“I don’t know if I have the courage”: reproductive choices in times of Zika

In this transnational study, we aimed at providing insights into women’s views and attitudes towards their reproductive rights during the Zika epidemic. Women of distinct nationalities and ethnicities were recruited from various locations in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the United States. We conducted semistructured interviews that suggest that participants reproductive decisions were intimately related to personal convictions and cultural beliefs, and their actions and thoughts were embedded in their sociocultural norms. The majority of women interviewed communicated that it takes courage to make the extreme, emotional, and overwhelming decision to have an abortion. The findings of this study suggest that women from different countries and regions, and with different levels of social capital, faced the same conflicts concerning reproductive decisions. Thus, we argue for the importance of considering cultural beliefs and behaviors when implementing health prevention or protection measures to control epidemics. This epidemic may be yet another opportunity for the improvement of women’s health by strengthening culturally sensitive family planning services, and a broad spectrum of public health interventions.  Neste estudo transnacional, pretendemos fornecer informações sobre as opiniões e atitudes das mulheres em relação aos seus direitos reprodutivos durante a epidemia do Zika. Mulheres de diferentes nacionalidades e etnias foram recrutadas em vários locais do Brasil, Porto Rico e Estados Unidos. Foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas que sugerem que as decisões reprodutivas dos participantes estavam intimamente relacionadas às convicções pessoais e crenças culturais, e suas ações e pensamentos foram incorporados em suas normas socioculturais. A maioria das mulheres entrevistadas comunicou que é preciso coragem para tomar a decisão extrema, emocional e esmagadora de fazer um aborto. Os achados deste estudo sugerem que mulheres de diferentes países e regiões, e com diferentes níveis de capital social, enfrentam os mesmos conflitos relativos às decisões reprodutivas. Assim, defendemos a importância de considerar crenças e comportamentos culturais ao implementar medidas de prevenção ou proteção à saúde para controlar epidemias. Esta epidemia pode ser mais uma oportunidade para melhorar a saúde das mulheres, fortalecendo serviços de planejamento familiar culturalmente sensíveis e um amplo espectro de intervenções de saúde pública

COVID-19 and Latinos in Massachusetts

This report focuses on the Latino population of Massachusetts and uses 2014–2018 American Community Survey (ACS) demographic data to explore both Latinos’ vulnerability to COVID-19 infection and the key predictive factors. We explore what is known about the social determinants of health previously identified as critical to understanding the spread and differential infection rates of COVID-19 across populations—for example, opportunities for infection due to employment and housing conditions—and how these apply to the Latino population in Massachusetts. We also briefly explore those factors that lead to COVID-19 severe illness and possibly death from the disease, including the age of the population, the existence of underlying health conditions, and access to health care. We conclude with some recommendations for public policies and further research needed to address the health inequities laid bare by the COVID-19 crisis

BIOMARCADORES NA AVALIACAO DA SAUDE AMBIENTAL DOS ECOSSISTEMAS AQUATICOS

Aquatic environments are increasingly threatened by contamination of industrial, agricultural and urban sources. Quantifying the pollutant agents in the environment does not provide information of their effects over organisms. Others biological tools should thus be used in monitoring water quality to allow for a better understanding of the stress and the effects pollutants cause in environments, enabling tracing cause-effect relationships. The biological responses, termed biomarkers, are used to assess the effects of exposure to arious contaminants, such as metals, organic compounds, and pesticides. Biomarkers are efficiently applied in studies of risk assessment and environmental impact providing an early evaluation of the actual effects of pollutants on the biota. The use of biomarkers in environmental studies is important to implement adequate actions while protecting aquatic environments.Os ecossistemas aquáticos vêm sofrendo crescente processo de contaminação oriundo de atividades industriais, agrícolas e urbanas. A mensuração apenas destes contaminantes no ambiente não traz respostas sobre os efeitos adversos que estas substanciam vem causando nos organismos vivos presentes nestes ambientes. Desta forma, no biomonitoramento dos corpos d'águas devem ser incluídas ferramentas biológicas que tragam respostas sobre o estresse e os efeitos que estes poluentes vem causando, possibilitando o estabelecimento de relações de causa-efeito. Estas respostas biológicas, chamadas de biomarcadores, vêm sendo utilizadas para avaliar a exposição e o efeito causados por diferentes contaminantes, tais como, metais, compostos orgânicos e agrotóxicos. Os biomarcadores constituem uma abordagem eficiente nos estudos de avaliação do risco e impacto ambiental, pois detectam de forma precoce os efeitos reais que estão ocorrendo aos seres vivos em situações de exposição a ambientes poluídos. O uso de biomarcadores e fundamental para que possam ser tomadas medidas mitigadoras e de proteção a estes ambientes

