Women's Attitudes Research Articles

The Effect of Breastfeeding Education Using Leaflet Media on the Knowledge and Attitudes of Pregnant Women

Breast milk (BM) is one of the most important nutrients for baby needs. This is the best baby food for the perfection of growth and development. Increasing the knowledge and attitude of mothers is considered necessary because it contributes to parenting for their children. This research aims to determine the effect of breastfeeding education using leaflet media on the knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women. The research is a quasi-experiment with a pre-test and post-test with a control group research design conducted in March – April 2023 in the working area of the South Sangatta Health Center, East Kutai Regency, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. A total of 32 samples were involved in random sampling by taking into account inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data is analyzed with the Paired-Sample T-test. The research shows the influence of exclusive breastfeeding education using leaflet media on the knowledge of pregnant women (p = 0.000), and the influence of exclusive breastfeeding education using non-leaflet media on the knowledge of pregnant women (p = 0.006). There is an influence of exclusive breastfeeding education using leaflet media on the attitude of pregnant women (p = 0.000), and the influence of exclusive breastfeeding education using non-leaflet media on the attitude of pregnant women (p = 0.006). Education using leaflets is much more effective than non-leaflet education. This finding is empirical evidence that nutrition education in the form of media is encouraged to welcome changes in public perception

Gender perception as the driving force for violence against women in Turkiye

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of gender perception on attitudes toward violence against women in Turkish. 
 Material and Method: This descriptive and correlational study was conducted online with 795 individuals in Turkish society, between 08.02.2022 – 14.02.2022. The data was collected with “Sociodemographic Descriptive Information Form”, “Perception of Gender Scale” and “ISKEBE Violence Against Women Attitude Scale” created using Google Forms. 
 Results: The average age of the participants was found as 30,04±11,38. It was detected that 560 (70,4%) of the participants are female, 235 (29,6%) are male, 299 (37,6%) are married, 496 (62,4%) are single 103 (13,0%) have a good income, 602 (75,7%) have a middle income, and 90 (11,3%) have a low income. The participants’ average point for Perception of Gender Scale was 104,71±17,06; and the average point for Violence Against Women Attitude Scale was 49,31±22,15. The total change in the level of total score of violence against women attitude is explained by the sum of gender perception at a rate of 37,8% (R2=0,378). 
 Conclusion: In this study, the gender perception is the predictor towards both the body and the identity of the violence against women attitude.

The Role of Feminism and Gender in Endorsement of Hookup Culture among Emerging Adults.

Hookup culture has transformed the sexual behavior of emerging adults. Feminism, a movement that has advocated for liberating women from sexual repression, may be associated with hookup endorsement attitudes. This study explores the associations among multiple dimensions of feminism, gender, and hookup culture endorsement. Participants included 318 emerging adults (46% women; Mage = 22.2 years; 51% White, 27% Asian, 5% Hispanic/Latinx, 9% Black, 1% Middle Eastern, 1% American Indian, 6% Multiracial) from five Anglophone countries (62% U.S., 23% United Kingdom, 9% Canada, 5% Australia, 1% New Zealand), who completed the Feminist Beliefs and Behavior Scale and Endorsement of Hookup Culture Index via an anonymous, online survey. Participants were categorized according to their feminist identity label (feminist, non-feminist) and feminist belief system (hold feminist beliefs, hold non-feminist beliefs). A series of ANCOVAs was conducted, revealing that women who identified as feminist and/or held feminist beliefs reported significantly higher endorsement of hookup culture compared to non-feminist women with non-feminist beliefs. Neither dimension of feminism predicted hookup culture endorsement in men. When comparing feminist-identifying women and men, the gender disparity in hookup culture endorsement was eliminated. Together, these findings highlight how social movements, such as feminism, may be associated with young women's attitudes towards hookups, and may ultimately shape their sexual experiences.

