Urban Women Research Articles

A Comparative Study of Women’s Perceptions towards Wife Beating in Bangladesh: Based on Two Cross-Sectional Studies Research

The key indicator of declining domestic abuse is the opinion of women toward wife beating. The goal of this study was to compare women's attitudes toward being beaten by their husbands based on data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) conducted in 2014 and 2017–18. The outcome variable was the opinion of women on wife beating. Covariates included in the study were based on literature reviews. A chi-square test was conducted to assess the association between outcome variables and selected covariates. Concurrently, two distinct multivariate binary logistic regression models (for 2014 and 2017– 18, respectively) were employed to identify the variables connected to having this opinion of women. The most significant factors affecting women's views towards wife beating were women's education, age at marriage, place of residence, southern region, religion, employment status, and partner's educational background. This study also revealed that these factors remained significant in both years, despite the fact that the OR (odds ratio) varied widely. The odds of justifying wife beating among higher-educated women were 0. 78 times lower than those of uneducated women in 2014, which was o.67 times lower in 2017–18. Urban women were 18% less likely from 2014 to 2018 to agree with wife beating. Interestingly, Eastern Bengal was statistically significant in 2014, it was not in 2017-2018. The likelihood of accepting wife beating among Muslim women rose from 35% to 69% during the given period. In 2014, the wealth index was significantly associated with women's attitudes toward wife beating and showed that middle-class and rich women were 16% and 23% less likely to support wife beating, respectively, than poor women. However, this variable was not significant in 2017–18. Employed women are less likely to support wife beating than unemployed women in both years. Early married women are more likely to accept wife beatings than those of elderly married women (OR 1.22 in 2014 and OR 1.16 in 2017–18, respectively). The odds of justifying wife beating among women with a higher-educated partner decreased by 14% between 2014 and 2017–2018. Furthermore, social awareness campaigns should continue to alter women's attitudes regarding wife beating and should be updated in light of the significant factors identified in this study. Jagannath University Journal of Science, Volume 10, Number I, Jun 2023, pp. 19−26

Physical Activity Intervention for Urban Black Women With Asthma: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Efficacy Study.

Black women experience a higher prevalence of poor asthma outcomes and physical inactivity than their White counterparts. Black women comprise a particularly vulnerable group of patients with asthma, with some of the highest rates of asthma in adults, high health care use (emergency department visits and hospitalizations), and the highest crude asthma mortality rate of all race or ethnicity groups. Despite recommendations to engage in regular physical activity, fewer than 15% of Black women meet the 2008 National Physical Activity Guidelines, the lowest of all racial subgroups of adults. Given the connection between physical inactivity and poor asthma outcomes, addressing physical activity among Black women with asthma is imperative. This 2-arm randomized controlled trial aims to (1) determine the efficacy of a lifestyle walking intervention on asthma control compared to an education (control) group over 24 weeks, (2) examine the maintenance effects of the lifestyle walking intervention on asthma control at 48 weeks, (3) explore the behavioral mediators (eg, self-efficacy, social support, self-regulation, and daily physical activity levels) and contextual moderators (eg, baseline asthma severity, neighborhood environment, comorbid conditions, and social determinants of health) that contribute to treatment responsiveness, and (4) assess the reach and implementation potential of the intervention. The proposed study (ACTION [A Lifestyle Physical Activity Intervention for Minority Women with Asthma]) delivers a 24-week lifestyle walking intervention designed for and by urban Black women with asthma. Participants (n=224) will be recruited through 2 urban health care systems that care for a diverse Black population. Patients will be randomized to one of two groups: (1) ACTION intervention (group sessions, physical activity self-monitoring-Fitbit, and text-based support for step goal setting) or (2) education control (an individual asthma education session and SMS text messages related to asthma education). Outcome assessments will take place at baseline, 12, 24, and 48 weeks. The primary outcome is a change in asthma control from baseline to week 24 as assessed by the asthma control questionnaire-6 (ACQ-6). Secondary outcomes include asthma-related quality of life, health care use, and asthma exacerbations and behavioral outcomes such as self-efficacy, self-regulation, social support, and physical activity. This study was funded by the National Institute of Minority Health Disparities in August 2022. We pilot-tested our recruitment and intervention procedures and began recruitment in April 2023, with the enrollment of our first participant in May 2023. The anticipated completion of the study is April 2027. This study will deliver a new approach to physical activity interventions in Black women with asthma and help to provide guidance for addressing physical activity within this subgroup. This study will also provide a potential framework for future studies in minoritized populations with other disease conditions associated with low levels of physical activity. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05726487; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05726487. DERR1-10.2196/55700.

