté que les femmes et les personnes de plus faible statut socioéconomique (SSÉ) sont les plus susceptibles de porter un lourd fardeau des incapacités et de la mauvaise santé perçue, mais il n’est pas connu si ces associations existent aussi dans les pays africains. L'objectif général de cette recherche doctorale était d’aboutir à une meilleure compréhension de la stratification sociale de la santé en Afrique subsaharienne. Plus spécifiquement, cette étude visait à: 1) Examiner les associations entre la santé perçue et les mesures de santé physique et mentale (maladies chroniques, incapacités et dépression) parmi les adultes à Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, et évaluer comment ces associations varient selon le sexe, le niveau d’éducation et l'âge; 2) Analyser les différences en matière d’incapacité cognitive et physique entre les hommes et les femmes âgés de 50 ans et plus à Ouagadougou et évaluer la mesure dans laquelle les différences observées pourraient être attribuables aux inégalités de genre en matière de conditions sociales et de santé à travers le cycle de vie; 3) Examiner la relation entre le SSÉ et une multitude de mesures d’incapacités parmi les adultes âgés de 18 ans et plus dans 18 pays d’Afrique subsaharienne et déterminer si les différences socioéconomiques dans les incapacités sont caractérisées par une divergence, convergence ou stabilité à travers l’âge. Les résultats de nos analyses sont présentés sous forme de trois articles scientifiques, qui se sont appuyés sur les données de l'Enquête santé réalisée en 2010 dans l'Observatoire de Population de Ouagadougou (OPO) et de la World Health Survey réalisée en 2002-2004 par l’OMS. Dans le premier article, nous avons trouvé que la mauvaise santé perçue était fortement associée aux maladies chroniques et aux incapacités, mais pas à la dépression. L’effet des incapacités sur la mauvaise santé perçue s’intensifiait avec l’âge et avec la diminution du niveau d’éducation. Par contre, l’effet des maladies chroniques semblait diminuer avec l’âge. Aucune variation selon le sexe n’était observée dans les associations de la santé perçue avec les maladies chroniques, les incapacités et la dépression. Ces résultats suggèrent que les différentes sous-populations définies selon le niveau d'éducation et l'âge pondèrent différemment les composantes de santé dans la santé perçue à Ouagadougou. Les résultats du second article indiquaient que le genre féminin était positivement associé à des niveaux plus élevés de détérioration cognitive et de mobilité réduite. L'excès des femmes dans ces incapacités était seulement partiellement expliqué par les inégalités de genre dans l’état nutritionnel, le statut matrimonial et, dans une moindre mesure, l'éducation. Ces résultats suggèrent que l’amélioration de l'état nutritionnel et des opportunités d'éducation à travers le cycle de vie pourrait prévenir la détérioration cognitive et la mobilité réduite et réduire partiellement l'excès féminin dans ces incapacités. Dans le troisième article, nous avons montré que le manque d'éducation était positivement associé à des niveaux plus élevés d'incapacités, et le différentiel d’état de santé fonctionnel entre les différents niveaux d'éducation restait stable à travers l'âge. Ces résultats suggèrent qu’en Afrique subsaharienne, comparativement aux individus hautement éduqués, les personnes faiblement éduquées ont moins de ressources économiques et sociales et de saines habitudes de vie qui ont des effets bénéfiques, constants sur la santé fonctionnelle selon l’âge.Although the relationship between self-rated health (SRH) and physical and mental health is well documented in developed countries, very few studies have analyzed this association in the developing world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, research in various social contexts has documented that disability and poor SRH are more common among women and persons with lower socioeconomic status (SES), but it is unclear whether these associations also hold in sub-Saharan African settings. The general objective of the present thesis was to better understand the social stratification in health in sub-Saharan Africa. More specifically, this study aimed to: 1) To examine the associations of SRH with measures of physical and mental health (chronic diseases, functional limitations, and depression) among adults in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and how these associations vary by sex, education level, and age; 2) To analyze differences in cognitive impairment and mobility disability between older men and women in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and to assess the extent to which these differences could be attributable to gender inequalities in life course social and health conditions; 3) To examine the relationship between SES and multiple disability measures among adults aged 18 and older in 18 sub-Saharan African countries and to determine whether socioeconomic differences in disability are characterized by an increase, decrease or stability with increasing age. The results of our analyses are in three scientific research articles, which rest upon data taken from a cross-sectional interviewer-administered health survey conducted in 2010 in areas of the Ouagadougou Health and Demographic Surveillance System, and the World Health Survey conducted in 2002-2004 by the World Health Organization (WHO). In the first article, poor SRH was strongly associated with chronic diseases and functional limitations, but not with depression. The effect of functional limitations on poor SRH intensified with age and with decreasing education level. In contrast, the effect of chronic diseases appeared to decrease with age. No variation by sex was observed in the associations of SRH with chronic diseases, functional limitations, and depression. These findings suggest that different subpopulations delineated by age and education level weight the components of health differently in their self-rated health in Ouagadougou. The results of the second article indicated that female gender was positively associated with higher levels of cognitive impairment and mobility disability. The female excess in these disabilities was only partially explained by gender differences in nutritional status, marital status and, to a lesser extent, education. These results suggest that enhancing nutritional status and educational opportunities throughout life span could prevent cognitive impairment and mobility disability and partly reduce the female excess in these disabilities. In the third article, we found that the lack of education was positively associated with poorer functional health, and the health gap between educational levels remains static with increasing age. These findings suggest that, in sub-Saharan Africa, compared to the well educated, the undereducated have fewer economic and social resources and health-promoting behaviors which have beneficial, albeit constant effects on functional health over the life course

