Data about family planning among women in rural and remote areas of Jordan are lacking. This study explored the prevalence of use and knowledge and attitudes towards family planning among rural Jordanian women. A descriptive study was conducted with 807 ever-married women aged 15-49 years in a household survey of 29 villages in the southern region of Jordan. The most common contraceptive methods ever used were oral contraceptive pills (31.1%), intrauterine device (24.8%) and withdrawal (19.5%). Of the women interviewed, 37% were currently using contraception. Being pregnant (11%) and breastfeeding (10%) were the most reported reasons for not using contraceptives. None of the women reported obtaining supplies or the cost of them as barriers, while opposition from husband or family members or religious reasons were reported by less than 1% of the women. About 95% of the women agreed that using family planning had positive advantages for health. The results highlight some educational needs among these women. Connaissances, attitudes et pratiques des femmes en matière de planification familiale dans le sud rural de la Jordanie RÉSUMÉ Les données des femmes habitant dans des zones rurales et reculées de la Jordanie sur la planification familiale sont insuffisantes. La présente étude a évalué la prévalence de l'utilisation de la planification familiale par des femmes jordaniennes en milieu rural, ainsi que leurs connaissances et leurs attitudes en la matière. Une étude descriptive a été menée auprès de 807 femmes mariées ou l'ayant été, âgées entre 15 et 49 ans lors d'une enquête auprès des ménages dans 29 villages de la région sud de la Jordanie. Les méthodes de contraception les plus fréquemment utilisées étaient les contraceptifs oraux (31,1 %), les dispositifs intra-utérins (24,8 %) ou le retrait (19,5 %). Pendant l'étude, 37 % des femmes interrogées utilisaient une méthode de contraception. Être enceinte (11 %) et allaiter (10 %) étaient les raisons les plus fréquentes pour ne pas utiliser de méthode contraceptive. Aucune des femmes n'a déclaré que l'obtention des produits contraceptifs ou leur coût représentait un obstacle, alors qu'une opposition de l'époux ou de membres de la famille, ou des motifs religieux constituaient des entraves pour moins de 1 % des femmes. Environ 95 % des femmes étaient d'accord pour affirmer que le recours à la planification familiale représentait un avantage positif pour la santé. Les résultats mettent en évidence certains besoins éducatifs des femmes interrogées.

The analysis showed that women have moderate to high level of psychological well-being. The prevalence of ever being abused during the past 12 months ranged from 3.2% (n = 25) for being threatened with a knife to 45.1% (n = 348) for their husbands being unconcerned about them while they were sick. There were significant differences in marital abuse related to having ever had school education (χ(2) = 8.56, df = 2, p = .014). All forms of marital abuse were highly correlated (p < .01). Self-acceptance and environmental mastery domains of psychological well-being had negative and significant correlation with all forms of marital abuse (p < .01). DISCUSSION OF CONCLUSION: Health professionals in health care centers need to assess for marital abuse and its consequence on women's health. Interventions should emphasize promotion of psychological well-being and the factors that influence women empowerment.

Background Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there have been concerns related to the preparedness of healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aimed to describe the level of awareness and preparedness of hospital HCWs at the time of the first wave. Methods This multinational, multicenter, cross-sectional survey was conducted among hospital HCWs from February to May 2020. We used a hierarchical logistic regression multivariate analysis to adjust the influence of variables based on awareness and preparedness. We then used association rule mining to identify relationships between HCW confidence in handling suspected COVID-19 patients and prior COVID-19 case-management training. Results We surveyed 24,653 HCWs from 371 hospitals across 57 countries and received 17,302 responses from 70.2% HCWs overall. The median COVID-19 preparedness score was 11.0 (interquartile range [IQR] = 6.0–14.0) and the median awareness score was 29.6 (IQR = 26.6–32.6). HCWs at COVID-19 designated facilities with previous outbreak experience, or HCWs who were trained for dealing with the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, had significantly higher levels of preparedness and awareness (p<0.001). Association rule mining suggests that nurses and doctors who had a ’great-extent-of-confidence’ in handling suspected COVID-19 patients had participated in COVID-19 training courses. Male participants (mean difference = 0.34; 95% CI = 0.22, 0.46; p<0.001) and nurses (mean difference = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.53, 0.81; p<0.001) had higher preparedness scores compared to women participants and doctors. Interpretation There was an unsurprising high level of awareness and preparedness among HCWs who participated in COVID-19 training courses. However, disparity existed along the lines of gender and type of HCW. It is unknown whether the difference in COVID-19 preparedness that we detected early in the pandemic may have translated into disproportionate SARS-CoV-2 burden of disease by gender or HCW type.

Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the Philippines. Cervical cancer screening is an effective method to reduce incidence. However, screening utilization is limited. This study aims to assess human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer knowledge, perceptions, and screening utilization, and to investigate factors influencing screening utilization among rural women in the Philippines. Methods: This cross-sectional community-based study was conducted among 338 rural women aged 20-50 years, with a child under 5 years old registered in one of four public rural health centers in Tacao Island, Masbate Province in October 2017. A questionnaire administered via face-to-face interviews elicited information about demographic characteristics, knowledge, perceived susceptibility and perceived severity of HPV and cervical cancer, and cervical cancer screening utilization. Results: Mean age of participants was 32.5 years. Only 13.9% of participants had ever had cervical cancer screening. Although most women had heard of cervical cancer screening, their knowledge about the cause, risk factors, and preventive measures of HPV and cervical cancer was limited. Older age and higher education status were significantly associated with screening utilization. However, knowledge and perceived susceptibility and severity showed no association. The main reason for having screening was due to a health professional's request or recommendation, and the reasons for not having screening were cost, not having symptoms, and fear of pain or discomfort and/or embarrassment during the procedure. Conclusions: Health education must increase knowledge about HPV and cervical cancer and screening among women, including the nature and progression of cervical cancer, benefits of screening, screening cost, and screening procedure. Health care providers have an important role in educating and motivating women to undergo screening.

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