| 1. |
- Colombini, Manuela, et al.
(författare)
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Agenda setting and framing of gender-based violence in Nepal : how it became a health issue.
- 2016
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Ingår i: Health Policy and Planning. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0268-1080 .- 1460-2237. ; 31:4, s. 493-503
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Gender-based violence (GBV) has been addressed as a policy issue in Nepal since the mid 1990s, yet it was only in 2010 that Nepal developed a legal and policy framework to combat GBV. This article draws on the concepts of agenda setting and framing to analyse the historical processes by which GBV became legitimized as a health policy issue in Nepal and explored factors that facilitated and constrained the opening and closing of windows of opportunity. The results presented are based on a document analysis of the policy and regulatory framework around GBV in Nepal. A content analysis was undertaken. Agenda setting for GBV policies in Nepal evolved over many years and was characterized by the interplay of political context factors, actors and multiple frames. The way the issue was depicted at different times and by different actors played a key role in the delay in bringing health onto the policy agenda. Women's groups and less powerful Ministries developed gender equity and development frames, but it was only when the more powerful human rights frame was promoted by the country's new Constitution and the Office of the Prime Minister that legislation on GBV was achieved and a domestic violence bill was adopted, followed by a National Plan of Action. This eventually enabled the health frame to converge around the development of implementation policies that incorporated health service responses. Our explicit incorporation of framing within the Kindgon model has illustrated how important it is for understanding the emergence of policy issues, and the subsequent debates about their resolution. The framing of a policy problem by certain policy actors, affects the development of each of the three policy streams, and may facilitate or constrain their convergence. The concept of framing therefore lends an additional depth of understanding to the Kindgon agenda setting model.
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| 2. |
- Colombini, Manuela, et al.
(författare)
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Factors shaping political priorities for violence against women-mitigation policies in Sri Lanka
- 2018
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Ingår i: BMC International Health and Human Rights. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 1472-698X. ; 18
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Although violence against women (VAW) is a global public health issue, its importance as a health issue is often unrecognized in legal and health policy documents. This paper uses Sri Lanka as a case study to explore the factors influencing the national policy response to VAW, particularly by the health sector. Methods: A document based health policy analysis was conducted to examine current policy responses to VAW in Sri Lanka using the Shiffman and Smith (2007) policy analysis framework. Results: The findings suggest that the networks and influences of various actors in Sri Lanka, and their ideas used to frame the issue of VAW, have been particularly important in shaping the nature of the policy response to date. The Ministry of Women and Child Affairs led the national response on VAW, but suffered from limited financial and political support. Results also suggest that there was low engagement by the health sector in the initial policy response to VAW in Sri Lanka, which focused primarily on criminal legislation, following global influences. Furthermore, a lack of empirical data on VAW has impeded its promotion as a health policy issue, despite financial support from international organisations enabling an initial health systems response by the Ministry of Health. Until a legal framework was established (2005), the political context provided limited opportunities for VAW to also be construed as a health issue. It was only then that the Ministry of Health got legitimacy to institutionalise VAW services. Conclusion: Nearly a decade later, a change in government has led to a new national plan on VAW, giving a clear role to the health sector in the fight against VAW. High-level political will, criminalisation of violence, coalesced women's groups advocating for legislative change, prevalence data, and financial support from influential institutions are all critical elements helping frame violence as a national public health issue.
