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Traditionally, family planning has been considered in the context of maternal and child health, although men play a dominant role in all matters related to reproductive decision-making. This study is carried out to assess the attitude and participation in family planning among currently married males and identify factors influencing the acceptance of male contraception. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Chennai in October 2018, which included 180 currently married men by systematic random sampling of eligible couples in the field practice area of Sanjeevarayanpet Primary Health Center (UPHC). Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire in the local language and analyzed using SPSS version 16. Absolute and relative frequencies were estimated for descriptive data while correlates were tested for statistical significance using Pearson or Trend Chi-square tests. Study participants considered two children (82%) and spacing of at least 2 years (95%) as ideal, with spousal communication regarding family planning considered essential by a two-thirds majority. Among the 117 men who reported ever using contraception as a couple, 69% had used a condom vs. 42% and 30% for female spacing methods and tubectomy, respectively. Vasectomy, with nil acceptors, was considered acceptable by only 21% of men. Education, per-capita income, and spousal communication were seen to positively influence male contraceptive use. While married men show considerable commitment to family planning decision-making and practice, the stigma and misconceptions surrounding vasectomy have become ever more prominent. There is a need for the community and the health care system to work together to promote gender equity in family planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of this study was to assess the gender composition of nontraditional pathology recognition award recipients. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Top Five 40 Under Forty and The Pathologist Power List award recipients' gender. Gender was independently analyzed by 2 authors using pronouns. Two analyses were performed: difference in gender parity and difference in gender equity for award recipients. Results From 2014 through 2022, 618 total awards were conferred. Significantly more men than women received an award overall (57.1% vs 42.9%; P  < .001). Compared with population benchmarks, awards conferred to US-based nontrainee pathology physicians (men 56.2%, women 43.8%; P  = .091) and US-based pathology physician trainees (men 60.5%, women 39.5%; P  = .15) are equitable. Conversely, gender inequities exist among awards conferred to US-based nonphysician laboratory professionals (men 51.7%, women 48.3%; P  < .001). Conclusion The Pathologist Power List and Top Five ASCP 40 Under Forty awards have not completely achieved gender parity, and gender inequities remain among subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpersonal violence (IPV) within intimate partner relationships and gender-based violence remain major public health problems worldwide; 44.8% of Kenyan women have reported experiencing IPV beginning after the age of 15 years (National Bureau of Statistics Nairobi, Kenya, 2015). Combatting IPV and its sequelae is integral to promoting gender equality, a key target of the Sustainable Development Goals. We quantify the lifetime prevalence of IPV among women in two rural Kenyan communities, as well as factors associated with IPV in this area, such as educational attainment and severe depression. We conducted a cross-sectional population-based survey of households in the North and East Kamagambo wards of Migori County, Kenya in May 2018. A questionnaire regarding IPV was given to female respondents. Group-wise comparisons and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to describe community prevalence and factors associated with IPV against women. A total of 873 women completed questions about IPV, representing a population estimate of 11,252 women in the study area. Lifetime IPV prevalence in the study area was 60.3%. Variables associated with IPV included involvement in a polygamous marriage (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.81; 95% confidence interval [CI]: [1.13, 2.88]; p =.013), attaining six or fewer years of education (aOR: 1.84; 95% CI: [1.27, 2.66]; p =.001), and IPV exposure in girlhood (aOR: 1.59; 95% CI: [1.12, 2.28]; p =.011). IPV was independently associated with experience of emotional abuse (OR: 11.22; 95% CI: [7.02, 17.95]; p <.001) and severe depression (OR: 3.51; 95% CI: [1.03, 11.97]; p =.045). Violence against women is a public health emergency in Migori County, Kenya. Low educational attainment, IPV exposure in girlhood, and polygamy were significantly associated with experience of IPV. Our results provide hyper-local data necessary for targeted interventions and generalizable data with sampling methods for use by other implementing organizations in sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the evaluation of a participatory, garment factory-based intervention to promote gender equity. The intervention comprised four campaigns focused on gender and violence against women, alcoholism, sexual and reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS, which were implemented using information displays (standees and posters) and interactive methods (street play, one-to-one interactions, experience-sharing, and health camps). Each campaign lasted six days and the entire intervention was implemented over 10 months. We evaluated the intervention using a quasi-experimental design in which one factory served as the intervention site and a second as a delayed control. Two mobile-phone-based cross-sectional surveys were conducted at baseline and 12 months with separate systematic random samples of employees from each site. Data on socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge and attitudes related to gender equity, intimate partner violence (IPV) and alcohol use were assessed, and differences in these variables associated with the intervention were examined using difference-in-difference estimation. Analyses of data from 835 respondents revealed substantial, statistically significant improvements in attitudes related to gender equity, unacceptability of IPV, and awareness of IPV and alcohol-related support services. In conclusion, our study offers compelling evidence on the effectiveness of workplace-based interventions in advancing gender equity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]