Women's Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perception on Personalized Risk-Stratified Breast Cancer Screening: A Cross-Sectional Study in Malaysia.

Breast cancer is commonest cancer among Malaysian women and screening is essential for the early detection. Therefore our study aimed at measuring the levels of knowledge, attitude and perception towards personalized risk stratified breast cancer screening in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was carried out in Malaysia to assess the knowledge, perception and attitudes of the women in Malaysia. The study was conducted using an online questionnaire, and samples were obtained using convenience sampling. The questionnaire was distributed trilingual in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese. The data was collected with content validated questionnaire. Data was analyzed with descriptive statistics and General Linear Model analysis in SPSS (Version 27). A total of 201 respondents' data were analyzed. From our study we were able to summarize that the women in Malaysia have a suboptimal knowledge towards personalized risk-stratified breast cancer screening as only 48.9% aware of the term for personalized risk-stratified breast cancer screening. Meanwhile, the majority of the respondents (96.7%) showed positive attitudes towards the importance of risk assessment and screening. Experience of participating in health education programmes about breast cancer and personalized risk-stratified screening was found to be significantly associated with knowledge, attitude and perception towards personalized risk-stratified breast cancer screening. General population's awareness of individualized risk-stratified breast cancer screening was insufficient despite their favourable attitude towards the disease. A multimodal strategy may be used to improve women's knowledge, attitude, and perception of individualized risk-stratified breast cancer screening.

A Study of the Attitude of Women towards Environmental Sanitation

Recognizing the relationship between attitude and personal characteristics, the study was taken up to identify the personal characteristics of the self-help group women, household head characterize and the family background their attitude towards environment sanitation with special reference to the areas of cleanliness, self-hygiene, drinking water and sewage and sewage disposal and the effect of the personal characteristics on the environmental sanitation. The study was conducted in the Anantapur district of the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh. The attitude scale to measure environmental sanitation developed by the investigators has been administered to 400 randomly selected self-help group women. The collected data was analyzed by using statistical techniques like percentages, Mean, SD,t test and ANOVA to study the influence of personal characteristics on the attitude towards Environmental sanitation. The finding of the study shows that the self-help group women are not similar in their characteristics. There is a significant difference between caste, and age groups of the women in the areas of cleanliness, Drinking water, and Sewage and sewage disposal but not in the case of sewage and sewage disposal. The women with different levels of education do differ in the areas of selfhygiene, drinking water, Sewage, and sewage Disposal but they do have similar attitudes in the case of cleanliness. The women with number of children do not differ from each other in all the areas. The Household heads of different age and Educational groups differ in their attitude towards Self Hygiene, Drinking water, Sewage and Sewage Disposal but have similar attitudes toward Cleanliness. The Male and Female groups of household heads differ from each other in all the areas of attitude indicating that Gender has a role in attitude formation toward Environmental Sanitation The family background of the women i.e, the members in the family occupation, income ownership of the residence, and type of family has similar attitudes in the areas viz., Cleanliness, Self-Hygiene, Drinking water, Sewage, and sewage Disposal. It indicates that the family background of the sample does not have any role in the formation of attitudes toward Environmental Sanitation

Невротические состояния женщин и особенности отношения к новорожденному в ситуации «отягощенного» материнства

