scholarly journals Reproductive health peer education for multicultural target groups

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 162-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid A Peters ◽  
Vera LN Schölmerich ◽  
Daniëlle W van Veen ◽  
Eric AP Steegers ◽  
Semiha Denktaş

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the characteristics of the participants and the success of the recruitment methods and increase in knowledge of participants in reproductive health peer education. Dutch perinatal mortality rates are relatively high compared to other European countries. Non-Western ethnic minorities show particularly adverse outcomes. They seem to have low health literacy and less access to health care. Design/methodology/approach – These groups were specifically targeted, and reproductive health education covering the full spectrum of obstetric care was developed, led by specifically trained female peer educators coming from the targeted communities. Findings – “Active” recruitment methods were the most successful methods; 1,896 women and 275 men were recruited and participated in the intervention. Sixty-five per cent of the total female participants had a first-generation immigrant background. Significant knowledge improvements were found on all five measurements of reproductive behaviour and antenatal and postnatal health care system knowledge (24 per cent average knowledge increase in already knowledgeable participant group and 46 per cent in the not knowledgeable group). Active interpersonal recruitment methods were most successful in reaching the target groups. Peer education resulted in knowledge increase in these groups. Practical implications – Invest in training of educators for peer education reproductive health. Organize recruitment by verbal advertising by community organizations and social networks of peer educators. Originality/value – To the authors’ knowledge, no studies have been conducted combining investigation of the results of specific recruitment methods, the characteristics of reached participants in a multi-ethnic population and their increase in knowledge about reproductive health and care.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibraheem Khaled Abu Siam ◽  
María Rubio Gómez

Purpose Access to health-care services for refugees are always impacted by many factors and strongly associated with population profile, nature of crisis and capacities of hosing countries. Throughout refugee’s crisis, the Jordanian Government has adopted several healthcare access policies to meet the health needs of Syrian refugees while maintaining the stability of the health-care system. The adopted health-care provision policies ranged from enabling to restricting and from affordable to unaffordable. The purpose of this paper is to identify the influence of restricted level of access to essential health services among Syrian refugees in Jordan. Design/methodology/approach This paper used findings of a cross-sectional surveys conducted over urban Syrian refugees in Jordan in 2017 and 2018 over two different health-care access policies. The first were inclusive and affordable, whereas the other considered very restricting policy owing to high inflation in health-care cost. Access indicators from four main thematic areas were selected including maternal health, family planning, child health and monthly access of household. A comparison between both years’ access indicators was conducted to understand access barriers and its impact. Findings The comparison between findings of both surveys shows a sudden shift in health-care access and utilization behaviors with increased barriers level thus increased health vulnerabilities. Additionally, the finding during implementation of restricted access policy proves the tendency among some refugees groups to adopt negative adaptation strategies to reduce health-care cost. The participants shifted to use a fragmented health-care, reduced or delayed care seeking and use drugs irrationally weather by self-medication or reduce drug intake. Originality/value Understanding access barriers to health services and its negative short-term and long-term impact on refugees’ health status as well as the extended risks to the host communities will help states that hosting refugees building rational access policy to protect whole community and save public health gains during and post crisis. Additionally, it will support donors to better mobilize resources according to the needs while the humanitarian actors and service providers will better contribute to the public health stability during refugee’s crisis.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carin Eisenstein ◽  
Victoria Zamperoni ◽  
Neil Humphrey ◽  
Jessica Deighton ◽  
Miranda Wolpert ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine the efficacy of the Peer Education Project (PEP), a school-based, peer-led intervention designed to support secondary school students to develop the skills and knowledge they need to safeguard their mental health and that of their peers. Design/methodology/approach Six schools from across England and the Channel Islands took part in an evaluation of the PEP across the 2016/2017 academic year. In total, 45 trained peer educators from the sixth form and 455 Year 7 students completed pre- and post-questionnaires assessing their emotional and behavioural difficulties, perceived school climate, and knowledge, skills and confidence related to mental health. Findings Results indicate that participation in the PEP is associated with significant improvement in key skills among both peer educators and student trainees, and in understanding of key terms and readiness to support others among trainees. Most students would recommend participation in the programme to other students. Originality/value While peer education has been found to be effective in some areas of health promotion, research on the effectiveness of peer-led mental health education programmes in schools is limited. This study contributes evidence around the efficacy of a new peer education programme that can be implemented in secondary schools.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharine Dunbar Winsor