Solidarity Vulnerability and Mistrust.pdf

Background: The public health response to Zika outbreak has mostly focused on epidemiological surveillance, vector control, and individual level preventative measures. This qualitative study employs a social-ecological framework to examine how macro (historical, legislative, political, socio-economic factors), meso (sources of information, social support, social mobilization) and micro level factors (individual actions, behavioral changes) interacted to influence the response and behavior of women with respect to Zika in different contexts.Methods: A qualitative study was carried out. Women were recruited through the snowball sampling technique from various locations in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the United States. They were of different nationalities and ethnicities. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The data transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Women in this study deemed the information provided as insufficient, which led them to actively reach out and access a variety of media sources. Social networks played a vital role in sharing information but also resulted in the spread of hoaxes or rumors. Participants in our research perceived socio-economic inequities but focused on how to remedy their micro environments. They did not engage in major social activities. Lack of trust in governments placed women in vulnerable situations by preventing them to follow the guidance of health authorities. These impacts were also a result of the response tactics of health and government administrations in their failed attempts to ensure the well-being of their countries’ populations.Conclusions: Our findings call for public health interventions that go beyond individual level behavioral change campaigns, to more comprehensively address the broader meso and macro level factors that influence women’ willingness and possibility to protect themselves

“Too Much to Ask, Too Much to Handle”: Women’s Coping in Times of Zika

Zika virus infection during pregnancy is a cause of congenital brain abnormalities. Its consequences for pregnancies have made governments and both national and international agencies issue advice and recommendations to women. This study was designed to understand the impacts of Zika on women who were less directly affected and less vulnerable to Zika. Women were recruited from various locations in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Women perceived that public health systems placed an unfair responsibility for preventing health complications from Zika onto women who had limited ability to do so. They also stated that the measures recommended to them were invasive, while creating the perception that women were the sole determinant of whether they contracted Zika. The results indicate that women with higher levels of education understood the limitations of the information, government actions, and medical care they received, which ended up producing higher levels of anguish and worry. Gender inequality and discrimination must be recognized and rendered visible in the public health emergency response. The social effects of the epidemic affected women more than had been thought before and at deeper emotional levels

Too Much to Ask Too Much to Handle.pdf

Abstract: Zika virus infection during pregnancy is a cause of congenital brain abnormalities. Its consequences for pregnancies have made governments and both national and internationalagencies issue advice and recommendations to women. This study was designed to understand the impacts of Zika on women who were less directly affected and less vulnerable to Zika. Women wererecruited from various locations in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the United States. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Women perceived thatpublic health systems placed an unfair responsibility for preventing health complications from Zika onto women who had limited ability to do so. They also stated that the measures recommended tothem were invasive, while creating the perception that women were the sole determinant of whether they contracted Zika. The results indicate that women with higher levels of education understood thelimitations of the information, government actions, and medical care they received, which ended up producing higher levels of anguish and worry. Gender inequality and discrimination must be recognized and rendered visible in the public health emergency response. The social effects of the epidemic affected women more than had been thought before and at deeper emotional levels

Solidarity, vulnerability and mistrust: how context, information and government affect the lives of women in times of Zika

