How is the COVID-19 pandemic affecting women's menstrual cycles and quality of life? A view from South Asia

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Nida Hashmi ◽  
Irfan Ullah ◽  
Syeda Rida Tariq ◽  
Renato de Filippis ◽  
Laura Orsolini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Menstrual Cycles ◽  
Menstrual Hygiene ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Cultural Taboos

SUMMARY The substantial strain that women are facing during the COVID-19 pandemic can affect their menstrual cycle and further impair their quality of life. In low- and middle-income countries, this strain is exacerbated by: cultural taboos and poor education related to menstruation; ‘period poverty’; unavailability of menstrual hygiene products; and poor hygiene facilities. We suggest actions that governments, healthcare professionals and individuals can take to address these factors and minimise the psychological impact of COVID-19 on women's physical and mental health.

Social Support and Quality of Life Among People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Ghana

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2110300
Author(s):  
Charles MS. Birore ◽  
Liyun Wu ◽  
Tina Abrefa-Gyan ◽  
Marilyn W. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Immune Deficiency Syndrome ◽  
Deficiency Syndrome ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
Hiv Aids

Utilization of antiretroviral therapies (ART) prolongs life and heightens ability to engage in productive activities among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). This study implemented a 6-week long Social Care Intervention (SCI) Program in Ghana and identified protective factors associated with Quality of Life (QoL) among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). We discovered that SCI model in the form of social support associated positively with differences in the QoL among PLWHA. Logistic regression revealed that social support, especially affectionate support, was positively associated with a higher level of QoL. People who were older and healthier tended to have higher levels of QoL compared with their counterparts who were younger and sicker. These findings suggest that building social support system can serve as an empowerment approach to promote quality of life among PLWHA in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where resources are limited.

Mental health in intellectual disability

2018 ◽  
pp. 265-272
Author(s):  
Sabyasachi Bhaumik ◽  
Dasari Mohan Michael ◽  
Reza Kiani ◽  
Avinash Hiremath ◽  
Shweta Gangavati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Premature Mortality ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries

This chapter focuses on the current knowledge in public health for people with intellectual disability and recognizes the extent of health inequalities these individuals experience. The prevalence of intellectual disability worldwide is discussed with special emphasis on the prevalence of mental health problems. Also highlighted are the population health characteristics, including physical and mental health problems. The issue of barriers to accessibility and the possible reasons are discussed. There is a section on premature mortality of people with intellectual disability and measures to improve the health status for this marginalized population. Recent initiatives, including prevention strategies and health promotional aspects, are discussed and solutions suggested, including those for low-and-middle income countries (LAMICs)emphasized. Training aspects to improve quality of health care in LAMICs is highlighted with the recognition of limitations in creating a sustainable transformation of services unless they are backed by authorities.

scholarly journals Psychological interventions for bipolar disorder in low- and middle-income countries: systematic review

BJPsych Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 375-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mekdes Demissie ◽  
Charlotte Hanlon ◽  
Rahel Birhane ◽  
Lauren Ng ◽  
Girmay Medhin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Psychological Interventions ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Low And Middle Income

BackgroundAdjunctive psychological interventions for bipolar disorder have demonstrated better efficacy in preventing or delaying relapse and improving outcomes compared with pharmacotherapy alone.AimsTo evaluate the efficacy of psychological interventions for bipolar disorder in low- and middle-income countries.MethodA systematic review was conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane database for systematic review, Cochrane central register of controlled trials, Latin America and Caribbean Center on Health Science Literature and African Journals Online databases with no restriction of language or year of publication. Methodological heterogeneity of studies precluded meta-analysis.ResultsA total of 18 adjunctive studies were identified: psychoeducation (n = 14), family intervention (n = 1), group cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) (n = 2) and group mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) (n = 1). In total, 16 of the 18 studies were from upper-middle-income countries and none from low-income countries. All used mental health specialists or experienced therapists to deliver the intervention. Most of the studies have moderately high risk of bias. Psychoeducation improved treatment adherence, knowledge of and attitudes towards bipolar disorder and quality of life, and led to decreased relapse rates and hospital admissions. Family psychoeducation prevented relapse, decreased hospital admissions and improved medication adherence. CBT reduced both depressive and manic symptoms. MBCT reduced emotional dysregulation.ConclusionsAdjunctive psychological interventions alongside pharmacotherapy appear to improve the clinical outcome and quality of life of people with bipolar disorder in middle-income countries. Further studies are required to investigate contextual adaptation and the role of non-specialists in the provision of psychological interventions to ensure scalability and the efficacy of these interventions in low-income country settings.Declaration of interestNone.