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Objectives. </strong>The growing number of children with mental health needs leads to an increase in the need for research on this issue. The subjective phenomenon of "burdened" motherhood is considered as an environmental risk factor for child mental health disorders. The article presents the results that allow us to consider the attitude to the newborn and the pronounced neurotic states of the mother among the unfavorable factors in the formation of the "mother-child" dyad.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods</strong>. A total of 228 women participated in the study. Comparison groups of 173 respondents were formed. The unifying criterion of the groups is the special conditions for the formation of the "mother-child" system in the situation of "burdened" motherhood. 55 women with preserved reproductive function, whose pregnancy ended with the birth of a healthy child, are classified as "conditional norm". The Pregnant Woman's Attitude Test by I.V. Dobryakov, the Clinical Questionnaire of Neurotic States by K.K. Yakhin and D.M. Mendelevich, the method of semi-structured interview, the methods of statistical processing of empirical data Mann-Whitney U-test and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient were used.</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Results. </strong>Women in a situation of "burdened" motherhood are more likely to transmit an anxious attitude towards the newborn (U = 210.0; p = 0.004235). Positive correlations between anxious and depressive attitudes towards the newborn and indicators on the asthenia scale of the Neurotic States Questionnaire (r = 0.39; <0.05) are described. Empirical data have confirmed the presence of pronounced neurotic states in women in the situation of "burdened" motherhood on the following scales: "anxiety", "hysterical type of reaction", "obsessive-phobic disorders" and "vegetative disorders".</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusions. </strong>The obtained data indicate that the features of the attitude towards the newborn and the level of severity of neurotic states in women in the situation of "burdened" motherhood, can be considered among the risk factors for mental health disorders in infancy and young age.</p>

Breast Care Knowledge and Attitudes in Special Women at the Barru Regional General Hospital, Barru Regency, South Sulawesi

Breast care during the postpartum period is a necessity for mothers who have just given birth. The postpartum period itself is six weeks or 40 days after delivery. During the postpartum period, breast care is a very important action to care for the breasts, especially to facilitate the release of breast milk (ASI). Swollen breasts usually occur in the first days of a baby's birth. Data obtained from Barru Hospital showed five cases of swollen breasts. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between postpartum mothers' knowledge and attitudes towards breast care at Barru Hospital. This research uses a correlation analytical method with a cross sectional approach, data collection techniques using questionnaires with respondents namely postpartum mothers who receive services at Barru Hospital. Data analysis uses univariate analysis to test respondents' knowledge and attitudes and bivariate analysis to determine the relationship between variables. The results of univariate research with frequency distribution show that some respondents (52.5 %) have less knowledge, the attitude category shows that some respondents (52.5%) have an unsupportive attitude. The results of bivariate analysis with Chi-Square distribution obtained a value of 0.01 (p-value < 0.05). The results of the bivariate analysis showed that very few of the respondents (19%) were 4 people with little knowledge and a supportive attitude. The conclusion of this research is that there is a relationship between postpartum mothers' knowledge and attitudes towards breast care at Barru Hospital. Advice to health workers to carry out continuous outreach and education about breast care.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Regarding Food Safety and Its Effects on Human Health in Punjab, Pakistan

Food safety is ultimate human right for the survival of human life. Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are at the risk of risk of consuming contaminated food. Every year, millions of people become ill, and hundreds of thousands die due to underprivileged safety of food. Microbial, chemical, personal and environmental hygiene are all challenges for food from farm to fork/plate. The current study was conducted in Punjab province to investigate to assess peoples’ knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding food safety at domestic level, as well as potential health hazards due to insufficient food safety practices. Sample of 700 women in three districts in Pakistan's Punjab province: Hafizabad, Rawalpindi, and Multan were selected. For analyzing the quantitative data we utilized, bivariate analysis techniques. Specifically, we employed the Chi-square test to assess the degree of significance. Additionally, researcher used the Somers'd and Gamma tests to determine the strength of association. The major findings reveal a strong link between all socioeconomic and cultural variables (i.e. monthly income, education, food preparation at home, food management at home, consumption behavior, willingness to buy, risk perception, influence of media and health effects) and women's attitudes toward acquiring knowledge and practicing food safety to maintain their health. The public was concerned about food safety and handling standards. It was discovered that television could be effective tool for disseminating information about food safety to the general public. The frequency of food preparation at home also contributes to shaping attitudes, with more frequent home preparation leading to more favorable views on food safety practices.

Long-Acting and Permanent Family Planning Methods Attitude Scale: The Instrument Development and Cross-Sectional Validation Study.