A compact underactuated gripper with two fingers and a retractable suction cup

Modern industrial applications of robotics such as small-series production and automated warehousing require versatile grippers, i.e., grippers that can pick up the widest possible variety of objects. These objects must often be grasped or placed inside a container, which limits the size of the gripper. In this article, we propose to combine the two most popular gripper technologies in order to maximise versatility: finger grippers and suction-cup (vacuum) grippers. Many researchers and a few companies have followed this same idea in the past, but their gripper designs are often overly complex or too bulky to pick up objects inside containers. Here, we develop a gripper where the suction cup is lodged inside the palm of a two-finger robotic hand. The suction cup is mounted on a retractile rod that can extend to pick up objects inside containers without interference from the two fingers. A single actuator drives both the finger and sliding-rod motions so as to minimise the gripper complexity. The opening and closing sequence of the gripper is achieved by using a planetary gear train as transmission between the actuator, the fingers and the suction cup sliding mechanism. Special attention is paid to minimise the overall gripper size; its diameter being kept to 75 mm, which is that of the end link of the common UR5 robot. A prototype of the gripper is built and its versatility is demonstrated in a short accompanying video

Impact of an Antenatal Counseling on Use of Modern Family Planning Methods in the Postpartum in Rural Guinea

In Guinea, family planning (FP) uptake remains low. The objective of this study was to compare the impact of two types of antenatal counseling on modern FP uptake in the postpartum in rural Guinea. This was a two-group non-equivalent study comparing the impact of a reinforced antenatal counseling (intervention) to the routine antenatal counseling (control). The study included 404 pregnant women at five rural health centres in Forécariah district, Western Guinea. Each woman was followed up until the ninth month postpartum. The study was conducted from October 12, 2013 to December 30, 2014. Findings showed that at the ninth month postpartum, use of modern FP was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (5.7% and 1.1%, respectively; p=0.024). However, 67.6% and 65.7% of women in the intervention group and the control group, respectively, abstained from sexual intercourse at the sixth month postpartum and had the intention to do so until the child walks. At the ninth month postpartum such women represented 70.5% and 59.5%, respectively. Therefore, a longer study period is recommended to assess the effect of antenatal counseling on use of modern FP in the postpartum in Guinea. Keywords: Antenatal counseling; Family planning; Postpartum; Rural; Guine

