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Vizheh M, Zurynski Y, Braithwaite J, Rapport F. The impact of migration and settlement context on Iranian Women's agency in accessing and using reproductive healthcare services in Australia: A qualitative study. Health Place 2023; 83:103069. [PMID: 37499608 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2023.103069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
This qualitative study aimed to understand how immigration and settlement context shape Iranian immigrants' agency in accessing and using reproductive healthcare services (RHCS). Twenty-one Iranian women of reproductive age (18-49 years) living in Australia were recruited in 2022 through social media platforms. The findings highlighted that although Iranian women's utilisation of RHCS in Australia is highly constrained by established sociocultural beliefs and values of their origin country, they become agents of making changes over their reproductive choices, reformulating beliefs and values, and taking control of reproductive health because of Australian sociocultural norms and context. This suggests a tension between the impacts of sociocultural contexts in their origin country and becoming agents of change after migrating to Australia. These findings need to be included in healthcare policy and practice to support greater consideration of cultural sensitivities and specific needs of immigrant women when accessing Australian RHCS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Vizheh
- Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
| | - Yvonne Zurynski
- Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; National Health and Medical Research Council Partnership Centre for Health System Sustainability, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Jeffrey Braithwaite
- Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; National Health and Medical Research Council Partnership Centre for Health System Sustainability, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Frances Rapport
- Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
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Green G, Swartz A, Tembo D, Cooper D, George A, Matzopoulos R, Leal AF, Cabral C, Barbosa R, Knauth D. A scoping review of how exposure to urban violence impacts youth access to sexual, reproductive and trauma health care in LMICs. Glob Public Health 2023; 18:2103581. [PMID: 35938416 PMCID: PMC9612937 DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2022.2103581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Violence in the community can impact access to health care. This scoping review examines the impact of urban violence upon youth (aged 15-24) access to sexual and reproductive health and trauma care in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). We searched key electronic health and other databases for primary peer-reviewed studies from 2010 through June 2020. Thirty five of 6712 studies extracted met criteria for inclusion. They were diverse in terms of study objective and design but clear themes emerged. First, youth experience the environment and interpersonal relationships to be violent which impacts their access to health care. Second, sexual assault care is often inadequate, and stigma and abuse are sometimes reported in treatment settings. Third is the low rate of health seeking among youth living in a violent environment. Fourth is the paucity of literature focusing on interventions to address these issues. The scoping review suggests urban violence is a structural and systemic issue that, particularly in low-income areas in LMICs, contributes to framing the conditions for accessing health care. There is a gap in evidence about interventions that will support youth to access good quality health care in complex scenarios where violence is endemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gill Green
- School of Health and Social Care, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | - Alison Swartz
- School of Public Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | - Doreen Tembo
- School for Healthcare Enterprise and Innovation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Diane Cooper
- School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Asha George
- School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Richard Matzopoulos
- Division of Public Health Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Burden of Disease Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Andrea Fachel Leal
- Department of Sociology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Cristiane Cabral
- Department of Health, Life Cycles and Society, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Regina Barbosa
- Population Studies Centre 'Elza Berquó', Universidade Estadual de Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Daniela Knauth
- Department of Social Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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Evans DP, Narasimhan S. A narrative analysis of anti-abortion testimony and legislative debate related to Georgia's fetal "heartbeat" abortion ban. Sex Reprod Health Matters 2020; 28:1686201. [PMID: 31892281 PMCID: PMC7887961 DOI: 10.1080/26410397.2019.1686201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Fetal "heartbeat" bills have become the anti-abortion legislative measure of choice in the US war on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). In 2019, Georgia House Bill 481 (HB 481) passed by a narrow margin banning abortions upon detection of embryonic cardiac activity, as early as six weeks gestation. The purpose of this study was to distinguish and characterise the arguments and tactics used by legislators and community members in support of Georgia's early abortion ban. Our data included testimony and debate from House Health and Human Services and the Senate Science and Technology Committees; data were transcribed verbatim and coded in MAXQDA 18 using a constant comparison method. Major themes included: the use of the "heartbeat" as an indicator of life and therefore personhood; an attempt to create a new class of persons - fetuses in utero - entitled to legal protection; and arguments to expand state protections for fetuses as a matter of state sovereignty and rights. Arguments were furthered through appropriation by misrepresenting medical science and co-opting the legal successes of progressive movements. Our analysis provides an initial understanding of evolving early abortion ban strategy and its tactics for challenging established legal standards and precedent. As the battle over SRHR wages on, opponents of abortion bans should attempt to understand, deconstruct, and analyse anti-abortion messaging to effectively combat it. These data may inform their tactical strategies to advance sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice both in the US context and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dabney P. Evans
- Associate Professor, Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Center for Reproductive Health Research in the Southeast (RISE) at Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Subasri Narasimhan
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Center for Reproductive Health Research in the Southeast (RISE) at Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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