Assessment of sexual and reproductive health knowledge and awareness among single unmarried women living in Lebanon: a cross-sectional study

Measurement and conceptualization of male involvement in family planning: a bibliometric analysis of Africa-based studies

BACKGROUND

Male involvement in Family Planning (FP) is an exercise of men's sexual and reproductive health rights. However, the measurement of male involvement has been highly inconsistent and too discretional in FP studies. As a result, we used bibliometric tools to analyze the existing measures of male involvement in FP and recommend modifications for standard measures.

METHODS

Using developed search terms, we searched for research articles ever published on male involvement in FP from Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases. The search results were filtered for studies that focused on Africa. A total of 152 research articles were selected after the screening, and bibliometric analysis was performed in R.

RESULTS

Results showed that 54% of the studies measured male involvement through approval for FP, while 46.7% measured it through the attitude of males to FP. About 31% measured male involvement through input in deciding FP method, while others measured it through inputs in the choice of FP service center (13.6%), attendance at FP clinic/service center (17.8%), and monetary provision for FP services/materials (12.4%). About 82.2% of the studies used primary data, though the majority (61.2%) obtained information on male involvement from women alone. Only about one in five studies (19.1%) got responses from males and females, with fewer focusing on males alone.

CONCLUSION

Most studies have measured male involvement in FP through expressed or perceived approval for FP. However, these do not sufficiently capture male involvement and do not reflect women's autonomy. Other more encompassing measures of male involvement, which would reflect the amount of intimacy among heterosexual partners, depict the extent of the exercise of person-centered rights, and encourage the collection of union-specific data, are recommended.

Utilization of sexual and reproductive health services among construction worker women in southern Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

In Ethiopia, the utilization of sexual and reproductive health services (SRH) is alarmingly inadequate, leading to higher rates of maternal and newborn mortality. Disparities in accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services exist among different population groups, with construction worker women at a higher risk of experiencing such issues. We investigated the utilization of sexual and reproductive health services and associated factors among construction worker women in Southern Ethiopia.

METHOD

We conducted a cross-sectional study among construction worker women (15-49) in Southern Ethiopia from July 1st to July 30th, 2021. The participants were selected randomly using venue-day-time sampling (VDTS). The data were collected by a pretested structured questionnaire using an open data kit (ODK) and exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 for analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with sexual and reproductive health service utilization. An adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI was used and statistical significance was declared at p-value < 0.05.

RESULTS

The study revealed that 54.4% of women of reproductive age had used at least one sexual and reproductive health service in the past year. About 66.7% of women experienced sexual harassment at work, with sex discrimination (86.9%) and sexist hostility (57.9%) being the most common. Aged over 20 years, married women, living with husbands, friends, and boyfriends, within 30 min of health facilities, and having a favorable attitude were significantly associated with SRH service utilization.

CONCLUSION

Nearly half of construction workers in southern Ethiopia are not using sexual and reproductive health services, indicating a concerning lack of access to such services. Over two-thirds of women experience sexual harassment in construction site. Therefore, to ensure universal access to SRH services, it is essential to design a new approach including outreach programs specifically tailored to reach such vulnerable groups.

Assessment of Knowledge of Sexual Reproductive Health Among Female University Students in Jordan

BACKGROUND

Sexual reproductive health (SRH) is an important aspect of human life, especially in the younger age groups. Young adults are the most vulnerable group to SRH consequences, as they have limited access to its information and services. This is one of the earliest studies conducted to examine the knowledge of SRH among female university students in Jordan. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge of SRH among female Jordanian university students and to determine the social and individual factors that may affect this knowledge.

METHODOLOGY

A cross-sectional design was used, and a convenient sample consisting of 427 female university students was recruited from the University of Jordan. The inclusion criteria were female unmarried students aged 18-25 years old, while the exclusion criteria were married, divorced, or engaged female students. A valid and reliable self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the student's knowledge of SRH. Data were collected between February 21 and March 20, 2022. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 23.0 (Released 2015; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States) was used for data analysis, and an independent sample t-test was used to investigate mean differences in the SRH score based on demographic characteristics.

