“No Lecture, I Am Bored:” What Messages does Young Males Myanmar Want to Learn from Sexuality Education in Social Media?

This paper explores how Myanmar male youths use the social networking sites especially Facebook to search sexual health information by investigating their pattern of usage and the types of sexual message they are eager to learn from online source. The study was undertaken by conducting virtual ethnography, 16 in-depth interviews and 3 FGD sessions through purposive sampling method among university students in Mandalay. Thematic analysis was guided by doing open coding. Among male youth community, searching sexual health information and seeking sexual pleasure from Facebook are very common and are main reasons to use Facebook. In conclusion, Facebook influences their sexual health in both positive ways and negative ways depending on their pattern of usage. It is recommended that young people need sexual health information and comprehensive sexuality education curriculum in schools that are related with their sexual interest, sexual culture and lifestyle and their sexual literacy. Keywords: Pattern of Facebook Usage, Sexual Health, Male Youths, Myanmar DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/11-14-02 Publication date:July 31st 202

Bio-power, medical gaze and negotiation: Narrative experiences of anti-aging practices among Thai women

This qualitative study aimed to investigate anti-aging practices among Thai women and was conducted using an ethnographic approach. More specifically, the research methods included narrative interviews of participants, in-depth interviews with key informants, participant observation, and document analysis. Triangulation through multiple research data sources and methods was used for data validation purposes. Foucault's theory of bio-power inspired the inquiry and analytical process. The key findings from this study were: (1) the senses of body-self were both positive and negative, including media of happiness and good-spirit, inferiority complexes and worries, changes of the blood and circulatory system, unwanted/undesirable appearance, and reduction in passion and sexual attractiveness; (2) the anti-aging praxis of women involves dominant medical discourse operating a series of diverse knowledge practices. Those have become a truth regime embodied into the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of women. The discourse practices of anti-aging were health, beauty, and lifestyle choices. However, women have fluidity of self as an agency to negotiate with those discourse practices fixed to life contexts. This study revealed the subjective experiences of aging bodies as a sense of body-self and diversity of anti-aging practices reproduce discourse practices to regulate women bodies as bio-power and to increase awareness of narrative experiences of women attempting to understand the agency of women in multiple anti-aging practices in various contexts

Thailand's health screening policy and practices: The case of Burmese migrants with tuberculosis

Burmese migrant workers who work legally in Thailand have to follow a migrant registration system, which includes a health screening procedure. This paper investigates the health screening procedure of Burmese migrants in Thailand. Since ethnography is very useful for social research, the investigator of this study employed an ethnographic perceptive, in which the dual roles of the ethnographer are used to develop an understanding of what it is like to live in a particular setting: the investigator must both become a part of the lives of the participants of the study while also maintaining the role of an observer. The information in this study was also derived from in-depth interviews, field notes, and formal and informal interviews with 13 migrant workers with tuberculosis (TB), 4 members of a TB self-help group, 4 migrant health volunteers, 17 family members of TB patients, and 5 hospital staff. The results of the study showed that the screening of the health of Burmese migrant workers was associated with discrimination, fear that the migrants might spread TB, and the government's concern about the treatment cost. The screening for the health of migrants is especially presented as a health policy to monitor health issues and to prevent the spread of infectious disease to the Thai people

Mot Luuk problems in northeast Thailand: why women's own health concerns matter as much as disease rates

In this paper, we consider women's illness experiences, above and beyond the presence of clinically identifiable disease. In Northeast Thailand, epidemiological data suggest that the prevalence of major women's reproductive tract infections is relatively low and not a cause for significant public health attention. Conversely, we found that self-reported rates of gynecological complaints are high and a significant women's health concern in rural Northeast villages. Women's embodied experiences and interpretations of these complaints affect their lives dramatically. Moreover, women's responses to gynecological problems (regardless of diagnosed morbidity) constitute an important health issue in their own right. In this regard, we document the dangers of women's self-treatment practices that rely largely on small doses of medically inappropriate antibiotics, the manner in which family life and sexual relations are disrupted by fears that gynecological problems will progress to cervical cancer, health care seeking patterns and expectations from health staff, and most importantly, how women's concerns about the seriousness of recurrent ailments result in substantial suffering. This study demonstrates why attention to women's own health concerns is as important to address in health programs as rates of disease, and why common gynecological problems and work-related complaints are important to take seriously rather than dismiss as psychological or routine and expected. We argue that there is a strong need to conduct ethnographic research on women's health problems as a complement to, and not merely a support for, epidemiological research. An evidence-based approach to health policy needs to be accompanied by a more humanistic approach to understanding health care needs.Women's health Gynecology Reproductive health Thailand

‘Hu Hong’ (bad thing): parental perceptions of teenagers’ sexuality in urban Vietnam