Purpose Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a complex lifelong disorder impacting the brain and body. Individuals with FASD may require lifelong supports and are at a higher risk of experiencing adverse outcomes, including incarceration. Individuals with FASD face stigma related to FASD that impacts disclosure of the diagnosis and access to supports. The prevalence of FASD exceeds that of other developmental disabilities, yet it remains less visible and stigmatized. Design/methodology/approach Interviews conducted with health-care and justice professionals in a Canadian province explore their experiences attending to FASD and challenges of stigma. Findings While difficult to access, diagnosis provides a pathway to supports and is crucial in the criminal justice process. Visibility and invisibility in health and justice systems highlight the lack of understanding of FASD and surrounding stigma. When unaddressed, individuals with FASD face additional challenges stemming from a lack of information and strategies by professionals involved in their lives. Originality/value Stigma represents a significant and complex issue intertwined in understandings of FASD. This research explores this relationship and the mechanisms through which FASD stigma has impacts in health-care and justice settings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 286-297
Author(s):  
Bret Hicken ◽  
Kimber Parry

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of rural older veterans in the US and discuss how the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is increasing access to health care for older veterans in rural areas. Design/methodology/approach This is a descriptive paper summarizing population and program data about rural veterans. Findings VA provides a variety of health care services and benefits for older veterans to support health, independence, and quality of life. With the creation of the Veterans Health Administration Office of Rural Health (ORH) in 2006, the needs of rural veterans, who are on average older than urban veterans, are receiving greater attention and support. ORH and VA have implemented several programs to specifically improve access to health care for rural veterans and to improve quality of care for older veterans in rural areas. Originality/value This paper is one of the first to describe how VA is addressing the health care needs of older, rural veterans.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. e034436
Author(s):  
Aveneni Mangombe ◽  
Philip Owiti ◽  
Bernard Madzima ◽  
Sinokuthemba Xaba ◽  
Talent M Makoni ◽  
...  

ObjectivePeer education is an intervention within the voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC)–adolescent sexual reproductive health (ASRH) linkages project in Bulawayo and Mount Darwin, Zimbabwe since 2016. Little is known if results extend beyond increasing knowledge. We therefore assessed the extent of and factors affecting referral by peer educators and receipt of HIV testing services (HTS), contraception, management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and VMMC services by young people (10–24 years) counselled.DesignA cohort study involving all young people counselled by 95 peer educators during October–December 2018, through secondary analysis of routinely collected data.SettingAll ASRH and VMMC sites in Mt Darwin and Bulawayo.ParticipantsAll young people counselled by 95 peer educators.Outcome measuresCensor date for assessing receipt of services was 31 January 2019. Factors (clients’ age, gender, marital and schooling status, counselling type, location, and peer educators’ age and gender) affecting non-referral and non-receipt of services (dependent variables) were assessed by log-binomial regression. Adjusted relative risks (aRRs) were calculated.ResultsOf the 3370 counselled (66% men), 65% were referred for at least one service. 58% of men were referred for VMMC. Other services had 5%–13% referrals. Non-referral for HTS decreased with clients’ age (aRR: ~0.9) but was higher among group-counselled (aRR: 1.16). Counselling by men (aRR: 0.77) and rural location (aRR: 0.61) reduced risks of non-referral for VMMC, while age increased it (aRR ≥1.59). Receipt of services was high (64%–80%) except for STI referrals (39%). Group counselling and rural location (aRR: ~0.52) and male peer educators (aRR: 0.76) reduced the risk of non-receipt of VMMC. Rural location increased the risk of non-receipt of contraception (aRR: 3.18) while marriage reduced it (aRR: 0.20).ConclusionWe found varying levels of referral ranging from 5.1% (STIs) to 58.3% (VMMC) but high levels of receipt of services. Type of counselling, peer educators’ gender and location affected receipt of services. We recommend qualitative approaches to further understand reasons for non-referrals and non-receipt of services.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-267
Author(s):  
Dirk Lafaut ◽  
Gily Coene

Purpose Undocumented migrants experience major legal constraints in their health-care access. Little is known on how undocumented migrants cope with these limitations in health-care access as individuals. The purpose of this study is to explore the coping responses of undocumented migrants when they experience limited health-care access in face-to-face encounters with health-care providers. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted multi-site ethnographic observations and 25 semi-structured in-depth interviews with undocumented migrants in Belgium. They combined the “candidacy model” of health-care access with models from coping literature on racism as a framework. The candidacy model allowed them to understand access to health care as a dynamic and interactive negotiation process between health-care workers and undocumented migrants. Findings Responses to impaired health-care access can be divided into four main strategies: (1) individuals can react with a self-protective response withdrawing from seeking further care; (2) they can get around the obstacle; (3) they can influence the health-care worker involved by deploying discursive or performative skills; or (4) they can seek to confront the source of the obstacle. Research limitations/implications These findings point to the importance of care relations and social networks, as well as discursive and performative skills of undocumented migrants when negotiating barriers in access to health care. Originality/value This study refines the candidacy model by highlighting how individuals respond on a micro-level to shifts towards exclusionary health policies and, by doing so dynamically, change provision of health-care services.