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| 3. |
- Georgsson Öhman, Susanne
(författare)
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Women's Experiences of Fetal Screening for Down's Syndrome by Means of an Early Ultrasound Examination
- 2005
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The general aim of this thesis was to explore women's reactions to and experiences of fetal screening for Down's syndrome PS) by means of an ultrasound examination, including measurement of fetal nuchal translucency (NT). The effect of this screening on maternal worry about the baby's health was investigated, as well as reactions to a false positive test and interpretation of information about riskAlso, an instrument measuring worry during pregnancy, the Cambridge Worry Scale, was translated into Swedish and tested on a sample of pregnant women.A sub-sample of 2026 women was drawn from a larger randomised controlled trial including 39,572 women, which investigated medical outcomes of the new fetal screening policy. Of these women, 1030 were randomly allocated to the intervention group, and 996 to routine care. No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups regarding major worry about something being wrong with the baby, general anxiety and depressive symptoms m midpregnancy and two months postpartum.Twenty-four women who had received information about an increased risk according to NT were interviewed during pregnancy and after birth. Twenty of these women had false positive tests, and for 16 the risk was higher than expected considering their age. These women expressed major worry, and many said they chose to reject their pregnancy, to take "time out", while waiting for the results of fetal karyotyping. Two months after the birth, most of these women seemed to have overcome the stressful situation.In the intervention group of the above trial 796 women had a risk score for DS recorded in a clinical database. Of these women 620 said they had received information about the risk score, and 64 percent stated the figure almost correctly. The actual risk was associated with women's perception of the risk. Worry about the baby's health and depressive symptoms did not differ statistically between women who were at high risk (1:250 or higher) and at low risk. However, women who perceived that the risk was high were more worried about the baby's health and also seemed to have more depressive symptoms in mid-pregnancy compared with those who perceived the risk to be low. No differences were observed at two months after birth.The translated version of the Cambridge Worry Scale was tested on 200 Swedish pregnant women in Stockholm. The three main sources of worry were about the baby's health, giving birth and miscarriage. The internal- consistency reliability was 0.81 (Cronbach's alpha). Three items were added to the original scale to capture women's worry about the maternity services.In conclusion, the intervention with an early ultrasound examination including risk assessment for DS by measuring the NT did not affect maternal worry about the baby's health, general anxiety or depressive symptoms 'm mid-pregnancy or two months after birth. However, a false positive test could cause strong reactions of anxiety and rejection of the pregnancy for some weeks. Many had problems to recall and interpret a given risk score. An actual high risk score was not associated with major worry about the baby's health or depressive symptoms, whereas a woman's perception of being at high risk had such an association. The Swedish version of the Cambridge Worry Scale was considered to be useful and well suited for its purpose.
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| 4. |
- Hilden, Malene, et al.
(författare)
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A history of sexual abuse and health : A Nordic multicentre study
- 2004
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Ingår i: British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. - : Wiley. - 1470-0328 .- 1471-0528. ; 111:10, s. 1121-1127
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: To determine if a history of sexual abuse is associated with objective and subjective indicators of health and if certain abusive incidents had a stronger impact on health than others. Design: A cross-sectional, multicentre study. Setting: Five gynaecological departments in the five Nordic countries. Sample: Three thousand five hundred and thirty-nine gynaecology patients. Methods: The NorVold Abuse Questionnaire (NorAQ) on abuse history and current health was mailed to all patients who consented to participate. Main outcome measures: Reason for index visit at the gynaecologic clinic as well as several questions on health were recorded. General health status was measured as self-estimated health, psychosomatic symptoms (headache, abdominal pain, muscle weakness, dizziness), number of health care visits and number of periods on sick leave. Result: A history of sexual abuse was reported by 20.7% of respondents. A history of sexual abuse was significantly associated with chronic pelvic pain as reason for index visit (P < 0.01), laparoscopic surgery (P < 0.01), psychosomatic symptoms (P < 0.01), self-estimated poor health (P < 0.01), many health care visits (P < 0.01) and high incidence of sick leave (P < 0.01). Several subgroups within the group of sexually abused women were more likely to report poor health: women abused as both children and adults, women who experienced additional emotional and/or physical abuse and women abused by a person they knew. Conclusion: Sexual abuse has a profound impact on women's health. Taking a history of sexual abuse seems particularly warranted when the patient presents with chronic pelvic pain or symptoms of a vague and diffuse nature.
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| 5. |
- Infanti, Jennifer J., et al.