Urban Women with PCOS have Unfavorable Anthropometric and Lipid Profiles: A Call for Action

Urban Women with PCOS have Unfavorable Anthropometric and Lipid Profiles: A Call for Action

A Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis of the Effects of Contraceptive Failures on Unintended Pregnancies among Women in Urban Nigeria.

Unintended pregnancy is a global public health concern. However, the effect of contraceptive failure on unintended pregnancy remains unclear in Nigeria. We undertook a longitudinal analysis to examine the effect of contraceptive failure on unintended pregnancy among urban women in Nigeria. We used panel data from the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative. The Measurement, Learning and Evaluation program conducted the surveys among a cohort of women aged 15-49 who were first interviewed at baseline in 2010/2011 and followed up at endline in 2014/2015. Analytic sample was 4140 women aged 15-49 who ever used contraceptives. We fitted three-level multilevel binary logistic regression models estimated with GLLAMM. The study established evidence that there is a significant effect of contraceptive failure on unintended pregnancy among urban women in Nigeria. The positive effect of between-person contraceptive failure indicates that respondents who experienced more contraceptive failure than the average in the sample had 5.26 times higher odds of unintended pregnancy (OR = 5.26; p-value < 0.001). Results also established a significant effect of within-person contraceptive failures among the respondents. Findings suggest there is evidence of a significant longitudinal effect of contraceptive failure on unintended pregnancy in urban Nigeria. Efforts to reduce unintended pregnancy must include interventions to address the problem of contraceptive failure among urban women in Nigeria.

A qualitative exploration of the health needs and goals of urban women to inform the tailoring and adaptation of Strong Hearts Healthy Communities: a community-based cardiovascular disease prevention intervention

BackgroundIn the United States, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death and disability in women. CVD-modifiable risk factors, including poor diet quality and inadequate physical activity, can be addressed through evidence-based interventions (EBIs). Strong Hearts Healthy Communities (SHHC) is an EBI that has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing CVD risk and improving health outcomes among rural white women. The aims of this study were to understand the general health, diet, and physical activity-related needs and goals of women living in an urban community, to inform the tailoring and adaptation of the SHHC EBI to an urban setting and more diverse population.MethodsFocus groups (FGs) were conducted with African American/Black and Hispanic/Latinx women in the Dallas metropolitan area who had a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 and engaged in ≤ 150 min per week of moderate physical activity. The data were coded using a team-based, deductive, and thematic analysis approach, that included multiple coders and in-depth discussions.ResultsFour FGs with a total of 18 participants (79% Black and 21% Latinx) were conducted, and three themes were developed: (1) participants had adequate knowledge and positive attitudes towards healthy living but faced many barriers to practicing healthy behaviors; (2) culturally-based beliefs and community practices exerted a strong influence on behaviors related to food and stress, revealing barriers to healthy eating and generational differences in stress and stress management; (3) participants desired a more individualized approach to nutrition and physical activity interventions that included familiar and enjoyable activities and social support centered around shared health goals.ConclusionsThe SHHC intervention and similar health programs for Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx women in urban settings should emphasize individualized nutrition and practical skills for healthy eating with accessible, familiar, and enjoyable exercises. Additionally, stress management strategies should be culturally and generationally sensitive and social support, whether through family, friends, or other program participants, should be based on shared health goals.

Love, debauchery? On body writing from the perspective of the city

The Chinese urban literary context of the 1990s has brought the liberation of Chinese urban women's desires to a considerable depth. Some female writers, mainly Lin Bai, who were famous for their "body writing", introduced some unexpressed female body desires into literature for the first time. However, the rise of consumer culture destroyed this beautiful picture. The voyeuristic desire of men and society has also led to a part of women's culture that is gradually becoming vulgar, inferior, and commercially deviant. This paper focuses on "One Man's War" and analyzes the difference between "body writing" "traditional writing" and "love writing" in the context of urban culture by reading the original text and combining it with Sisu's "body writing" theory. By reading the original text and combining Sisu's "body writing" theory, we analyze the difference between "body writing" and "traditional writing", "love writing" and "erotic writing" in the context of urban culture, and reposition the value of "body writing" to explore its literary-historical significance.