Background and Purpose: This study aims to develop and validate a tool to measure women's attitudes toward long-acting and permanent family planning methods (LAPMs). Methods: Participants were 500 women of childbearing age who were 18 years of age or older and voluntarily agreed to participate in the study. The study was carried out in two phases: instrument development and psychometric testing. After a comprehensive literature review, 30 preitems of the scale were created. Item analysis was performed using adjusted item-total correlations. Factor analyses were performed to confirm construct validity. Cronbach's alpha, standard error of measurement, and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to assess reliability. Results: The analyses revealed that the eight-item, three-factor structure had acceptable fit values. The Cronbach's alpha value of the scale was found to be .73. The ICC value was .997. Conclusions: The scale is a valid and reliable tool used to assess women's attitudes toward LAPMs.

Knowledge and Attitude of Married Women in Kwara State, Nigeria Towards Vasectomy as a Choice of Male Contraception

Despite the well-documented impact men have on women’s choice of contraception, it appears that women’s input into their partners’ decisions about contraception has been undervalued and underutilized. Vasectomy being one of the few options available for males, is not often used as a means of family planning. This study examined the knowledge and attitude of married women in Kwara state, Nigeria towards vasectomy as a choice of their male partner’s contraception. Specifically, differences in knowledge and attitude based on selected demographic characteristics were assessed. The study design was descriptive survey type. Six hundred married women were sampled from the six Local government areas selected across the three senatorial districts of Kwara State, Nigeria through a multistage procedure. Two research questions and hypotheses were tested for the study. Data collected were analyzed using percentage and pie-chart to answer the research questions raised while 4-way Analysis of Variance to test the hypotheses postulated at 0.05 alpha level. Results revealed that respondents had inadequate knowledge of vasectomy and negative attitudes towards it as choice of contraceptive for their partners. There was no significant difference in the knowledge of vasectomy among respondents based on years of marriage, family size and religion. However, when tested, a significant difference existed in knowledge of vasectomy based on educational level (F (8, 532) = 0.665; p>0.05). Also, no significant difference was found in the attitude of females on vasectomy as a choice of male contraception based on years of marriage, education, family size and religion in Kwara State, Nigeria (F (8, 532) = 1.047; p>0.05)The findings suggest a need for effective awareness programmes as well as improvement in health talks and counselling topics targeted to enhance their knowledge of vasectomy as well as improve their attitude towards it.

The Relationship Between Knowledge And Attitudes Of Young Women Towards Self-Breast Examination (Sadari)

Breast cancer can attack anyone, especially women, women's attitudes and awareness regarding breast health are still not well developed so that most cancer cases are found at an advanced stage, when early stage healing is very easy, and can be done at home. Just a few minutes, once a month, to do a breast self-examination. The research aims to determine the relationship between knowledge and attitudes of young women towards breast self-examination (BSE) at SMA Negeri 14 Medan City, North Sumatra Province in 2023. The conceptual framework used is based on dependent and independent variables. The research design is correlational. The research was conducted February 23-25 ​​on 88 respondents. The research data were analyzed manually and using frequency distribution tables. Based on attitudes, out of 35 (100%), the majority of young women have negative attitudes and do not carry out conscious examinations. namely 35 (67.3%) people and a minority of young women who have negative attitudes and have carried out self-breast examinations. 17 (32.7%) P value = 1.000. It can be concluded that there is no relationship between young women's attitudes towards breast self-examination (BSE). For young women, it is hoped that every young woman will be responsive to changes, or the presence of lumps and pain that are felt or arise in the breasts. For health institutions, it is hoped that they can provide counseling and information so that young women are motivated to be able to routinely carry out self-examination of their breasts and teach the techniques and appropriate time to do it.