scholarly journals Mixed methods implementation research of cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) for dementia in low and middle-income countries: study protocol for Brazil, India and Tanzania (CST-International)

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. e030933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aimee Spector ◽  
Charlotte R Stoner ◽  
Mina Chandra ◽  
Sridhar Vaitheswaran ◽  
Bharath Du ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Implementation Research ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation Therapy ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Implementation Plans

IntroductionIn low/middle-income countries (LMICs), the prevalence of people diagnosed with dementia is expected to increase substantially and treatment options are limited, with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors not used as frequently as in high-income countries (HICs). Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) is a group-based, brief, non-pharmacological intervention for people with dementia that significantly improves cognition and quality of life in clinical trials and is cost-effective in HIC. However, its implementation in other countries is less researched. This protocol describes CST-International; an implementation research study of CST. The aim of this research is to develop, test, refine and disseminate implementation strategies for CST for people with mild to moderate dementia in three LMICs: Brazil (upper middle-income), India (lower middle-income) and Tanzania (low-income).Methods and analysisFour overlapping phases: (1) exploration of barriers to implementation in each country using meetings with stakeholders, including clinicians, policymakers, people with dementia and their families; (2) development of implementation plans for each country; (3) evaluation of implementation plans using a study of CST in each country (n=50, total n=150). Outcomes will include adherence, attendance, acceptability and attrition, agreed parameters of success, outcomes (cognition, quality of life, activities of daily living) and cost/affordability; (4) refinement and dissemination of implementation strategies, enabling ongoing pathways to practice which address barriers and facilitators to implementation.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval has been granted for each country. There are no documented adverse effects associated with CST and data held will be in accordance with relevant legislation. Train the trainer models will be developed to increase CST provision in each country and policymakers/governmental bodies will be continually engaged with to aid successful implementation. Findings will be disseminated at conferences, in peer-reviewed articles and newsletters, in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Disease International, and via ongoing engagement with key policymakers.

The Identification and Evaluation of Methodologies to Assess the Quality of mHealth apps in High, Low & Middle-Income Countries: a Rapid Review (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fionn Woulfe ◽  
Philip Kayode Fadahunsi ◽  
Simon Smith ◽  
Griphin Baxter Chirambo ◽  
Emma Larsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Screening Process ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Low Middle Income Countries ◽  
Mhealth Apps ◽  
Low And Middle Income

BACKGROUND There has been a rapid growth in the availability and use of mobile health (mHealth) apps around the world in recent years. However, consensus regarding an accepted standard to assess the quality of such apps does not exist. Differing interpretations of quality add to this problem. Consequently, it has become increasingly difficult for healthcare professionals to distinguish apps of high quality from those of lower quality. This exposes both patients and healthcare professionals to unnecessary risk. Despite progress, limited understanding of contributions by those in low- and middle- income countries (LMIC) on this topic exists. As such, the applicability of quality assessment methodologies in LMIC settings remains unexplored. OBJECTIVE The objectives of this rapid review are to; 1) Identify current methodologies within the literature to assess the quality of mHealth apps. 2) Understand what aspects of quality these methodologies address. 3) Determine what input has been made by authors from LMICs. 4) Examine the applicability of such methodologies in low- and middle- income settings. METHODS The review is registered with Prospero (CRD42020205149). A search of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Scopus was performed for papers relating to mHealth app quality assessment methodologies, published in English between 2005 and the 28th of December, 2020. A thematic and descriptive analysis of methodologies and papers was performed. RESULTS Electronic database searches identified 841 papers. After the screening process, 53 papers remained for inclusion; 6 proposed novel methodologies which could be used to evaluate mHealth apps of diverse medical areas of interest; 8 proposed methodologies which could be used to assess apps concerned with a specific medical focus; 39 used methodologies developed by other published authors to evaluate the quality of various groups of mHealth apps. Authors of 3 papers were solely affiliated to institutes in LMICs. A further 8 papers had at least one co-author affiliated to an institute in a LMIC. CONCLUSIONS Quality assessment of mHealth apps is complex in nature and at times, subjective. Despite growing research on this topic, to date an all-encompassing, appropriate means for evaluating the quality of mHealth apps does not exist. There has been engagement with authors affiliated to institutes in LMICs, however limited consideration of current generic methodologies for application in a LMIC settings have been identified.

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