Body indices based receiver operating characteristics curve models are important risk assessing tools for metabolic diseases among Asian women

PurposeThe right way to measure obesity is still a matter of debate. This study will look at the prevalence of obesity, anthropometrics, and body composition as screening tools for obesity and adiposity among adult women in urban Prayagraj (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh, India. It will also try to figure out exactly what level of obesity is linked to a metabolic risk. MethodsA Cross-sectional study comprising 570 urban women of Prayagraj (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh, India aged 20–49 years were examined for anthropometry, body composition analysis, blood pressure, random blood sugar, and haemoglobin. ResultsExcept for total body water (TBW), all measures of obesity and health markers increased with age (p < 0.000, 95% CI-confidence interval). Appropriate cutoffs calculated with model for adult women for body fat (%), muscle mass (kg), total body water (%), and visceral fat (kg) were 33.5, 34.5, 46.5, and 4.5 respectively. Using stepwise logistic regression, two models eliminating waist circumference (WC) and wait to hip ratio (WHR), respectively, were created. Age, WHR, and visceral fat (VF) for systolic blood pressure; age and TBW for diastolic blood pressure; age and VF for random blood sugar; WHR, body fat% (BF %), Muscle mass (MM), and age for haemoglobin, were all significantly associated with the presence of metabolic risk variables in Model 1. In model 2, only age was significant for predicting systolic blood pressure; age, TBW, and WC for diastolic blood pressure; age and VF for random blood sugar; BF%, WC, and age for haemoglobin were shown to be significantly associated with metabolic risk variables. ConclusionsTwo basic models for predicting metabolic risk in Asian Indians were studied. Both models can be used to assess metabolic risk in them.

A study on women preference to apply henna

In this study, the rural and urban women of Gujarat have been asked about their preferences on applying henna on different festivals and times. The survey been conducted on 33 women from the age group of 21-70 years. Among the respondents 3% had under 10th standard, 3% had up to 10th standard (SSC), 3% had up to 12th standard (HSC), 27.3% had up to graduation, 51.5% had up to post graduation and 12.1% up to doctorate (Ph.D.) as their education background. On the basis of this study, we were able to determine different factors like, whether they prefer to apply henna, their preference towards design pattern of henna (e.g. Arabic, Mandla), their pattern of applying it on different occasions, festivals, etc. and the frequency of applying Henna. As responded by participants 97% participants preferred to apply henna on different occasions or regular basis whereas 3% participants preferred not to apply henna.

Incidence and determinants of perinatal mortality in five urban hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: a cohort study with an embedded case–control analysis

