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FGM/C is a harmful practice that involves injury of the external female genitalia without medical purpose. It is mainly practiced in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. However, with the migratory flows, women and girls with FGM/C and its consequences live all over the world. The lack of knowledge on how to care for women and girls living with FGM/C extends among all categories of health professionals involved in women's health, including infectious disease specialists. This is a national, exploratory descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to generate descriptive statistics about FGM/C among HIV-infected migrant women included in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS). Among the 387 women interviewed about FGM/C and who provided an answer, 80 (20.7%) reported to have undergone FGM/C. Fifty-six of the 80 women (70.0%) who reported having undergone FGM/C, also reported that they had never discussed their cutting with a health professional before. Our study demonstrates how common female genital mutilation is in women living with HIV and who have migrated to Switzerland and suggest how care and prevention could be improved significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refugees face various nutritional challenges during and after migration. This cross-sectional, mixed-methods study seeks to investigate the prevalence of undernutrition and obesity among refugees in Geneva, and to identify barriers to healthy eating. Anthropometric measurements of 354 adult refugees were collected between 2017 and 2019 by trained nurses and dietitians. Seven focus group discussions totaling 51 participants, refugees and social workers, investigated conceptions and needs regarding diet. The mean Body Mass Index is 24.6 ± 4.8 kg/m2. Women are disproportionately affected by obesity compared to men (p < 0.001). Weight gain post-migration is correlated positively with length of stay in Geneva (p < 0.001). Major obstacles to healthy eating are economic and linguistic. For participants, cooking workshops and free physical activities are highly needed interventions. Post-migration lifestyle interventions should be implemented to prevent weight gain in this population. Such interventions must be multi-level, to overcome structural, social and behavioral barriers to healthy eating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undocumented migrants face major barriers in accessing prevention and health care. Whereas the association between low socioeconomic status and poor health is well documented only few studies have addressed specific health issues in undocumented migrants. The aim of the present study is to describe sexual and reproductive health behaviors of undocumented migrants in Geneva. This descriptive cross sectional study included consecutive undocumented migrants presenting from November 2007 to February 2008 to a health facility offering free access to health care to this population. Following informed consent, they completed a self administered questionnaire about their socio-demographic profile and sexual and reproductive health behaviors. A total of 384 patients were eligible for the study. 313 (82%) agreed to participate of which 77% (241 patients) completed the survey. Participants were mainly young, Latino-American, single, well-educated and currently working women. They had multiple partners and reported frequently engaging in sexual intercourse. Use of contraceptive methods and strategies of prevention against sexually transmitted infections (STI) were rare. Nearly half of the women had had at least one induced abortion and 40% had had an unplanned pregnancy. One in four participants reported a current or past STI or other genital infection. The results of our study suggest that undocumented migrants engage in frequent and high risk sexual intercourse with insufficient use of contraceptive methods and suboptimal strategies of prevention against STI. Our study underlines the real need for specific sexual and reproductive educational programs targeting this hard to reach population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]