Abstract Background Teenagers under 18 years old in Vietnam are considered as minors who usually lack the autonomy to make decisions. They are also sometimes viewed as contributors to social evils including crime, violence and substance use. Moreover, most Vietnamese teenagers have unsafe sex before marriage. The objective of this study is to explore the parental perceptions relating to their teenagers’ sexuality, particularly the social and cultural forces, that may hinder access to sexuality information. Methods Guided by a Community Advisory Board (CAB), this qualitative study uses four focus group discussions (FGDs) consisting of 12 mothers and 12 fathers, as well as twelve individual in-depth interviews (IDIs) with a diverse sample of parents of teens in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. Content and discourse analysis were conducted, based on Foucauldian concepts. Results Four themes emerged: 1) Meanings of sexuality and sexuality education, 2) Early sexual intercourse destroys teenagers’ future, 3) Teenagers are not hu hong (spoil/bad thing), are innocent and virgin, and 4) Policing and controlling of sexual intercourse among teens. Parents did not view their teenage children as sexual beings; those who are sexual are considered hu hong. Parents believed that teens need to be policed and controlled to prevent them from becoming hu hong, particularly girls. Controlling of sexuality information by parents was therefore common in HCMC, but differed by gender and educational levels of parents. For example, fathers more than mothers were not comfortable teaching their teenage children about sex and sexuality. Parents with higher education police their teenage children’s usage of the Internet and social media, while parents with lower education control who can be friends with their teenage children. Conclusions Vietnamese parents in general have negative views of sex and sexuality education for their teenage children. Recognizing that many Vietnamese teenagers have unsafe sex before marriage, parents need to change their perceptions and understand the importance of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), which are included in UNESCO, UNFPA and UNICEF-developed CSE tools

Revisiting the ‘Thai gay paradise’: Negative attitudes toward same-sex relations despite sexuality education among Thai LGBT students

School settings are volatile and often violent for LGBT teens who are first coming to terms with their sexuality. We explored the attitudes of LGBT students in Thai secondary schools towards homosexuality. Students aged 12–19 years were surveyed in 393 public institutions providing secondary-school education in six regions of Thailand, selected by a multistage cluster sampling. Among 1088 LGBT-identified students, 378 (35%) reported negative attitudes toward homosexuality. Factors associated with homonegative attitudes in a multivariable logistic regression analysis were identifying as a transgender (Adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] 2.5, 95% CI 1.5-4.1), having low academic performance (GPA scores of 2–3 [aOR 2.6, 95% CI 1.7-4.1] or less than 2 [aOR 2.1, 95% CI 1.5-2.]), and attending sexuality education classes covering topics such as bullying LGBT students (aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-3.1) and safe homosexual practices (aOR 2.1, 95% CI 1.7-4.1). Sexuality education in its current form in Thai public schools may not be effective in reducing homonegative attitudes of LGBT-identified students. A more comprehensive sexuality education emphasising gender and rights along with strategies addressing social disparities due to sexual orientation is needed to enable Thai LGBT teens to accept their sexuality without shame and self-disrespect

'It's an ordinary matter':perceptions of cyberbullying in Thai youth culture

This qualitative study focuses on youth perceptions of cyberbullying (definition, causes, consequences, and management). We also articulate how perceptions of cyberbullying among Thai youth are influenced by Thai culture, including Thai youth culture. Data were collected from 15 to 24 year-olds in Central Thailand through 22 focus group discussions (FGDs) with 4-6 participants each, as well as 26 in-depth interviews (IDIs), totaling 136 participants. These youth defined cyberbullying as harming others through mobile phones and the Internet. To count as cyberbullying, actions had to cause real harm or annoyance and be committed with malicious intent. The relationship between the parties involved also mattered: close friends were unlikely to be considered cyberbullies. Participants thought that the anonymity of cyberspace is a key cause of cyberbullying but also that cyberbullying often results from previous offline incidents of violence. In their view, cyberbullying impacts individuals and their social interactions. Participants tended to manage the problem by themselves and not consult their parents. Alarmingly, participants viewed cyberbullying as 'an ordinary matter'. To raise awareness that cyberbullying is a societal problem with serious consequences, state agencies and educational institutions need to play active roles in preventing it and responding to it constructively when it occurs.</p

Social violence among Thai gender role conforming and non-conforming secondary school students: Types, prevalence and correlates.

BACKGROUND:Gender role non-conforming behaviors are a significant risk factor for school-related violence. The objective of this study is to describe the types, prevalence and correlates of social violence among Thai secondary school students, with a focus on gender role non-conformity. METHODS:This article uses secondary data from a national study of 2070 secondary school students aged 13-20 years representing Bangkok and all four regions of Thailand. Students were asked about their gender/sexual identity, self-perception of their masculinity or femininity, and experiences of social violence. Correlates of social violence were examined using multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS:Prevalence of social violence victimization was high (57%). Most students considered themselves to be as masculine or as feminine as other members of their sex (82.6%), while 9.1% thought that they were less masculine/less feminine, and 8.3% thought they were more masculine/more feminine. Students who considered themselves less masculine or less feminine than others of their sex (AOR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.13, 2.25) were more likely to experience social violence, compared to students who considered themselves equally masculine/feminine. Students who self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) (AOR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.86) were also more likely to experience social violence, compared to students who did not identify as LGBT. However, students who considered themselves more masculine or feminine than other students of their sex (AOR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.44, 0.88) were less likely to experience social violence. DISCUSSION:Students who identified as LGBT, or considered themselves to be less masculine or less feminine than other students of their sex, had higher odds of social violence victimization. Anti-bullying campaigns need to emphasize that perpetrating social violence is not tolerated, and gender-based violence needs to be included in comprehensive sexuality education curricula