IntroductionTanzania has one of the highest burdens of perinatal mortality, with a higher risk among urban versus rural women. To understand the characteristics of perinatal mortality in urban health facilities, study objectives were: I. To assess the incidence of perinatal deaths in public health facilities in Dar es Salaam and classify these into a) pre-facility stillbirths (absence of fetal heart tones on admission to the study health facilities) and b) intra-facility perinatal deaths before discharge; and II. To identify determinants of perinatal deaths by comparing each of the two groups of perinatal deaths with healthy newborns.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study among women who gave birth in five urban, public health facilities in Dar es Salaam. I. Incidence of perinatal death in the year 2020 was calculated based on routinely collected health facility records and the Perinatal Problem Identification Database. II. An embedded case–control study was conducted within a sub-population of singletons with birthweight ≥ 2000 g (excluding newborns with congenital malformations); pre-facility stillbirths and intra-facility perinatal deaths were compared with ‘healthy newborns’ (Apgar score ≥ 8 at one and ≥ 9 at five minutes and discharged home alive). Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were performed to explore the determinants of deaths.ResultsA total of 37,787 births were recorded in 2020. The pre-discharge perinatal death rate was 38.3 per 1,000 total births: a stillbirth rate of 27.7 per 1,000 total births and an intra-facility neonatal death rate of 10.9 per 1,000 live births. Pre-facility stillbirths accounted for 88.4% of the stillbirths. The case-control study included 2,224 women (452 pre-facility stillbirths; 287 intra-facility perinatal deaths and 1,485 controls), 99% of whom attended antenatal clinic (75% with more than three visits). Pre-facility stillbirths were associated with low birth weight (cOR 4.40; (95% CI: 3.13-6.18) and with maternal hypertension (cOR 4.72; 95% CI: 3.30-6.76). Intra-facility perinatal deaths were associated with breech presentation (aOR 40.3; 95% CI: 8.75-185.61), complications in the second stage (aOR 20.04; 95% CI: 12.02-33.41), low birth weight (aOR 5.57; 95% CI: 2.62-11.84), cervical dilation crossing the partograph’s action line (aOR 4.16; 95% CI:2.29-7.56), and hypertension during intrapartum care (aOR 2.9; 95% CI 1.03-8.14), among other factors. ConclusionThe perinatal death rate in the five urban hospitals was linked to gaps in the quality of antenatal and intrapartum care, in the study health facilities and in lower-level referral clinics. Urgent action is required to implement context-specific interventions and conduct implementation research to strengthen the urban referral system across the entire continuum of care from pregnancy onset to postpartum. The role of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy as a crucial determinant of perinatal deaths emphasizes the complexities of maternal-perinatal health within urban settings.

Perception towards Cervical Cancer Insurance Policy: A Study on Women in Barishal City

The purpose of this research paper is to assess the perception of urban women towards having an insurance policy as a precaution against cervical cancer. Data required for the research have been collected from primary data source taking into consideration total 170 female as respondents who have been living in Barishal city with at least 18 years old. Frequency distribution has been used to explain the response of 27 questions comprising demographic and financial aspect of the respondents. Reliability of the survey has been tested by Cronbach's Alpha with satisfied value of more than 0.705. Moreover, a regression analysis has been used for finding out the most significant factors influencing the willingness of purchasing cervical cancer insurance policy in near future covering 7 relevant variables. Overall, it has been found that approximately 23% respondents from the surveyed sample has a history to be encountered with cervical problems like ovarian cyst, uterus infection etc. However, most of them neither had any screening nor have any health insurance policy as a precaution against cancer. Moreover, significant number of participants are willing to purchase a cancer insurance policy if it is with a very reasonable premium.

Clinical variants of the metabolic syndrome in young people living in the Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous region – Yugra

Currently the “rejuvenation” and an increase in the number of components of the metabolic syndrome (MS) determine its clinical significance in the earlier development of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and related complications. Aim of the study was to investigate the features of the MS clinic picture in a population of young men and womenliving in the Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous region – Yugra.Material and methods. The study included 863 young people between 18 and 44 years of age, including 344 men and women with MS and 519 people in the comparison group. Studied subgroups are represented by non-indigenous men and women living in urban and rural areas, and indigenous rural residents. The analysis of MS clinical and laboratory parameters was carried out and its clinical variants in ethnic groups were identified.Results and its discussion. According to the results of the survey of young people with metabolic syndrome, it was revealed that the combination of abdominal obesity and two components of MS were most common in young people with MS (in 50.0 % men and in 55.5 % women). The study defined regression models for each MS group and threshold values for waist circumference were set, which changes in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism were predicted.Conclusions. In groups with MS, hypertriglyceridemia was determined as its most common component. The study identified the most frequent association of abdominal obesity with hyper-LDL cholesterol and hypertriglyceridemia in patients with metabolic syndrome, in ethnic groups, this combination is more common in indigenous rural men (53.3 %) and in non-indigenous urban women (54.3 %).

Effects of a Comprehensive Dietary Intervention Program, Promoting Nutrition Literacy, Eating Behavior, Dietary Quality, and Gestational Weight Gain in Chinese Urban Women with Normal Body Mass Index during Pregnancy.

