Interpersonal communication regarding pregnancy-related services: friends versus health professionals as conduits for information.

BACKGROUND: Social network characteristics influence a wide range of health behaviors but few studies examine the relationship between social network characteristics and pregnancy-related outcomes. METHODS: Using a baseline survey from a behavior change pilot project in the Upper West region of Ghana, we examine four outcomes: (1) early antenatal care, (2) having at least four antenatal care visits, (3) skilled birth attendance, and (4) postpartum care. We collected demographic and network data from 1606 women of reproductive age who had a child in the five years preceding the survey. We estimated associations by regressing the four pregnancy-related outcomes on the demographic and network characteristics. RESULTS: The results suggest that there is little interpersonal communication about pregnancy-related issues, as 60.2% of respondents reported talking to no one. For those women who did talk to someone, communication with a health professional had the strongest association with accessing services (e.g., Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 8.02, p < 0.01, for having a facility birth). Communicating with friends was also significantly associated with outcomes (AOR = 4.23, p < 0.0, for having a facility birth). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that there was little social communication about pregnancy-related issues in these communities at that time, indicating that an intervention to promote such communication could be successful. In addition, women who reported discussing pregnancy-related issues with friends or a health professional were more likely to access a birth facility and have a skilled birth attendant than those who reported discussing the same topics with their partner.

A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Community-Based Behavior Change Program to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes in the Upper West Region of Ghana.

BACKGROUND: The Community Benefits Health (CBH) program introduced a community-based behavior change intervention to address social norms and cultural practices influencing maternal health and breastfeeding behaviors in rural Ghana. The purpose of this study was to determine if CBH influenced maternal health outcomes by stimulating community-level support in woman's social networks. METHODS: A mixed-methods study was conducted to evaluate changes in six antenatal/postpartum care, birth attendance, and breastfeeding behaviors in response to the CBH intervention and to assess how the program was implemented and to what extent conditions during implementation influenced the results. RESULTS: We found increases in five of the six outcomes in both the intervention and control areas. Qualitative findings indicated that this may have resulted from program spillover. We considered the dose of exposure to program activities and found that women were significantly more likely to practice maternal health behaviors with increased exposure to program activities while controlling for study area and time. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, we determined that exposure to the CBH program significantly improved uptake of three of the six study outcomes, indicating that efforts aimed at increasing communication across women and their social networks may lead to improved health outcomes.

Evidence acquisition and evaluation for evidence summit on population-level behavior change to enhance child survival and development in low- and middle-income countries.

Recognizing the need for evidence to inform public health officials and health care workers in the U.S. government and low- and middle-income country governments on efficient, effective behavior change policies, strategies, and programs for child health and development, the U.S. government convened the Evidence Summit on Enhancing Child Survival and Development in Lower- and Middle-Income Countries by Achieving Population-Level Behavior Change. This article summarizes the background and methods for the acquisition and evaluation of the evidence used to the achieve the goals of the summit that is reviewed in other articles in this special issue of the Journal of Health Communication. The process began by identifying focal questions intended to inform the U.S. and low- and middle-income governments about behavior change interventions that accelerate reductions in under-5 mortality and optimize healthy and protective child development to 5 years of age. Experts were selected representing the research and program communities, academia, relevant nongovernmental organizations, and government agencies and assembled into evidence review teams. This was followed by the systematic gathering of relevant peer-reviewed literature that would inform the focal questions. Members of the evidence review teams were invited to add relevant articles not identified in the initial literature review to complete the bibliographies. Details of the search processes and methods used for screening and quality reviews are described. The evidence review teams were asked to comply with a specific evaluation framework for recommendations on practice and policy on the basis of both expert opinion and the quality of the data reviewed.

Evidence acquisition and evaluation for evidence summit on enhancing provision and use of maternal health services through financial incentives.

Recognizing the need for evidence to inform US Government and governments of the low- and middle-income countries on efficient, effective maternal health policies, strategies, and programmes, the US Government convened the Evidence Summit on Enhancing Provision and Use of Maternal Health Services through Financial Incentives in April 2012 in Washington, DC, USA. This paper summarizes the background and methods for the acquisition and evaluation of the evidence used for achieving the goals of the Summit. The goal of the Summit was to obtain multidisciplinary expert review of literature to inform both US Government and governments of the low- and middle-income countries on evidence-informed practice, policies, and strategies for financial incentives. Several steps were undertaken to define the tasks for the Summit and identify the appropriate evidence for review. The process began by identifying focal questions intended to inform governments of the low-and middle-income countries and the US Government about the efficacy of supply- and demand-side financial incentives for enhanced provision and use of quality maternal health services. Experts were selected representing the research and programme communities, academia, relevant non-governmental organizations, and government agencies and were assembled into Evidence Review Teams. This was followed by a systematic process to gather relevant peer-reviewed literature that would inform the focal questions. Members of the Evidence Review Teams were invited to add relevant papers not identified in the initial literature review to complete the bibliography. The Evidence Review Teams were asked to comply with a specific evaluation framework for recommendations on practice and policy based on both expert opinion and the quality of the data. Details of the search processes and methods used for screening and quality reviews are described.