Background: The public health response to Zika outbreak has mostly focused on epidemiological surveillance, vector control, and individual level preventative measures. This qualitative study employs a social-ecological framework to examine how macro (historical, legislative, political, socio-economic factors), meso (sources of information, social support, social mobilization) and micro level factors (individual actions, behavioral changes) interacted to influence the response and behavior of women with respect to Zika in different contexts. Methods: A qualitative study was carried out. Women were recruited through the snowball sampling technique from various locations in Brazil, Puerto Rico, and the United States. They were of different nationalities and ethnicities. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The data transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Women in this study deemed the information provided as insufficient, which led them to actively reach out and access a variety of media sources. Social networks played a vital role in sharing information but also resulted in the spread of hoaxes or rumors. Participants in our research perceived socio-economic inequities but focused on how to remedy their microenvironments. They did not engage in major social activities. Lack of trust in governments placed women in vulnerable situations by preventing them to follow the guidance of health authorities. These impacts were also a result of the response tactics of health and government administrations in their failed attempts to ensure the well-being of their countries’ populations. Conclusions: Our findings call for public health interventions that go beyond individual level behavioral change campaigns, to more comprehensively address the broader meso and macro level factors that influence women’ willingness and possibility to protect themselves

Biomarcadores na avaliação da saúde ambiental dos ecossistemas aquáticos

BIOMARKERS TO ASSESS THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH OF AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS. Aquatic environments are increasingly threatened by contamination of industrial, agricultural and urban sources. Quantifying the pollutant agents in the environment does not provide information of their effects over organisms. Others biological tools should thus be used in monitoring water quality to allow for a better understanding of the stress and the effects pollutants cause in environments, enabling tracing cause-effect relationships. The biological responses, termed biomarkers, are used to assess the effects of exposure to various contaminants, such as metals, organic compounds, and pesticides. Biomarkers are effi ciently applied in studies of risk assessment and environmental impact providing an early evaluation of the actual effects of pollutants on the biota. The use of biomarkers in environmental studies is important to implement adequate actions while protecting aquatic environments. Keywords: biomarkers, environmental assessment, pollution, aquatic ecosystems.Os ecossistemas aquáticos vêm sofrendo crescente processo de contaminação oriundo de atividades industriais, agrícolas e urbanas. A mensuração apenas destes contaminantes no ambiente não traz respostas sobre os efeitos adversos que estas substâncias vêm causando nos organismos vivos presentes nestes ambientes. Desta forma, no biomonitoramento dos corpos d�águas devem ser incluídas ferramentas biológicas que tragam respostas sobre o estresse e os efeitos que estes poluentes vêm causando, possibilitando o estabelecimento de relações de causa-efeito. Estas respostas biológicas, chamadas de biomarcadores, vêm sendo utilizadas para avaliar a exposição e o efeito causados por diferentes contaminantes, tais como, metais, compostos orgânicos e agrotóxicos. Os biomarcadores constituem uma abordagem efi ciente nos estudos de avaliação do risco e impacto ambiental, pois detectam de forma precoce os efeitos reais que estão ocorrendo aos seres vivos em situações de exposição a ambientes poluídos. O uso de biomarcadores é fundamental para que possam ser tomadas medidas mitigadoras e de proteção a estes ambientes. Palavras-chave: biomarcadores, avaliação ambiental, poluição, ecossistemas aquáticos

COVID-19 and Latinos in Massachusetts

This report focuses on the Latino population of Massachusetts and uses 2014–2018 American Community Survey (ACS) demographic data to explore both Latinos’ vulnerability to COVID-19 infection and the key predictive factors. We explore what is known about the social determinants of health previously identified as critical to understanding the spread and differential infection rates of COVID-19 across populations—for example, opportunities for infection due to employment and housing conditions—and how these apply to the Latino population in Massachusetts. We also briefly explore those factors that lead to COVID-19 severe illness and possibly death from the disease, including the age of the population, the existence of underlying health conditions, and access to health care. We conclude with some recommendations for public policies and further research needed to address the health inequities laid bare by the COVID-19 crisis