Background In Bangladesh, men’s sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs and related services are often neglected. Little is known of men’s SRH concerns, and of the phenomenal growth of the informal and private health actors in the provision of sexual health services to men in rural and urban areas of Bangladesh. Methods Using a mixed methods approach, a survey of 311 married men in three rural and urban sites was conducted in three different districts of Bangladesh and 60 in-depth interviews were conducted to understand their SRH concerns and choice of providers to seek treatment. Results The research findings reveal that- men’s various SRH concerns are embedded in psychosocial and cultural concerns about their masculinity and expectations of themselves as sexual beings, with worries about performance, loss of semen and virility being dominant concerns. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were also mentioned as a concern but ranked much lower. Informal providers such as village doctors (rural medical practitioners and palli chikitsoks), drug store salespeople, homeopaths, traditional healers (Ojha/pir/fakir, kabiraj, totka) and street sellers of medicines are popular, accessible and dominate the supply chain. Conclusion There is a need of appropriate interventions to address men’s anxieties and worries about their sexual abilities, well-being and choice of providers. This would go a long way to address and alleviate concerns, as well as identify and push men to seek  formal care for asymptomatic STIs, and thereby reduce costs incurred and gender tensions in households.

This study explores factors that shape parents’ decisions as to whether or not to arrange an early marriage of a girl child in the context of urban informal settlements in Bangladesh. The article draws on data from a larger mixed methods study conducted in two informal urban settlements of Bangladesh, and the analysis was guided by the theory of social exchange. The study found the following factors leading to early marriage: endemic poverty, high dowry costs for older girls, parents’ lack of wider social networks, adolescents dropping out of school, crime and insecurity, love affairs between adolescents and community pressure. Collaboration between government and non-government programmes to improve education, implementation of supportive laws, and greater formal economic opportunities for residents, including adolescents, in urban informal settlements, are critical to prevent early marriage in these environments.

Background: Stigma related to tuberculosis (TB) is still a global public health challenge. However, only a few attempts were found till date that explored the stigmatization experiences of pulmonary TB patients at the peri-urban context. This study provides a grounded description on the stigmatization experiences of TB from the perspective of TB patients and community people at resource-poor peri-urban settings in Bangladesh. Methods: The study was conducted in two districts of Bangladesh under Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, a non-governmental development organization (BRAC) TB Control Programme. Study participants were chosen conveniently. In total, 17 in-depth interviews with pulmonary TB patients (Nine female and eight male) and five focus group discussions with community people (three female and two male) were conducted. Data were audiotaped, transcribed into English, and coded accordingly. Finally, the thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results:The findings highlight that TB stigma is still prevailing in the community. Many of the TB patients and discussants revealed about the isolation of eating utensils, drinking glasses, and sometimes bed by family members due to fear of TB transmission, especially during the first 2 months of diagnosis. For men, concealment of disease was explained as fear of being shunned. For young women, TB preventing one's eligibility for marriage was the main reason for hiding their TB diagnosis. Anticipated avoidance from family members, especially children due to fear of transmitting TB was commonly found in both male and female TB patients. Change in behavioral and psychological aspects, the problem in the family and conjugal life, avoid sexual intercourse, inability to work, lower self-esteem, and discrimination in workplaces, as well as public Directly Observed Therapy, Short course facilities due to TB, were also documented in this study. Frontline health workers were found to be suggesting incorrectly about the route of TB transmission to some of the TB patients. Conclusion: Stigma exists in the personal life and social context of the TB patients which also adversely affects their psychosocial aspects of life. The information gleaned from this study will be useful for effective TB control strategies in Bangladesh.

Research has shown that persons with disabilities require greater sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care and services than persons without disabilities. However, this need is often neglected in most of the low-and-middle-income countries including Bangladesh. There is also a dearth of research and data relevant to this issue. A nationwide mixed-methods research has been conducted to explore persons with disabilities’ specific sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) needs, health seeking behaviour related to SRH and barriers in accessing SRH services, along with the associated factors that influence their SRH outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges encountered by the researchers while conducting this research and the strategies adopted to resolve those challenges. Some of the challenges experienced by the researchers include development of appropriate tools with questions on sensitive SRHR topics, obtaining informed consent, difficulty to maintain privacy while exploring sensitive SRHR issues and communication difficulties when interviewing individuals with intellectual and sensory impairments. The mitigation strategies include iterative revisions of all tools based on multiple pretests in different filed sites and expert feedback, strategic rapport building and maintaining appropriate contextual etiquette while conducting the interviews. The reflections discussed in this paper will assist future researchers in understanding potential field challenges they might encounter in similar low resource settings while conducting research on SRHR and similar sensitive issues among marginalised population groups, such as persons with disabilities.