2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-468
Author(s):  
Lorena Núñez Carrasco ◽  
Abha Jaiswal ◽  
Jairo Arrow ◽  
Michel Kasongo Muteba ◽  
Bidhan Aryal

Purpose Migrants historically and currently form an integral part of South Africa. Their importance and contribution to the country’s economy and development are undeniable. Yet, life for African migrants in South Africa is becoming increasingly difficult. An analysis of migrants mortality until now has not been conducted. The purpose of this paper is to compare the trends of the cause of death among South African Citizens (RSA) and African migrants from countries that form part of the South African Development Community (SADC), that make up nearly 70% of the migrants in the country. Design/methodology/approach Using Stats SA data of all registered deaths in South Africa (2002-2015), this paper compares all causes of death (COD) between RSA and SADC migrants. This paper studies the patterns in COD among these population groups for the years 2002 to 2015 in deaths due to infectious diseases and unnatural causes. Logistic regression was used to quantify the odds of dying due to infectious disease and unnatural causes for each population group. This paper included a calculation of the odds of dying due to assault, as a sub-group within unnatural deaths. Findings A total of 7,611,129 deaths were recorded for the local South African population and 88,114 for SADC migrants for the period under study (2002–2015). The burden of mortality for both infectious diseases and unnatural causes was higher for SADC migrants as compared to RSA. SADC migrants were 1.22 times more likely to die from infectious diseases than RSA (P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.12, 1.23). Similarly, SADC migrants were 2.7 times more likely to die from unnatural causes than South Africans (P < 0.001, 95% CI (2.17, 2.23). The odds of dying from assault was the same as that of unnatural causes. Also, it was found that women were more likely to die from infectious diseases (OR = 1.11, P < 0.001, 95% CI (1.11, 1.11) compared to men, regardless of nationality. Research limitations/implications The bias resulting from migrants who return home to die due to illness, described in the literature as the salmon bias, is present in this paper. This paper, therefore, concludes death due to infectious diseases could be higher among migrants. Practical implications The heightened mortality among SADC migrants can be related to the impact of social determinants of health such as living and working conditions and barriers to access to health care. Moreover, the higher probability of death due to unnatural causes such as assaults constitute a proxy to estimate the impact of xenophobic violence observed in the country over the past decade. Policy interventions should focus on migrant health-care systems. Also, programmes to mitigate and curb xenophobic sentiments should be carried out to address the growing disparity of preventable unnatural causes of death. Originality/value This study offers the first quantification of mortality due to infectious diseases and unnatural causes among RSA and SADC migrants.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaneet Kashyap ◽  
Neelam Nakra ◽  
Ridhi Arora

Purpose The study aims to investigate the impact of “decent work” dimensions on faculty members’ work engagement levels in the higher education institutions in India. Design/methodology/approach Data were obtained from 293 faculty members working in higher education institutes in India. The proposed study hypotheses were tested by deploying the statistical technique of multiple regression analysis using statistical package for social sciences Version-24. Findings Results demonstrated that of the five dimensions of “decent work,” only “access to health care” and “complementary values” were significant predictors of work engagement. “Adequate compensation,” “free time and rest” and “safe interpersonal working conditions” as dimensions of “decent work” were not found to be significantly related to work engagement. Research limitations/implications Findings encourage education policymakers to implement a “decent work” policy for faculty members with greater emphasis on ensuring workplace-fit and provision of adequate health-care facilities to keep the workforce engaged. Originality/value It is one of the few studies conducted in the South-Asian context that highlight “decent work” as a crucial job resource, useful in enhancing the work engagement of faculty members in higher education institutions.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nibedita Shankar Ray-Bennett ◽  
Denise Marsha Jeanor Corsel ◽  
Nimisha Goswami ◽  
Maqbul Hossain Bhuiyan

Purpose The quality and availability of sexual and reproductive health care are key determinants to reducing maternal mortalities and morbidities in disaster settings; yet, these services are often lacking in developing countries. Reducing maternal mortality and morbidity is currently the main targets of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3. The purpose of this study was to develop an intervention package called RHCC (Reproductive Health Kit 8; Capacity building; Community awareness), and to implement and evaluate it in three primary health-care (PHC) facilities in Belkuchi, Bangladesh, in order to improve the quality and availability of post-abortion care (PAC) during the 2017 floods. Design/methodology/approach This research used both quantitative and qualitative methods to develop, implement and assess the RHCC in three flood-prone PHC facilities in Belkuchi. Findings The RHCC was implemented during the floods of 2017. The findings pre- and post-intervention suggest it led to an increase in skilled management among health workers, an increase in the quality of care for clients and the availability of PAC at three PHC facilities during floods. Originality/value Due to its geographic location, Bangladesh is exposed to recurrent floods and cyclones. Evidence-based integrated intervention packages, such as the RHCC, can improve the quality and availability of reproductive health care during disasters at PHC level and, in doing so, can promote the UN’s agenda on “disaster resilient health system” to achieve the SDG 3, and the WHO’s campaign on universal health coverage.


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