Determination of exercise attitudes of women of reproductive age in pregnancy

ObjectiveThis study was conducted to evaluate the exercise attitudes of women of reproductive age during pregnancy. MethodThe descriptive study was conducted with 326 women who applied to the gynecology outpatient clinics of a state hospital between September and November 2023. Data were collected with the "Personal Information Form" and "Exercise Attitudes in Pregnant Women Scale". Statistical analyses were analyzed at p < .05 significance level with the independent samples t test method. ResultsMost of the participants (85.6%) stated that they did not know the benefits of exercise during pregnancy and did not exercise during pregnancy (89.6%). The mean exercise attitude scale score of the participants was 135.42 ± 25.90. A significant difference was found between the participants' education level, exercising outside pregnancy, attending a pregnancy school, knowing the benefits of exercise during pregnancy and exercising during pregnancy and all sub-dimension scores (p < .05). ConclusionIn the study, it was observed that the participants had positive attitudes towards exercise during pregnancy, although their knowledge and behaviors were insufficient. Women's attitudes towards exercise should be determined by health professionals and women's positive attitudes, knowledge and behaviors should be improved by organizing trainings and exercise programs starting from pre-pregnancy.

The Relationship between Knowledge and Attitudes of Pregnant Women Regarding Preparation for Childbirth (Labor Pain) in the Independent Practice of Midwife Hellen Tarigan in 2022

The maternal mortality rate (MMR) will be 70 per 100,000 live births in 2030. The maternal mortality rate (MMR) in the world is 303,000 people. The maternal mortality rate (MMR) according to WHO is 295,000 per 100,000 live births, women dying during pregnancy and childbirth in 2017. This number is still relatively high, one of the causes of maternal death in the world, namely bleeding during childbirth. The research design used is descriptive research. The population in the study was 30 respondents with a sample of 30 respondents taken using total sampling techniques. There is a significant relationship between the knowledge of pregnant women and preparation for childbirth, with a p-value (0.000 &lt; 0.005) and there is a relationship between the attitude of pregnant women and preparation for childbirth with a p-value (0.001 &lt; 0.005). It is hoped that health workers can provide counseling about preparation for childbirth to pregnant women when carrying out Ante Natal Care (ANC) at PMB.

Knowledge, attitude, practice of cervical cancer screening and some factors related to practice in women aged 21 - 65 years old in Dan Quyen commune, Trieu Son district, Thanh Hoa province in 2023

Objective: To describe the knowledge, attitude, practice of cervical cancer screening and some factors related to practice among women aged 21 - 65 years old in Dan Quyen commune, Trieu Son district, Thanh Hoa province in 2023. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, interviewed 315 females aged 21-65 in Dan Quyen commune, Trieu Son district, Thanh Hoa province in 2023. Results: The proportion of women with good knowledge was 44%, positive attitude was 61.3% and practicing cervical cancer screening was 42.9%. Women who were 31 years old or older, had a high school education or higher, has a job other than being a farmer, lived in good/rich economic conditions and had two children or less were 11.2, 6.3, 4.1, 4.7 and 2 times more likely to be screened for cervical cancer than the other groups, respectively (p&lt;0.05). Women who had good knowledge, a positive attitude, had regular gynecological examinations and have had access to information about cervical cancer were 8.3, 1.9, 12.9 and 35.4 times more likely to go for screening, respectively compared to the other group (p&lt;0.05). Conclusions: Women's knowledge, positive attitude and practice of cervical cancer screening were not high. Therefore, it is necessary to improve women's knowledge and attitudes, thereby increasing the rate of screening practice through appropriate communication and education measures. The communication content should focus on risk factors, signs and symptoms, cervical cancer prevention methods, age and time for regular cervical cancer screening. Keywords: Cervical cancer screening, knowledge, attitude, practice, Thanh Hoa province

Smart Card Stunting Media Influences Knowledge and Attitudes of Pregnant Women about Stunting Prevention

