Achieving gender equality requires the support of all genders, but efforts to engage men in women’s empowerment initiatives have been fraught with resistance. Existing research demonstrates that men often anticipate negative consequences for opposing patriarchal norms but has less frequently addressed variability in such perceptions within communities and their modification by socioecological change. Here, we examine the ramifications men face when deemed supportive of women’s empowerment with regard to their social status and prospects for marriage and reproduction, and how these ramifications are shifting with urbanization. Data come from a Tanzanian community, selected because it combines patriarchal norms, with shifting gender roles accompanying urbanization, offering a relevant case for understanding gender norm change in similar low and middle-income settings. Focus groups and in-depth interviews with community members (young men, young women, and elders) confirm severe social costs for men who support women’s empowerment, primarily in the form of reputational damage and social ostracism. Both men and women also frequently question the sexuality, desirability, and reproductive prospects of men engaging in gender atypical behaviors that support women. However, these costs are giving way to emerging incentives for a subset of supportive men who gain social prestige, at least among relatively well-educated peers, via their association with ‘modern’ values, attractiveness to women, access to novel employment opportunities, and adaptability to urban life. Through identifying entrenched costs for supportive men and emerging incentives accompanying urbanization, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the barriers and pathways to effectively engaging men in women’s empowerment.
New pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine derivatives 7a-h and 8a-h were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro inhibitory potential against COX-1, COX-2, 5-LOX along with the NO release inhibitory activity to assess their anti-inflammatory potential. Most compounds confered inhibitory activity at a micromolar level and exhibited prominent selectivity towards COX-2 especially in the 8a-h series. The most useful compound 8e as a COX-2/5-LOX dual inhibitor, exhibited IC50 results of; 1.837 µM for COX-2, 2.662 µM for 5-LOX with an acceptable NO release inhibition rate of 66.02 %. Compounds 7e, 7f, 8e and 8f proved their efficiency as 5-LOX/NO release dual inhibitors; with IC50 values of 2.833, 1.952, 2.662 and 1.573 µM, respectively for 5-LOX biotarget, and with superior NO inhibitory ratio of 73.85, 65.57, 66.02 and 72.28 %, respectively. The in vivo anti-inflammatory assay explored that 7e is the most effective with minimal gastric ulceration prevalence. Molecular docking in the active site of both COX-2 and 5-LOX showed that, the most active 8e and 7e are correctly oriented inside the COX-2 binding pocket with unique binding mode independently on the reference celecoxib. Also, they demonstrated superior binding affinities to the 5-LOX enzyme over both the Zileuton as a reference drug and the normal ligand 30Z. The stability of the complex formed between the most promising candidates 7e or 8e with the COX-2 and 5-LOX active sites, was considered using a typical atomistic 100 ns dynamic simulation study. Investigation of the SAR revealed the importance of both the sulfonamide group in the 8a-h series and the substituents of the 3-phenyl ring tethered on the 1,2,4-oxadiazole core.
Background:Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue, closely tied to social and neighborhood environments. The impoverished, overcrowded, and stressful conditions in urban slums may heighten IPV risk, yet evidence remains limited. This study aims to assess the prevalence, disparities, and trends of IPV in urban slums across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods:This cross-sectional study used nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys data from 2006 to 2023, focusing on countries with available domestic violence data for women aged 15-49. The outcomes measured include past-year exposure to any IPV (primary outcome) and physical IPV, sexual IPV, and psychological IPV (secondary outcomes). We examined both absolute and relative disparities between urban slums, non-slum urban, and rural areas using differences and ratios. Additionally, we used Fairlie decomposition analysis based on a multivariable logistic regression model to examine the contributions of IPV risk factors (i.e., poor partner relationships, gender inequality, and poverty) to the disparities. For countries with multiple surveys, we conducted trend analysis by assessing annual changes in IPV prevalence in urban slums and the disparities. Findings:Among 283,658 women from 34 LMICs, 14,111 (5.0%) lived in urban slums. IPV prevalence in urban slums was notably high, with 18 of the studied countries above 30% for any IPV. Women in urban slums experienced higher IPV rates than those in non-slum urban and rural areas. For example, the prevalence of any IPV in urban slums was 31.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 30.7-32.2), which was 5.9 percentage points (95% CI: 5.1-6.7, P < 0.0001) higher than that in non-slum urban areas and 1.2 percentage points (95% CI: 0.4-2.0, P = 0.0022) higher than that in rural areas. Controlling behavior by husbands explained the largest proportion of disparities in all IPV types between urban slums and other areas. For example, 27.2% (95% CI: 25.1-29.3) of the any IPV disparities between urban slums and non-slum urban areas could be explained by this factor. In ten countries with multiple surveys, trend analysis showed rising any IPV prevalence in urban slums of four countries-Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Mali, and Nigeria-with Sierra Leone having the most significant increase (4.6 percentage points, 95% CI: 2.5-6.6, P < 0.0001). Interpretation:Our findings suggest that IPV is more prevalent in urban slums than other areas, underscoring the need for targeted public health strategies, such as addressing harmful partner's behaviors. Funding:This research was supported by China National Natural Science Foundation and the Research Fund, Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University.