“You could find a good or a bad provider, I would say you just have to go and see”: A qualitative study of the influence of perceptions of service quality on family planning service use in Burkina Faso

This qualitative study from Burkina Faso explores community-level perceptions of family planning (FP) service quality among FP users and non-users. It examines how perspectives on service quality may influence women’s motivation to seek modern methods from health facilities. For this study, twenty focus group discussions were undertaken with non-users and current users of modern FP including unmarried, sexually active women ages 15–19 and 20–24 and ever married women ages 15–24 and 25+ in Bobo Dioulasso and Banfora, Burkina Faso. The findings demonstrate that respondents prioritized a welcoming environment, positive provider-client exchanges, the full provision of information (especially about side-effects), a pain-free experience, a short waiting time, and privacy and confidentiality. Poor service quality did not, in general, reduce women’s demand or need to use a FP method. Some women who were reluctant to use formal health services used a non-facility-based method (calendar method, withdrawal, condoms or abstinence). Importantly, many unmarried, younger women and adolescents, who were more likely to be stigmatized by providers, exhibited agency by proactively seeking a method despite the potential for a negative experience. They prioritized their health and wellbeing over and above any interpersonal barriers they were likely to encounter. Incorporating strategies to improve the quality of FP services based on locally defined elements of quality should be a specific programmatic goal. These strategies can be identified through quality assessments employing a woman-centered lens. Women who visit facilities can be encouraged to share their positive experiences with their networks to improve community-level perspectives of facility quality. Improving service quality can attract new users, especially adolescents, and retain those who have already adopted a FP method. Through these multi-pronged actions, women’s (and community) expectations and experience of quality can improve. This, in turn, may lead to greater client satisfaction and associated higher FP prevalence

Successful practices for parturients regarding satisfaction in childbirth and immediate puerperium / Práticas exitosas a parturiente quanto a satisfação no partejar e puerpério imediato

Objetivo: Conhecer as práticas exitosas e satisfação de parturientes quanto ao partejar e puerpério imediato. Método: Estudo bibliográfico, descritivo, tipo revisão integrativa. Pesquisaram-se artigos baseados em consultas de estudos científicos inseridos no Portal Periódicos Capes entre os anos de 2013 a 2018, analisados de forma descritiva e resultados apresentados em formas de figuras. Resultados: Totalizaram-se 1260 publicações referentes à temática e, após rigoroso refinamento da busca, foram elegíveis na íntegra, quando excluídos 1253 estudos por não responderem aos critérios de inclusão, sete artigos, determinando a amostra final para discussão com a literatura. Conclusão: Conclui-se que há evidências de que a satisfação com o atendimento recebido pelas mulheres em Centro de Parto Normal está diretamente relacionada ao acolhimento, satisfação no autocuidado, perspectiva em relação a ambiência onde encontram-se as parturientes, puérperas e acompanhantes, como ocorreu o processo do trabalho de parto, parto e puerpério imediato.

What explains gender inequalities in HIV/AIDS prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa? Evidence from the demographic and health surveys

Abstract Background Women are disproportionally affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The determinants of gender inequality in HIV/AIDS may vary across countries and require country-specific interventions to address them. This study aimed to identify the socio-demographic and behavioral characteristics underlying gender inequalities in HIV/AIDS in 21 SSA countries. Methods We applied an extension of the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition approach to data from Demographic and Health Surveys and AIDS Indicator Surveys to quantify the differences in HIV/AIDS prevalence between women and men attributable to socio-demographic factors, sexual behaviours, and awareness of HIV/AIDS. We decomposed gender inequalities into two components: the percentage attributable to different levels of the risk factors between women and men (the “composition effect”) and the percentage attributable to risk factors having differential effects on HIV/AIDS prevalence in women and men (the “response effect”). Results Descriptive analyses showed that the difference between women and men in HIV/AIDS prevalence varied from a low of 0.68 % (P = 0.008) in Liberia to a high of 11.5 % (P < 0.001) in Swaziland. The decomposition analysis showed that 84 % (P < 0.001) and 92 % (P < 0.001) of the higher prevalence of HIV/AIDS among women in Uganda and Ghana, respectively, was explained by the different distributions of HIV/AIDS risk factors, particularly age at first sex between women and men. In the majority of countries, however, observed gender inequalities in HIV/AIDS were chiefly explained by differences in the responses to risk factors; the differential effects of age, marital status and occupation on prevalence of HIV/AIDS for women and men were among the significant contributors to this component. In Cameroon, Guinea, Malawi and Swaziland, a combination of the composition and response effects explained gender inequalities in HIV/AIDS prevalence. Conclusions The factors that explain gender inequality in HIV/AIDS in SSA vary by country, suggesting that country-specific interventions are needed. Unmeasured factors also contributed substantially to the difference in HIV/AIDS prevalence between women and men, highlighting the need for further study