Stunting is a condition when a child's height is less than the standard height for his age and is a problem of chronic malnutrition caused by insufficient nutritional intake for quite a long time. If pregnant women do not know the causes of stunting, especially nutritional adequacy in early pregnancy, it will have an impact on the attitude of pregnant women who do not apply good nutritional patterns during pregnancy. This can happen because when a child is stunted it disrupts his physical growth, immunity, and cognitive function. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of education using the stunting smart card media on the knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women regarding stunting prevention in the work area of the Telaga Dewa Health Center, Bengkulu City. This research is a quantitative type of Pre-Experiment design with a one-group pre-test and post-test design. The sampling technique in this study was purposive sampling. The number of samples to be examined in this study were 30 first trimester pregnant women. The results showed that the average attitude score before intervention was negative, namely 28.63 and after education using a stunting smart card, a positive attitude was 37.70. The p value was obtained = 0.000 ≤ 0.05 using a confidence level of 95%, which means that there is an effect of the stunting smart card media on the knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women about stunting prevention in the work area of the Telaga Dewa Health Center, Bengkulu city.

Promoting Vaccinations in Pregnancy: Results of a Systematic Literature Review of Italian Initiatives.

Pregnant women and infants inherently face heightened susceptibility to complications resulting from infectious diseases. Within these populations, vaccinations offer numerous advantages. This systematic review endeavors to comprehensively analyze the existing literature concerning interventions designed to promote vaccinations among pregnant women and newborns in Italy. We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science for primary studies published until 3 August 2023 which assessed the impact of vaccination education interventions targeting pregnant Italian women. Data extraction, pooling, and a quality appraisal of the included studies were conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Among the 528 articles identified, 3 met the inclusion criteria and focused on pregnant women aged 25 to 40 attending pre-delivery courses. In these studies, the effectiveness of the interventions was assessed using pre- and post-intervention questionnaires that investigated knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding recommended vaccinations. The results reveal significant increases in intention and adherence to vaccination among participants after these interventions. The results underscore the positive influence of health professionals' educational initiatives on pregnant Italian women's vaccination knowledge and attitudes. However, longitudinal studies with larger representative samples are needed to validate these findings and identify potential avenues for improving maternal educational interventions.

Knowledge and attitudes of antenatal mothers towards intimate partner violence in the Gambia: A cross-sectional study.

Intimate partner violence is a severe public health and human rights issue that 1 in 3 women experience in their lifetime. A woman's knowledge and attitudes towards intimate partner violence might influence her experience of violence from an intimate partner. This study aimed at analysing the knowledge and attitudes of antenatal mothers towards intimate partner violence. This study employed a descriptive cross-sectional technique. Pregnant women seeking antenatal care were selected from 6 public healthcare facilities in the Gambian Upper River Region (URR). We used the single proportion formula to calculate the sample size, which was 373 women. Data were entered, cleaned and analysed using SPSS version 21.Majority of the participants had good knowledge about IPV (77%). The most common intimate partner violence known to the women was denial of money to hurt her (80.2%). Only 58% of the women knew that a male partner's insistence on knowing their whereabouts at all times and expecting them to seek permission before accessing healthcare is a form of violence. Eighty-seven per centof the participants had a negative attitude towards IPV (i.e., they were not precisely against the stated forms of violence perpetrated by their partners). When asked about what would warrant them to leave their partners, 67% claimed they would never leave their partners despite facing violence. According to 36% of the respondents, women stay in abusive marriages because of their children.Despite the relatively high knowledge of pregnant women on IPV, their attitudes tell a different story, which is: acceptance of violent behaviours from their partners. More work needs to be done to sensitise women on their rights not to be violated and engage the whole society in changing the social norms unfavourable to them.