(författare)
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Addressing domestic violence through antenatal care in Sri Lanka's plantation estates : Contributions of public health midwives
- 2015
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Ingår i: Social Science and Medicine. - : Elsevier. - 0277-9536 .- 1873-5347. ; 145, s. 35-43
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Domestic violence in pregnancy is a significant health concern for women around the world. Globally, much has been written about how the health sector can respond effectively and comprehensively to domestic violence during pregnancy via antenatal services. The evidence from low-income settings is, however, limited. Sri Lanka is internationally acknowledged as a model amongst low-income countries for its maternal and child health statistics. Yet, very little research has considered the perspectives and experiences of the key front line health providers for pregnant women in Sri Lanka, public health midwives (PHMs). We address this gap by consulting PHMs about their experiences identifying and responding to pregnant women affected by domestic violence in an underserved area: the tea estate sector of Badulla district. Over two months in late 2014, our interdisciplinary team of social scientists and medical doctors met with 31 estate PHMs for group interviews and a participatory workshop at health clinics across Badulla district In the paper, we propose a modified livelihoods model to conceptualise the physical, social and symbolic assets, strategies and constraints that simultaneously enable and limit the effectiveness of community-based health care responses to domestic violence. Our findings also highlight conceptual and practical strategies identified by PHMs to ensure improvements in this complex landscape of care. Such strategies include estate-based counselling services; basic training in family counselling and mediation for PHMs; greater surveillance of abusive men's behaviours by male community leaders; and performance evaluation and incentives for work undertaken to respond to domestic violence. The study contributes to international discussions on the meanings, frameworks, and identities constructed at the local levels of health care delivery in the global challenge to end domestic violence. In turn, such knowledge adds to international debates on the roles and responsibilities of health care professionals in responding to and preventing domestic violence.
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| 6. |
- Lovlien, Mona, et al.
(författare)
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Early Warning Signs of an Acute Myocardial Infarction and Their Influence on Symptoms During the Acute Phase, With Comparisons by Gender
- 2009
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Ingår i: GENDER MEDICINE. - : Elsevier BV. - 1550-8579. ; 6:3, s. 444-453
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Identifying early warning signs of an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) may aid in the early diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Objectives: This study was conducted to assess early warning signs (prodromal symptoms) of AMI, with comparisons made by gender. Another aim was to determine whether these early warning signs had any influence on the patients acute symptoms of AMI. Methods: This was a multicenter, cross-sectional study of Norwegian patients (aged! 75 years) hospitalized with their first AMI. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather information on prodromal symptoms, defined as pain in the chest, pain in the shoulder or back, radiating pain or numbness in the arms, dyspnea, and fatigue. Symptoms were reported for the year before AMI and during the acute stage. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between prodromal symptoms and acute symptoms and the effect of medical history (hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia). Results: The self-administered questionnaire had a 72% response rate; the study included 149 women and 384 men diagnosed with first-time AMI. Symptoms occurring during the year before AMI included pain in the chest in 45% (240/533), shoulder or back pain in 51% (270/533), arm pain in 38% (205/533), dyspnea in 33% (176/533), and fatigue in 62% (330/533). There were no statistically significant gender differences. The risk of experiencing chest symptoms in the acute phase was andgt;5 times higher in women who had experienced prodromal symptoms in the chest (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 5.11; 95% CI, 1.38-18.88) and nearly 3 times higher in men (OR = 2.80; 95% CI, 1.17-6.70). The risk of experiencing shoulder or back pain was almost 5 times higher in men with prodromal shoulder or back pain (OR = 4.96; 95% CI, 3.01-8.19), but no statistically significant association was found in women. The risk of experiencing radiating arm pain or numbness in the acute phase was more than doubled in women with prodromal arm pain (OR = 2.68; 95% CI, 1.19-6.20) and more than tripled in men with prodromal arm pain (OR = 3.11; 95% CI, 1.90-5.07). The risk of experiencing dyspnea in the acute phase was more than doubled in women with prodromal dyspnea (OR = 2.67; 95% CI, 1.25-5.71) and andgt;5 times higher in men with prodromal dyspnea (OR = 5.73; 95% CI, 3.42-9.62). Finally, the risk of fatigue was almost tripled in women (OR = 2.97; 95% CI, 1.28-6.85) and more than doubled in men (OR = 2.51; 95% CI, 1.54-4.11). Hypertensive women, but not men, were less likely to experience chest symptoms in the acute phase (OR = 0.29; 95% CI, 0.10-0.82). Conclusions: Almost half of the study patients (45%) experienced prodromal chest symptoms the year before their first AMI. These prodromal symptoms predicted the symptoms that occurred during the acute stage of AMI, with some differences between the sexes.