In urban Chinese women with normal body weight during pregnancy, we implemented a comprehensive dietary intervention program aimed at enhancing nutrition literacy, dietary quality, and gestational weight gain. The methods included both online and offline health education on prenatal nutrition, weekly weight monitoring, family back education practices, and real-time dietary guidance. The intervention was delivered to randomly assigned control and intervention group participants from gestational week 12 to week 24. The intervention group (n = 44; 100% complete data) showed significant differences (mean (SD)) compared to the control group (n = 42; 95.5% complete data) in nutrition literacy (53.39 ± 6.60 vs. 43.55 ± 9.58, p < 0.001), restrained eating (31.61 ± 7.28 vs. 28.79 ± 7.96, p < 0.001), Diet Quality Distance (29.11 ± 8.52 vs. 40.71 ± 7.39, p < 0.001), and weight gain within the first 12 weeks of intervention (4.97 ± 1.33 vs. 5.98 ± 2.78, p = 0.029). However, there was no significant difference in the incidence of gestational diabetes (2 (4.5%) vs. 4 (9.5%), p = 0.629). Participants in the intervention group reported an overall satisfaction score of 4.70 ± 0.46 for the intervention strategy. These results emphasize the positive role of comprehensive dietary intervention in promoting a healthy diet during pregnancy.

"Just the Stigma Associated with PrEP Makes You Feel Like It's HIV Itself": Exploring PrEP Stigma, Skepticism, and Medical Mistrust Among Black Cisgender Women in Urban and Rural Counties in the U.S. Deep South.

Despite its effectiveness in HIV prevention, PrEP use among Black women is suboptimal. Notably in the Deep South, Black women have the lowest PrEP uptake rates among all US regions. To increase PrEP engagement, research suggests the implementation of structural and social interventions particular to the needs of Black women. The state of Alabama is of priority to federal HIV prevention initiatives; therefore, this study conducted focus groups among 47 cis-gender Black women in rural and urban Alabama counties, with the highest statewide HIV incidence rates, to understand perceptions of PrEP and decision-making processes. Deductive coding analysis was conducted and themes were finalized based on consensus among the two coders. Four themes were identified. Findings show stigma undergirds Alabaman Black women's decisions to engage in PrEP care. Moreover, women reported stigma stifled community-level education about PrEP. Despite these experiences, education was regarded as a strategy to decrease stigma and PrEP skepticism, the latter of which emerged as a prominent theme. Medical mistrust and healthcare engagement were the other emergent themes influencing participation in PrEP care. To ensure PrEP efforts meet the needs of Black cisgender women in Alabama counties, interventions must address longstanding stigma, increase educational initiatives, and ensure interventions consider women's experiences with medical mistrust and health care engagement.

Effectiveness of a culturally tailored text messaging program for promoting cervical cancer screening in accra, Ghana: a quasi-experimental trial

IntroductionDespite breakthroughs in cervical cancer detection, resource-constrained countries continue to have a disproportionately high incidence and death rate. Mhealth has been identified as an important tool for increasing cervical cancer screening rates in Sub-Saharan Africa. We determined whether sending Ghanaian women culturally tailored one-way mobile phone SMS text messages about cervical cancer would encourage the uptake of the human papillomavirus (HPV) test.MethodsFrom August to November 2016, 88 women aged 18 to 39 living or working in an urban community (Accra, Ghana) participated in a quasi-experimental study. For 8 weeks, 32 SMS messages regarding cervical cancer were developed and sent to the personal phones of intervention arm participants (n = 42). Women in the control group (n = 46) received SMS texts with general health and lifestyle advice. Fischer’s exact tests were performed to assess cervical cancer screening uptake and associated reasons for non-uptake between the intervention and control groups (p < 0.05).ResultsAt the baseline, women differed in terms of ethnicity and wealth. After the intervention, participants’ self-reported risk factors for cervical cancer, such as early menarche, usual source of medical treatment, family history of cancer, smoking, and alcohol history, changed. None of the women in the intervention group sought cervical cancer screening after the intervention, but only one (2.2%) of the control arm participants did. Almost all the women (> 95%) agreed that an HPV test was essential and that regular healthcare check-ups could help prevent cervical cancer. Some women believed that avoiding particular foods could help prevent cervical cancer (23.8% intervention vs. 58.7% control, p < 0.001). Time constraints and out-of-pocket expenses were significant barriers to cervical cancer screening. Conclusion: A one-way SMS delivered to urban women did not increase cervical cancer screening attendance. The time spent in screening facilities and the lack of coverage by the National Health Insurance Scheme limited screening uptake. We urge for the establishment of screening centers in all healthcare facilities, as well as the inclusion of cervical cancer screening in healthcare programs through cost-sharing.

