Synthesizing gender based HIV interventions in Sub-Sahara Africa: a systematic review of the evidence.

Gender is a critical component of HIV and sexual risk interventions. Examining the range, effectiveness and methodological rigor of studies that include a gender based component can inform current interventions and future directions for intervention research. This review investigated gender informed intervention studies conducted in sub-Saharan Africa that measured an outcome related to HIV. We reviewed 311 articles, 41 of which met our inclusion criteria, resulting in 11 articles that described eight different studies used in the analyses. The findings demonstrated wide variations in the types of interventions from low intensity educational content to multi-component interventions. Study outcomes were categorized into biological outcomes, HIV risk, behavioral, violence and risk reduction. Most interventions showed positive effects, and although research methodologies varied considerably, longer interventions appeared to be more effective. More research, however, is needed to build the evidence base for effectiveness of gender-based programs in reducing HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa.

Nutrition Transition in Europe: East-West Dimensions in the Last 30 Years-A Narrative Review.

The current review aims to summarize published research on nutrition transition patterns (depicting changes in dietary consumption) in European populations over the last three decades (1990-2020), with a focus on East-West regional comparisons. Pubmed and Google-Scholar databases were searched for articles providing information on repeated dietary intakes in populations living in countries across Europe, published between January 1990 and July 2021. From the identified 18,031 articles, 62 were found eligible for review (17 from Eastern and 45 from Western European populations). Overall, both in Eastern and Western Europe, there have been pronounced changes in dietary consumption patterns over the last three decades characterized by reductions in average reported intakes of sugar, carbohydrates and saturated fats and increases in reported fruit and vegetable consumption. There has also been a tendency toward a reduction in traditional foods, such as fish, observed in some Mediterranean countries. Overall, these data suggests that European countries have undergone a nutrition transition toward adopting healthier dietary behaviors. These processes occurred already in the period 1990-2000 in many Western European, and in the last decades have been also spreading throughout Eastern European countries. Firm conclusions are hampered by the lack of standardized methodologies depicting changes in dietary intakes over time and the limited coverage of the full variety of European populations. Future studies based on standardized dietary assessment methods and representative for the whole range of populations across Europe are warranted to allow monitoring trends in nutrition transition within and among European countries.

Damage of the ocular surface from indoor suntanning-Insights from in vivo confocal microscopy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the ocular surface at the microstructural level of adults who habitually undertake indoor-suntanning utilising in vivo confocal microscopy. METHODS: Participants were prospectively recruited and enrolled into either а study group (n = 75) with a history UV indoor tanning, or a control group (n = 75) with no prior history of artificial tanning. The study group participated in voluntary tanning sessions performed with standard equipment and maintained their usual routine for eye protection. Slit lamp biomicroscopy and in vivo confocal microscopy were performed at baseline before undertaking a series of suntanning sessions (10 sessions of 10 min duration over a 15 day period), within three days after the last session, and four weeks after the last session. Control group participants were examined at baseline and 8 weeks later and did not participate in tanning sessions. RESULTS: All participants were female with a mean age of 25 ± 4 years and 24 ± 4 years in the study and control groups, respectively. No clinically significant changes were observed in either group over time using slit lamp biomicroscopy (all p ≥ 0.05), however, statistically significant differences were observed between the study and the control group for all corneal layers imaged using confocal microscopy (all p ≤ 0.03). Characteristic cystic conjunctival lesions with dark centres and bright borders were observed in 95% of the study group before and in 100% after the suntanning sessions. CONCLUSION: Indoor suntanning resulted in statistically significant microstructural changes in the cornea and the bulbar conjunctiva that are undetectable with slit lamp biomicroscopy.

Components of resilience in gender: a comparative analysis of HIV outcomes in Kenya.

Gender is a critical concept of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) sexual risk; yet, few studies have examined the intersection between risk and protective factors associated with incidence of HIV among couples. The paper examines gender-specific constructs of resiliency among couples in Kenya. Using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys, Kenya (2008/2009), we apply logistic regression techniques to analyse three resilience-related outcomes (condom use, HIV test and knowing an HIV test place) in estimating the gender differences and barriers to HIV/AIDS sexual risk. Men's outcomes were significantly associated with previous HIV testing, urban residence, being insured and higher levels of education. Predictors for women's indicators included previous experience of sexual violence, previous HIV test, urban residence, number of children and willingness to care for a relative with AIDS. Practical implications are discussed to include providing protective factors to women and formulating policies that minimise the challenges faced by women.

Geo-social and health disparities among persons with disabilities living in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon and Dallas, Texas.

BACKGROUND: In low and high income countries alike, disability exacerbates social, economic, and health disparities, in spite of their differences. OBJECTIVE: This study seeks to identify factors that predict the circumstances people with disabilities face, including poverty. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was employed using census track level data for the cities of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, and Dallas, Texas, from Mexico 2010 and USA 2000 census data collections. Two methods, spatial autocorrelation and geographically weighted regression were used to identify spatial patterns of disability and to explore the relation between disability and context-specific socio-demographic factors. RESULTS: Results indicated that people with disabilities living below the poverty line experience high segregation levels in the semi-central zones of Dallas. In Monterrey, people with disabilities clustered in central areas of the city. A Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) from both data analyses reported high goodness of fit (R ≥ 0.8 for Dallas data and R ≥ 0.7 for Monterrey data, respectively) and predictability of disability prevalence when social disadvantage factors such as unemployment, housing insecurity, household living conditions, and lack of education were present. CONCLUSIONS: The divergent and sometimes conflicting trends in practices and policies addressing disability in low and high income environments renders a reexamination of the framework of disability. An understanding of local characteristics joins a grounded socio-cultural understanding of the various contexts that shape location-based social networks and political decisions in providing such an analysis.