A surprisingly consistent finding from the global health literature on physical intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) indicates that women self-report greater agreement with statements justifying IPVAW than men. This pattern has been interpreted as evidence of women’s internalization of inequitable gender norms and used to support the development of intervention programs that target harmful beliefs about the acceptability of IPVAW among men and women. Here, we propose an alternative explanation that apparent gender differences in the acceptance of IPVAW reflect an artifact of social desirability bias. To investigate this proposition, we utilize attitudinal data on IPVAW from 317 married couples in Northwestern, Tanzania, combining a conventional self-report measure and a novel indirect wife-reported measure of men’s attitudes, which we suggest represent a more accurate representation of men’s true beliefs. Consistent with prior studies, comparisons of self-reported beliefs indicate that women report greater acceptance of IPVAW than men. However, the direction of this difference is reversed when men’s beliefs are measured using indirect wife-reported estimates, with men accepting IPVAW more than women. Our results provide a parsimonious explanation to a widely reported, but paradoxical, finding in the IPVAW literature, and highlight the inadequacies of self-report data in research on sensitive topics. We suggest that future studies of IPVAW more strongly weigh the relevance of social desirability bias and invest in the continued development of indirect and mixed-methods designs in the measure of IPVAW attitudes and behavior.
This baseline study aimed to assess the knowledge, information sources, and needs of adolescent boys and girls regarding puberty and menstruation. The study was conducted in selected schools before establishing school health clubs. The objective was to gather information that would inform the development of puberty education programs tailored to the specific needs of the adolescent population. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Kibaha Town council from 17th to 31st March, 2020 involving both adolescent boys and girls. Data was collected using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, including a semi-structured questionnaire and focus group discussions (FGDs). Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics while qualitative data was analysed using a thematic approach. The study involved 591 students, with 461 completing a questionnaire and 130 participating in FGDs. Results showed that many adolescent boys and girls had limited knowledge about puberty and menstruation. Only about 34% of participants felt well informed about puberty, and 31% about menstruation. Participants' knowledge of specific aspects ranged from 36.2% to 97.4% for puberty and 21.7% to 87.4% for menstruation. Participants had inadequate knowledge of issues such as age at puberty, some physical changes in boys, the mechanism of menstruation, and the menstrual cycle. Before menarche, 39% of respondents primarily relied on schoolteachers for information about menstruation. However, this shifted significantly after menarche, with 51% of respondents citing their mothers as the primary source. However, students preferred to get information from school clubs (40%), health care providers (23%) and school teachers (11%). Further, very few students indicated receiving information before puberty. Girls indicated the need for more information as compared to adolescent boys, particularly on issues related to menstrual hygiene, the use of menstrual materials, and how to manage menstrual pains. This study reveals significant gaps in adolescents' knowledge of puberty and menstruation, underscoring the need for comprehensive and early education. School health clubs, particularly when facilitated by external health professionals and integrated with WASH programs, offer an effective platform for addressing these gaps, providing a comfortable space for learning and empowering both boys and girls with critical knowledge and skills. Empowering both boys and girls through such initiatives can reduce stigma, foster supportive behaviors, and promote adolescent well-being. Findings were used to inform the development of materials for the facilitation of school clubs, for both girls and boys.