A Tale of 2 Countries: Implementation of the Cold Chain Equipment Optimization Platform in Guinea and Kenya.

In 2016, the Gavi Cold Chain Equipment Optimization Platform (CCEOP) was approved and launched in recognition of the fact that functional cold chain equipment (CCE) is essential to strengthening vaccine supply chains and ultimately achieving Gavi's immunization equity and coverage goals. Through CCEOP, Gavi committed to investing US$250 million between 2016 and 2021 to commission CCE in more than 63,000 facilities to upgrade and expand their CCE footprint while stimulating the market to provide affordable, technologically advanced, and accessible equipment. We present case studies from Guinea and Kenya, both of which received CCEOP support, that highlight 2 ways for countries to prioritize investments and implement activities through a large funding and support mechanism. The studies explore the different ways that each country implemented CCEOP and consider how aspects of leadership and technical capacity influence country priorities and results. They also uncover key lessons on sustainability of a large immunization supply chain effort. The experiences of Guinea and Kenya can help other countries embarking on similarly large health system interventions, especially related to supply chain strengthening and immunization programs. In particular, these experiences offer important lessons in leadership, processes and systems, country ownership, technical capacity, and sustainability.

Oral Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection among Unvaccinated High-Risk Young Adults.

Oral HPV infection, the cause of most oropharyngeal cancer in the U.S., is not well studied among high-risk young adults. Men (n = 340) and women (n = 270) aged 18-25 years attending Baltimore County STD clinics were recruited if they declined HPV vaccination. Each participant had a 30-second oral rinse and gargle sample tested for 37 types of HPV DNA, and a risk-factor survey. Factors associated with prevalent infection were explored using log binomial regression. Men had higher prevalence of any oral HPV (15.3% vs. 7.8%, p = 0.004) and vaccine-type oral HPV (i.e., HPV16/18/6/11: 5.0% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.007) infection than women. In multivariate analysis, male gender (aPR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.10-3.39), number of recent oral sex partners (p-trend = 0.013) and having ever performed oral sex on a woman (aPR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.06-2.82) were associated with increased oral HPV prevalence. Performing oral sex on a woman may confer higher risk of oral HPV acquisition than performing oral sex on a man.

Risk factors for oral HPV infection among a high prevalence population of HIV-positive and at-risk HIV-negative adults.

INTRODUCTION: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an important risk factor for oropharyngeal cancer. Individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have higher oral HPV prevalence but the risk factors for oral HPV infection are not well understood for either HIV-positive or HIV-negative individuals. METHODS: This study was nested within the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS; men) and Women Interagency HIV Study (WIHS; women) cohorts. Exfoliated oral epithelial cells were collected from 379 HIV-positive and 266 at-risk HIV-negative individuals using a rinse and gargle with Scope mouthwash. Samples were tested for 36 types of HPV DNA using PGMY09/11 consensus primers and reverse line blot hybridization. Risk factors for oral HPV infection were explored using logistic regression with generalized estimating equations in this cross-sectional analysis. RESULTS: Prevalent oral HPV infection was common (34%), including HPV16 infection in 5.7% of participants. HIV-positive individuals had increased odds of prevalent oral HPV infection compared with HIV-negative individuals [adjusted OR = 2.1; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.6-2.8]. Risk factors for prevalent oral HPV differed in HIV-positive and HIV-negative participants. Among HIV-negative individuals, higher number of recent oral sex or rimming partners were strong risk factors for prevalent oral HPV infection (each P(trend) < 0.01). In contrast, among HIV-positive individuals, lower CD4 T-cell count (P(trend) < 0.001) and higher number of lifetime sexual partners (P(trend) = 0.03) were strong risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Oral HPV prevalence was elevated in HIV-positive individuals after controlling for differences in cigarette smoking and sexual behavior, supporting the possibility that HIV may affect the natural history of oral HPV. IMPACT: Immunosuppression may contribute to increased persistence or progression of oral HPV infection.