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| 7. |
- Lukasse, Mirjam, et al.
(författare)
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Childhood abuse and fear of childbirth - a population-based study
- 2010
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Ingår i: Birth. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0730-7659 .- 1523-536X. ; 37:4, s. 267-274
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract: Background: Childhood abuse affects adult health. The objective of this study was to examine the association between a self-reported history of childhood abuse and fear of childbirth. Methods: A population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted of 2,365 pregnant women at five obstetrical departments in Norway. We measured childhood abuse using the Norvold Abuse Questionnaire and fear of childbirth using the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire. Severe fear of childbirth was defined as a Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire score of ≥85. Results: Of all women, 566 (23.9%) had experienced any childhood abuse, 257 (10.9%) had experienced emotional abuse, 260 (11%) physical abuse, and 290 (12.3%) sexual abuse. Women with a history of childhood abuse reported severe fear of childbirth significantly more often than those without a history of childhood abuse, 18 percent versus 10 percent (p = 0.001). The association between a history of childhood abuse and severe fear of childbirth remained significant after adjustment for confounding factors for primiparas (adjusted OR: 2.00; 95% CI: 1.30–3.08) but lost its significance for multiparas (adjusted OR: 1.17; 95% CI: 0.76–1.80). The factor with the strongest association with severe fear of childbirth among multiparas was a negative birth experience (adjusted OR: 5.50; 95% CI: 3.77–8.01). Conclusions: A history of childhood abuse significantly increased the risk of experiencing severe fear of childbirth among primiparas. Fear of childbirth among multiparas was most strongly associated with a negative birth experience.
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| 8. |
- Lukasse, Mirjam, et al.
(författare)
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Pregnancy intendedness and the association with physical, sexual and emotional abuse : a European multi-country cross-sectional study
- 2015
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Ingår i: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. - : BioMed Central. - 1471-2393 .- 1471-2393. ; 15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Unintended pregnancies are common and when not resulting in a termination of pregnancy may lead to unintended childbirth. Unintended pregnancies are associated with increased health risks, also for women for whom pregnancy continues to childbirth. Our objective was to present the prevalence of unintended pregnancy in six European countries among pregnant women attending routine antenatal care, and to investigate the association with a history of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional study, of 7102 pregnant women who filled out a questionnaire during pregnancy as part of a multi-country cohort study (Bidens) with the participating countries: Belgium, Iceland, Denmark, Estonia, Norway and Sweden. A validated instrument, the Norvold Abuse Questionnaire (NorAq) consisting of 10 descriptive questions measured abuse. Pregnancy intendedness was assessed using a single question asking women if this pregnancy was planned. Cross-tabulation, Chi-square tests and binary logistic regression analysis were used. RESULTS: Approximately one-fifth (19.2 %) of all women reported their current pregnancy to be unintended. Women with an unintended pregnancy were significantly younger, had less education, suffered economic hardship, had a different ethnic background from the regional majority and more frequently were not living with their partner. The prevalence of an unintended pregnancy among women reporting any lifetime abuse was 24.5 %, and 38.5 % among women reporting recent abuse. Women with a history of any lifetime abuse had significantly higher odds of unintended pregnancy, also after adjusting for confounding factors, AOR for any lifetime abuse 1.41 (95 % CI 1.23-1.60) and for recent abuse AOR 2.03 (95 % CI 1.54-2.68). CONCLUSION: Women who have experienced any lifetime abuse are significantly more likely to have an unintended pregnancy. This is particularly true for women reporting recent abuse, suggesting that women living in a violent relationship have less control over their fertility.