RESULTS

Overall, it was found that only 26.2% of all the participants had adequate knowledge of SRH. Additionally, they have inadequate knowledge regarding the different aspects of SRH such as premarital, vaccination, menstruation, contraception, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), except for the section on folic acid, which demonstrated adequate knowledge. Furthermore, the participants' scores of total SRH knowledge were significantly different based on their original place of living, current residency, educational level, religion, and university faculty.

CONCLUSION

Due to the inadequate level of knowledge, this study highlights the need to establish educational and awareness programs concerning SRH and to incorporate this subject into the university and school curricula.

Understanding Women's Knowledge, Awareness, and Perceptions of STIs/STDs in Asia: A Scoping Review

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to conduct a scoping review to collect current literature on the knowledge, awareness, and perception (KAP) of sexually transmitted infections/diseases (STIs/STDs) among women in Asia.

METHODOLOGY

The PRISMA-Scoping methodology was used in this study to extract papers from four databases published between 2018 and 2022. Sixty-eight articles were included after screening and elimination.

RESULTS

The studies on KAP of STIs/STDs among women were largely undertaken in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam) and South Asia (India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh). Regardless of the specific cohort of women studied, research indicates consistently low levels of knowledge and awareness across Asia. This trend seems to be more prevalent among female commercial sex workers, women with lower educational levels, and those in poorer socioeconomic positions. In South Asia, cultural, sociological, economic, and gender inequalities, particularly male domination, all have a significant impact on KAP levels.

CONCLUSION

As education is a major factor that influences health behaviour, this review underscores the need to allocate more resources to educational initiatives, particularly targeting vulnerable groups such as sex workers, transgender women, pregnant women, and rural housewives. This strategic focus may contribute significantly to preventing STIs/STDs, particularly in less developed regions/countries.

Gender norms and access to sexual and reproductive health services among women in the Marrakech-Safi region of Morocco: a qualitative study

INTRODUCTION

Improving access to sexual and reproductive health remains a public health challenge, especially for women, whose access is affected by several determinants, such as gender inequality, which is the underlying barrier to all other determinants. Many actions have been carried out, but much remains to be done before all women and girls can exercise their rights. This study aimed to explore how gender norms influence access to sexual and reproductive health services.

METHOD

A qualitative study was conducted from November 2021 to July 2022. The inclusion criteria were women and men aged over 18 years old, living in the urban and rural areas of the Marrakech-Safi region in Morocco. A purposive sampling method was used to select participants. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews and focus groups with selected participants. The data were coded and classified using thematic content analysis.

RESULTS

The study highlighted inequitable, restrictive gender norms that lead to stigmatization and affect the sexual and reproductive healthcare-seeking behavior and access of girls and women in the Marrakech-Safi region. These most common gender norms for women include parental refusal, stigmatization, and social exclusion of girls from sexual and reproductive health education services; strong decision-making power of family members over contraceptive use and women's adherence to pregnancy monitoring and access to supervised delivery; and culturally constructed role allocation, assigning a reproductive role to women and making them responsible for the health of new-borns.

CONCLUSION

Sexual and reproductive health projects must strive to be gender sensitive. Gender-blind projects are missed opportunities to improve health outcomes and advance gender equality.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of adolescent girls towards reproductive health: a cross-sectional study in Turkistan region, Kazakhstan

Background: Reproductive health of adolescent females is an important health concern. Aim: To determine the impact and the knowledge, attitude and practice of female adolescents toward reproductive health. Materials & methods: This is a survey based cross-sectional study conducted in Turkistan region. Results: A total of 1250 participants were included with a mean age of 17.3 ± 1.4 years, and >80% of the participants have completed high school. A total of 1191 girls had the onset of menarche at approximately 13.2 years old, and 85.7% reported menstrual disorder. Conclusion: There is poor knowledge and practice of reproductive health among participating adolescents. Alcohol consumption, high BMI, bad family relationships and lack of gynecological visits were found to negatively affect reproductive health.