Avec qui les enfants vont-ils vivre ? Facteurs associés au partage du temps parental lors d’une séparation

Pendant longtemps, la plupart des enfants qui vivaient la séparation de leurs parents allaient habiter avec leur mère. Les parents séparés sont toutefois de plus en plus nombreux à partager les responsabilités parentales de façon plus équitable, notamment par la garde partagée (ou double résidence, ou résidence alternée). Afin d’identifier les caractéristiques des familles qui influencent la manière dont les ex-conjoints partageront le temps parental au moment de la rupture, nous avons eu recours aux données de l’Étude longitudinale sur le développement des enfants du Québec (ÉLDEQ). Dans cette cohorte représentative des enfants nés au Québec en 1997-1998, nous trouvons que l’établissement d’une double résidence pour les enfants est fortement associé à la participation au marché du travail des mères et au niveau de scolarité des pères. Le climat entourant la séparation et le sentiment d’efficacité parentale des pères jouent aussi un rôle important.For a long time, most children who witnessed their parents’ separation went to live with their mother. However, an increasing proportion of separated parents share parental responsibilities more equitably, including through shared or joint physical custody (or dual residence). In order to identify the characteristics of families that influence how former spouses and partners share parental time at union dissolution, we used data from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD). In this representative cohort of children born in the province of Quebec in 1997-1998, we found that the establishment of dual residence for children was strongly associated with the labour force participation of mothers and the level of education of fathers. The climate surrounding separation and fathers’ sense of parental effectiveness also played an important role.Durante mucho tiempo, la mayoría de los niños que atravesaban por el proceso de separación de sus padres y madres, vivían con su madre. A pesar de ello, los padres y las madres separadas – que cada vez son más numerosos – están más dispuestos a compartir sus responsabilidades parentales de manera más equitativa, principalmente a través de la tenencia compartida (o bajo la modalidad de doble residencia o de residencia alternada).Con el fin de identificar las características de las familias y la manera como los ex integrantes de la pareja van a compartir el tiempo parental al momento de la ruptura, vamos a utilizar los datos estadísticos provenientes del Estudio longitudinal sobre el desarrollo de los niños en la Provincia de Quebec (ÉLDEQ).En la cohorte representativa de los niños nacidos entre los años 1997-1998 en la Provincia de Quebec, encontramos que el establecimiento de una doble residencia para los niños está fuertemente asociado a la participación en el mercado del trabajo de las madres y al nivel de educación de los padres. También juega un rol importante el clima que rodea a la separación y el sentimiento de eficacia parental de los padres y las madres

Santé et bien-être des personnes âgées : appréciation qualitative et approche par les limitations fonctionnelles

Si tu t’occupes de ton enfant jusqu’à ce qu’il lui pousse des dents, il doit s’occuper de toi jusqu’à ce que tu perdes les tiennes. Les chapitres qui précèdent ont porté sur la question du double fardeau sanitaire dans des quartiers périphériques de Ouagadougou entre 2008 et 2013. Le double fardeau caractérise des contextes ou des groupes sociaux qui se situent à la fois dans la deuxième phase de la transition épidémiologique (diminution seulement partielle des maladies infectieuses et des ma..