Perception of women on safety and efficacy of contraceptives: A comparative study.

Contraceptive information and services are fundamental to the health and human rights of all individuals. Low contraceptive use is a major challenge faced in India. To determine whether a lack of awareness of contraceptive methods was a factor, we assessed the perception of women on contraceptive methods, their safety and efficacy and further determined whether their demographic background played any role in their perception. Reproductive-aged women from both rural and urban backgrounds of Bangalore and Tumkur, Karnataka, were individually questioned in a community setting using both Google Forms and personal interviews from September 2022 to December 2022. The questions consisted of limited demographic information and specific questions related to the knowledge and beliefs of women on the efficacy and safety of contraceptive methods and assessed situational awareness. Although awareness was more amongst urban women (99.1%) compared with rural women (79%), the practice was significantly higher amongst rural women (63.2%) compared with urban women (36.7%). Perception showed variations with respect to age, education, religion and parity. A major religion-wise disparity was observed. With regard to safety, oral contraceptive pills (60.9%) and condoms (51.8%) were unanimously perceived to be the most and least harmful to health. The most commonly perceived short-term complications were found to be body changes, and mood swings, tiredness and infertility with no data to support the claim were the most commonly chosen long-term complication. From the study, we concluded that more educated women were not immune to misinformation. The efficacy rates of different methods were highly underestimated with methods with higher failure rates perceived to be more effective. Results demonstrate that women are ill-informed about the long-term complications of various methods.

Association between digital engagement and urban-rural disparities in Chinese women's depressive symptoms: A national-level cross-sectional study.

This study aims to investigate the impact of digital engagement on urban-rural disparities in depressive symptoms among Chinese women. Using a dataset from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) wave 2020, this study analyzes the impact of digital engagement on the urban-rural disparity in women's depressive symptoms using multiple linear regression and recentered influence function (RIF) models. Furthermore, the extent to which digital engagement affects the urban-rural disparity in women's depressive symptoms was calculated using the RIF decomposition method. Analysis showed that rural women had significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms compared to urban women; digital engagement significantly reduced women's depressive symptoms levels and mitigated the urban-rural disparity for women with moderate to high levels of depressive symptoms, and the mitigating effect was stronger for the highly depressed sample, but still widened the urban-rural disparity in women's depressive symptoms overall. In addition, the results of the RIF decomposition showed that digital engagement explained 28.28% of the urban-rural disparity in women's depressive symptoms. There is a significant disparity in depressive symptoms levels between urban and rural women in China. Digital engagement reduces women's depressive symptoms, but it also widens the depressive symptoms disparity between urban and rural women overall. Digital engagement is potentially positive for reducing women's depressive symptoms.

Living with vulnerability: Triple burden through the eyes of urban slum women in Bangladesh

The urban residents who live in slums in Bangladesh are a marginalized group who live below the poverty line and are frequently deprived of standard livelihood amenities. The primary source of income of urban slum women is limited to a few options such as working in the garment industry, temporary domestic assistant (chuta bua), beggar, cleaner, street hawkers, brick-breaking in construction work, prostitution, etc., which are incredibly low-status and poorly paid work. They are excluded from mainstream society and thus are deprived of fundamental human rights such as nutrition, safe shelter, education, health services, electricity, healthy careers, and lifestyle. Unlike others, they lead highly miserable lives due to poverty, lack of capital, social negligence, stigma, crime, and violence. Additionally, their traditional roles, such as reproductive and productive works and community activities, force them to bear extra burdens. These roles became their utmost burden during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. On the one hand, they provide sufficient time, energy, and dedication to fulfill their responsibilities. On the other hand, they are highly undervalued in society. Therefore, this endeavor has focused on urban slum women who are marginalized and stigmatized by stereotypical patriarchal social structures. For that reason, 80 women from different occupations and age groups who live in various slums in Dhaka megacity were chosen as the sample. This study explains their triple burden by deconstructing their experiences through intensive research.