What are the sources of contraceptives for married and unmarried adolescents: Health services or friends? Analysis of 59 low- and middle-income countries

Background

Despite the efforts to promote universal coverage for family planning, inequalities are still high in several countries. Our aim was to identify which sources of contraceptives women mostly rely on in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We also explored the different sources according to age and marital status.

Methods

We used data from national health surveys carried out in 59 LMICs since 2010. Among all sexually active women at reproductive age, we explored inequalities in demand for family planning satisfied by modern methods (mDFPS) and in the source of modern contraceptives according to women's age, classified as: 15-19, 20-34, or 35-49 years of age. Among adolescents, mDFPS and source of method were explored by marital status, classified as married or in union and not married nor in a union.

Results

mDFPS was lower among adolescents than among adult women in 28 of the 59 countries. The lowest levels of mDFPS among adolescents were identified in Albania (6.1%) and Chad (8.2%). According to adolescents' marital status, the pattern of inequalities in mDFPS varied widely between regions, with married and unmarried adolescents showing similar levels of coverage in Latin America and the Caribbean, higher coverage among unmarried adolescents in Africa, and lower coverage among unmarried adolescents in Asia. Public and private health services were the main sources, with a lower share of the public sector among adolescents in almost all countries. The proportion of adolescents who obtained their contraceptives in the public sector was lower among unmarried girls than married ones in 31 of the 38 countries with data. Friends or relatives were a more significant source of contraceptives among unmarried compared to married adolescents in all regions.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate lower levels of mDFPS and lower use of the public sector by adolescents, especially unmarried girls. More attention is needed to provide high-quality and affordable family planning services for adolescents, especially for those who are not married.

Knowledge of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Its Complications, and Management among Lebanese Women: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Introduction Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a multi-spectrum disease where a failure to address it correctly can result in various clinical complications. This study aimed to assess the Lebanese women's knowledge and perceptions of PCOS and its management.

Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study included women whose ages ranged between 18 and 45 years. Women's demographic characteristics, reproductive health, knowledge, and perception of PCOS were analyzed through an online validated questionnaire.

Results Among the 450 included women, 196 (43.6%) had good knowledge about PCOS. The majority of participants were aware that menstrual irregularity is a symptom of PCOS, 327 (72.7%), while only 231 (51.3%) women knew that PCOS may lead to infertility. Almost two-thirds of women were aware of the contribution of metformin, diet, and exercise in refining the progress of the disease. More than 60% of participants believed that PCOS patients need social support and have a low body image. Married women (p < 0.001) and those with undergraduate/ postgraduate degrees (p < 0.001) had better PCOS knowledge.

Conclusion A significant percentage of Lebanese women have inadequate knowledge of PCOS and its complications.

Oral contraceptives: knowledge and counselling practices of Lebanese community pharmacists

OBJECTIVES

To examine the extent of Lebanese pharmacists' knowledge about oral contraceptives (OCs), the characteristics influencing their knowledge and the factors that may predict their counselling practices.

METHODS

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between January and June 2020 in which a random sample of community pharmacists in Lebanon was asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire. The survey was divided into three sections including demographic information, pharmacists' knowledge and counselling practices, and their perceptions about OCs.

KEY FINDINGS

Of the 300 pharmacists invited to participate, 240 (80%) responded. The majority of the pharmacists (255; 85%) had satisfactory general knowledge about the indications, side effects, contraindications and drug interactions of OCs. However, only 173 (57.5%) participants had satisfactory knowledge about the proper use of OCs. Older pharmacists and those who have been in practice for more than 10 years achieved lower knowledge scores; however, those with postgraduate degrees had significantly higher scores. Pharmacists with a postgraduate degree and male pharmacists were less likely to counsel patients compared with their counterparts. Conversely, pharmacists with postgraduate OC training and those who had a private area for consultation presented better counselling practices.

CONCLUSIONS

More than half of the participating pharmacists appeared to have satisfactory knowledge about OCs and their proper use; however, limited counselling and key misconceptions were observed in this study.