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| 9. |
- Muganyizi, c, 1961-
(författare)
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Rape against Women in Tanzania : Studies of Social Reactions and Barriers to Disclosure
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis assessed responses toward rape against women as experienced by the victims and victim supporters in the context of the interaction between victims, supporters, and formal agencies in Tanzania. The overall research design was based on triangulation with a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. A semi-qualitative study, in which free listings and semi-structured questionnaires were used, explored social reactions from 44 community nurses and 50 rape victims (Paper I). A tool developed from this first study was utilized for collecting data on people’s attitudes and their behavior toward rape and rape victims from a representative community sample of 1505 men and women aged 18-65 years (Paper II). Both studies helped to access suitable rape victims and supporters who participated in the third study to share experiences on the process of rape disclosure to formal and informal social networks (Papers III and IV). The results highlighted the salient social reactions and how rape victims perceived the impact of these reactions. Half of the participants interpreted rape situations based on social relationships, circumstances, and social status of the woman, rather than the legal definition. Two-thirds of the adults explained they would express negative social reactions toward a victim in some rape scenarios, and this correlated with their attitudes towards rape and rape victims. A variety of barriers in the informal and formal networks with potentially negative impacts on rape reporting, service utilization and, health outcomes were identified. In conclusion, successful interventions aimed at improving people’s response to rape, rape disclosure and, health outcomes in Tanzania should assume a holistic approach to address the negative factors identified at the individual, family and, community levels without forgetting the normative context that appears to underlie most decisions and practice.
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| 10. |
- Muzrif, Munas M., et al.
(författare)
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Domestic violence : a cross-sectional study among pregnant women in different regions of Sri Lanka
- 2018
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Ingår i: BMJ Open. - : BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. - 2044-6055. ; 8:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives The aims of this study were to assess the regional differences in domestic violence among pregnant women in the capital district and in the tea plantation sector of Sri Lanka, to explore potential contributory factors and to assess whether healthcare workers addressed domestic violence and disclosure among survivors. Design A cross-sectional study was carried out using interviewer-administered Abuse Assessment Screen. Setting Fifty-seven antenatal clinic centres in the capital district and 30 in the tea plantation sector. Participants Pregnant women between 6 and 40 weeks of gestational age. In the capital district, 1375 women were recruited from antenatal clinic centres in the urban (n= 25) and in the rural areas (n= 32), and 800 women from 30 centres in the tea plantation sector. The response rate in the capital district was 95.6% and 96.7% in the tea plantation sector. Results Among the total sample of pregnant women (n= 2088), the prevalence of 'ever abused' was 38.6%, and the prevalence of 'currently abused' was 15.9%. 'Ever abused' (31.5% vs 50.8%) and 'currently abused' (10% vs 25.8%) were significantly higher (P< 0.001) among the women living in the tea plantation sector. 'Ever abused' was associated with living in the tea plantation sector, being employed, living far from gender-based violence care centre and of Muslim ethnicity, after adjusting for age, education and family income. Only 38.8% of all participants had been asked by healthcare workers about abuse. Living in the tea plantation sector and lower level of education were associated with not being asked. Among those who reported 'ever abused', only 8.7% had disclosed the experience to a healthcare worker. Conclusion Domestic violence was prevalent and highest among women in the tea plantation sector compared with the capital district. The capacity of healthcare workers in addressing domestic violence should be increased.
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