A Study on Mobile Phone Technology Adoption &amp; Usage Among Urban Poor Women in Resettlement Sites

Digital transformation and the use of interconnected digital technologies have opened up new opportunities across the world and hold promises for enhanced productivity and development for all. However, research from around the globe has proven that urban poor women are less likely to be digitally active, limiting the realization of its benefits. This study provides an insight into the mobile phone technology experiences of urban poor women at the resettlement site Perumbakkam in Chennai, India. A purposively selected group of women from the resettlement site participated in a workshop that focused on the usage of mobile technology. Post-workshop, the shared experiences of these marginalized women have provided insight into the interactions between gender and communication technology at resettlement sites. The researchers discovered that there was a growing awareness and recognition among the women about how technology could benefit their lives. They expressed eagerness to learn more about utilizing the new technology, particularly for economic improvement. However, structural barriers, particularly patriarchal gender norms, have thus far hindered women from fully harnessing the potential of mobile technology.

The impact of a single “Body technique vitality protocol” treatment on vitality restoration: a randomized trial in urban women

Purpose: The main purpose of the study was to investigate the efficiency and factorial validity of a newly developed vitality questionnaire (AMRJ) in women. Methods: In this randomized trial over six weeks, 161 women were randomly included. Each category of age represents one period of life as follows: 17.5 years (adolescence), 30 years (menstruation and sexual activity), 45 years (perimenopause) and 60 years (menopause). Opposed to subjective vitality status questionnaire (SVS), the AMRJ was designed to understand one's personal perception of posture, body tissue, breathing, self-perception of health, pain and quality of life. Results: For the AMJR, the two-factor solution explained 64% of variance among items, and all items loaded highly with their underlying factors (all λ &gt; .55). A large effect size (d= - .89) was observed for 17.5-year-olds, and a medium effect size (d=- .50) was observed for 60-year-olds. Furthermore, current vitality ratings from the AMJR questionnaire were significantly larger as well after the intervention, but the interpretation of the significant interaction terms goes in another direction. In AMJR, the effects of the intervention increased with the participant’s age. The intervention effect had a medium effect size for 17.5-year-olds (d= .67), and a large effect size (d= - .92) for 60-year-olds. Conclusions: The AMJR questionnaire brings a new perspective on self-measured vitality and is published for the first time with the affiliated presentation of validity. It shows current and potential vitality associated with the physical domain. Potential point as a concrete individual fact brings objective goals and important motivational stimulus for vitality improvements.

Coverage and determinants of Intermittent Preventive Treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) in Cameroon, Guinea, Mali, and Nigeria.

Malaria poses a serious issue for pregnant women in African regions. It is crucial to comprehend the various factors that impact receiving IPTp during ANC checkups. These are important for the well-being of both pregnant mothers and their unborn children. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the determinants of IPTp coverage among women in Cameroon, Guinea, Mali, and Nigeria. This cross-sectional study utilized secondary data from the Malaria Indicator Surveys (MIS) across Cameroon, Guinea, Mali, and Nigeria, focusing on women who received IPTp during pregnancy with IPTp categorized dichotomously as "Yes" for ANC visits and "No" for other visits. Chi-squared tests were used to assess associations, and binary logistic regression was conducted to calculate adjusted odds ratios, confidence intervals, and p-values. Results were summarized in tables. We found IPTp coverage during ANC visits was highest in Cameroon (98.6%), followed by Guinea (97.7%), Mali (97.1%), and lowest in Nigeria (95.5%). In Guinea, rural women were less likely to receive IPTp than urban women (AOR: 0.16, 95% CI: 0.07-0.41, p<0.001). In Mali, women who received 3 or more doses were less likely to receive IPTp at ANC (AOR: 0.48, p<0.01). In Nigeria, personal transport increased IPTp uptake (AOR: 1.88, p<0.01). In Cameroon, malaria prevention messages improved IPTp coverage (AOR: 3.12, p<0.05). This study highlights significant disparities in IPTp uptake, with rural Mali and Guinea facing lower coverage. In Nigeria, personal transport improved IPTp uptake. Targeted interventions are needed to improve ANC services and ensure equitable IPTp access across the study regions.