In Plain Sight: Analysis of Twitter Conversations Regarding Non-Partner Sexual Violence in India

Background: In recent years, reports of sexual violence against women in the public sphere in India have been gaining an increasing amount of publicity both on formal news outlets and social media. Increasingly, Indian citizens have been leveraging the power of Twitter as a platform through which to report, discuss, and advocate for social reform and justice in order to protect women from sexual violence in India. Objective: The goal of this investigation was to conduct a proof of concept for a methodological study on how to code, analyze, and monitor discussion about non-partner sexual violence (NPSV) in India. The primary objective was to introduce a systematic methodology in which to examine the defining characteristics, extensiveness, and reach of Twitter messages pertaining to NPSV. Methods: The study utilized standardized and systematic content analysis to reveal how NPSV information is disseminated and diffused through Twitter. The social media conversation sample (SM sample) included messages on NPSV with the search terms of #IndiaRape, #RapeIndia, #Nirbhaya that took place from January 1-December 31, 2014. The sampling strategy of every fifth tweet was used to select the final SM sample for analysis. Messages that were irrelevant to the topic, duplicative, or not in English were skipped. Results: Out of a total of 902 messages across all hashtags, 154 tweets were selected for final analysis. Eighty percent of users listed India as their geographic location, 48% of users were male, 86% of messages were from individuals, and 38% of messages were reports of incidences of NPSV. Twenty-eight percent of tweets demonstrated a dynamic level of secondary engagement. Conclusions: Twitter is a useful way to monitor discussion, broaden, and promote discourse on a topic that traditionally remains undiscussed. Further studies with a more robust and diverse sample are needed to determine whether these results are representative of the general public and also to determine whether a set combination of format and tone of content could let to higher secondary engagement and dissemination of messages.Master of Public Healt

Mobile Phone Interventions for Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health: A Systematic Review

CONTEXT: Interventions for adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) are increasingly using mobile phones but may not effectively report evidence. OBJECTIVE: To assess strategies, findings, and quality of evidence on using mobile phones to improve ASRH by using the mHealth Evidence Reporting and Assessment (mERA) checklist recently published by the World Health Organization mHealth Technical Evidence Review Group. DATA SOURCES: Systematic searches of 8 databases for peer-reviewed studies published January 2000 through August 2014. STUDY SELECTION: Eligible studies targeted adolescents ages 10 to 24 and provided results from mobile phone interventions designed to improve ASRH. DATA EXTRACTION: Studies were evaluated according to the mERA checklist, covering essential mHealth criteria and methodological reporting criteria. RESULTS: Thirty-five articles met inclusion criteria. Studies reported on 28 programs operating at multiple levels of the health care system in 7 countries. Most programs (82%) used text messages. An average of 41% of essential mHealth criteria were met (range 14%-79%). An average of 82% of methodological reporting criteria were met (range 52%-100%). Evidence suggests that inclusion of text messaging in health promotion campaigns, sexually transmitted infection screening and follow-up, and medication adherence may lead to improved ASRH. LIMITATIONS: Only 3 articles reported evidence from lower- or middle-income countries, so it is difficult to draw conclusions for these settings. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence on mobile phone interventions for ASRH published in peer-reviewed journals reflects a high degree of quality in methods and reporting. In contrast, current reporting on essential mHealth criteria is insufficient for understanding, replicating, and scaling up mHealth interventions

Additional file 1: of Meet us on the phone: mobile phone programs for adolescent sexual and reproductive health in low-to-middle income countries

The call for resources for mobile phone approaches to advance adolescent sexual and reproductive health, issued by FHI 360. (DOCX 259 kb

Digital self-care for improved access to family planning and reproductive health services among adolescents in Rwanda: preliminary findings from a pilot study of CyberRwanda.