Pregnant women's attitudes and knowledge about oral health

Background: Good oral health of pregnant women is important for their own health and the health of the fetus and can reduce the risk of complications in pregnancy. The development of early childhood caries is associated with the transfer of bacteria from the mother's oral cavity, and there is a need to promote oral health during pregnancy and the perinatal period. Aim: This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate attitudes and knowledge regarding oral health and infant oral health among pregnant women. Materials and methods: The study involved 130 pregnant women in the Republic of North Macedonia who completed an anonymous online questionnaire (Google Forms) from January to June 2022. The questionnaire was divided into three parts. The first part contained questions about the general demographic data of the respondents and their own experience with oral health in pregnancy. The second part was related to the knowledge of the relationship between oral health and pregnancy. The third section consisted of questions related to knowledge about the oral health of children at the earliest age. The results were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Results: The study involved 130 pregnant 19 to 42-year-old women. The women are most informed about oral health in pregnancy from their dentists (30.8 %), but least from doctors of family medicine (3.1%). In pregnancy, gingival bleeding was observed by 60.8 % of respondents, and tooth mobility by 22.3 %. The chi-square test found that there was a difference in attitude regarding the age at which they should stop breastfeeding between respondents who had their first pregnancy and those who already had children (Chi-square value =13.216, p = 0.004, p &lt; 0.05). Only 20.5 % of respondents are aware that breastfeeding can cause tooth decay. Linear regression analysis showed that pregnant women's knowledge about the association between pregnancy and periodontal diseases is statistically significantly positively associated with their gynecologist's advice to visit a dentist (β = 1.282, p ≤ 0.001). In addition, pregnant women's knowledge about children's oral health is statistically significantly negatively associated with women already having children (β = -0.693, p = 0.043). Conclusion: Pregnant women in the Republic of North Macedonia do not have sufficient knowledge, and they are neither aware of the importance of oral health during pregnancy nor infant oral health.

The wording matters: Gender equality laws and women's attitudes towards domestic violence in Africa

In this paper, we documented the association between specific wordings regarding domestic violence within gender equality laws and women's attitudes towards domestic violence in African countries. To do so, we used data on the longitudinal Demographic and Health Survey conducted between 2003 and 2018, and we empirically conducted a difference-in-differences analysis that captures variations in the country and timing of the inclusion of specific wordings addressing domestic violence in the legislative framework that encompasses the general principle of gender equality. The empirical analysis showed that the inclusion of a specific article criminalizing domestic violence within a country's general gender equality law contributed to a statistically significant and substantial decrease in the likelihood of women deeming wife-beating behaviors justifiable. We further conducted an analysis of heterogeneity by socioeconomic status, as defined by urban status, wealth, literacy, and access to information; we found that the association between laws' wordings and attitudes towards domestic violence appeared statistically significant and sizeable in all socioeconomic groups.

Assessing Patient Acceptance of an Automated Algorithm to Identify Ciswomen for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis.

The use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in cisgender women (ciswomen) lags far behind their need. Data elements from the electronic medical record (EMR), including diagnosis of a sexually transmitted infection (STI), can be incorporated into automated algorithms for identifying clients who are most vulnerable to HIV and would benefit from PrEP. However, it is unknown how women feel about the use of such technology. In this study, we assessed women's attitudes and opinions about an automated EMR-based HIV risk algorithm and determined if their perspectives varied by level of HIV risk. Respondents were identified using best practice alerts or referral to a clinic for STI symptoms from January to December 2021 in Chicago, IL. Participants were asked about HIV risk factors, their self-perceived HIV risk, and their thoughts regarding an algorithm to identify ciswomen who could benefit from PrEP. Most of the 112 women who completed the survey (85%) thought they were at low risk for HIV, despite high rates of STI diagnoses. The majority were comfortable with the use of this algorithm, but their comfort level dropped when asked about the algorithm identifying them specifically. Ciswomen had mixed feelings about the use of an automated HIV risk algorithm, citing it as a potentially helpful and empowering tool for women, yet raising concerns about invasion of privacy and potential racial bias. Clinics must balance the benefits of using an EMR-based algorithm for ciswomen with their concerns about privacy and bias to improve PrEP uptake among particularly vulnerable women.