Adolescents experience significant barriers, including stigma and discrimination, to accessing voluntary family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) services in Rwanda. Self-care interventions have been shown to reduce social barriers to FP/RH care, but little is known about the effectiveness of digital self-care for adolescents, particularly in low-resource settings. This paper presents findings from a pilot study of CyberRwanda, a digital self-care intervention providing comprehensive sexuality education and confidential online ordering of contraceptives for school-aged youth in Rwanda through a rights-based approach. A mixed-methods pilot study was conducted from November 2019 to February 2020 to assess feasibility, acceptability, and engagement and to inform a future impact evaluation. Surveys were administered to a random sample of 158 students aged 12-19 years in three secondary schools. In-depth interviews were conducted with students, parents, teachers, pharmacists, district-level administrators, and youth centre staff. Descriptive statistics were calculated and qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic coding approach. One hundred and fifty-eight surveys and 28 interviews were conducted. Results revealed high demand for CyberRwanda in schools. Students were interested in engaging with the program and found the FP/RH content relevant to their needs. However, few purchased contraceptive products through the online ordering system. There are preliminary indications that CyberRwanda may improve access to FP/RH information. An extended implementation period and further research are needed to measure the long-term impacts of the program and evaluate whether this digital self-care intervention can increase uptake of contraceptive methods and reduce adolescent pregnancy among school-aged youth

Using human-centered design to co-design dedicated menstrual health spaces with people who menstruate in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement, Uganda: Learnings for further adaptation and scale in humanitarian settings

Abstract Background Many people who menstruate in low- and middle-income countries struggle to manage their menstruation safely, hygienically, and with dignity. This is exacerbated in humanitarian settings with limited access to menstrual products and safe, private spaces for changing, washing, and disposing of menstrual products. To address these challenges, Youth Development Labs (YLabs) used a human-centered design approach to co-design the Cocoon Mini, a safe, physical structure for managing menstruation in the Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement in Uganda. Methods The study comprised five phases, including background research, design research, rough prototyping, live prototyping, and a pilot study. A total of 340 people, including people who menstruate, male community members, and community stakeholders, participated in interviews, focus groups, and co-design sessions. Solution prototypes were created, evaluated, and iterated upon in each successive project phase. The final intervention design, the Cocoon Mini, was evaluated qualitatively for feasibility and acceptability during a three-month pilot using structured interviews with 109 people who menstruate utilizing Cocoon Mini structures, 64 other community members, and 20 Cocoon Mini supervisors. Results Results showed widespread desirability and acceptability of the Cocoon Mini among people who menstruate and other community members. Overall, 95% (104/109) of people who menstruate stated the space had made menstrual health management easier, primarily by providing designated waste bins, solar lights, and additional water sources. The Cocoon Mini provided an increased sense of physical and psychological safety in knowing where to privately manage menstruation. Furthermore, the Cocoon Mini demonstrated that an intervention could be run and maintained sustainably at the household level in humanitarian contexts, without continued external stakeholder intervention. Each Cocoon Mini structure costs approximately $360 USD to build and maintain and serves 15–20 people who menstruate, leading to a cost per person of$18-$24. Furthermore, attaching an incinerator to the structure for easier and quicker disposal of waste bin contents (compared to transporting full waste bins elsewhere) costs$2110 USD. Conclusions People who menstruate lack access to safe, private spaces for menstrual health and product disposal in humanitarian settings. The Cocoon Mini provides a solution for the safe and effective management of menstruation. Customizing and scaling up dedicated menstrual health spaces should be considered a high-priority intervention in humanitarian settings

Genome-wide association identifies multiple ulcerative colitis susceptibility loci.

Contains fulltext : 88540.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Ulcerative colitis is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract with a complex genetic and environmental etiology. In an effort to identify genetic variation underlying ulcerative colitis risk, we present two distinct genome-wide association studies of ulcerative colitis and their joint analysis with a previously published scan, comprising, in aggregate, 2,693 individuals with ulcerative colitis and 6,791 control subjects. Fifty-nine SNPs from 14 independent loci attained an association significance of P < 10(-5). Seven of these loci exceeded genome-wide significance (P < 5 x 10(-8)). After testing an independent cohort of 2,009 cases of ulcerative colitis and 1,580 controls, we identified 13 loci that were significantly associated with ulcerative colitis (P < 5 x 10(-8)), including the immunoglobulin receptor gene FCGR2A, 5p15, 2p16 and ORMDL3 (orosomucoid1-like 3). We confirmed association with 14 previously identified ulcerative colitis susceptibility loci, and an analysis of acknowledged Crohn's disease loci showed that roughly half of the known Crohn's disease associations are shared with ulcerative colitis. These data implicate approximately 30 loci in ulcerative colitis, thereby providing insight into disease pathogenesis.1 april 201