Browsing by Person "Begum, Farzana"

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Health system impact of COVID-19 on urban slum population of Bangladesh: a mixed-method rapid assessment study
(BMJ Publishing Group, 2022-02-23) Mahmood, Shehrin Shaila; Hasan, Md. Zahid; Hasan, A M Rumayan; Rabbani, Md. Golam; Begum, Farzana; Yousuf, Tariq Bin; Hanifi, Syed Manzoor Ahmed; Reidpath, Daniel; Rasheed, Sabrina
Design Setting and participants A cross-sectional survey among 476 households was conducted during October–December 2020 in five selected urban slums of Dhaka North, Dhaka South and Gazipur City Corporation. In-depth interviews with purposively selected 22 slum dwellers and key informant interviews with 16 local healthcare providers and four policymakers and technical experts were also conducted. Outcome measures Percentage of people suffering from general illness, percentage of people suffering from chronic illness, percentage of people seeking healthcare, percentage of people seeking maternal care, health system challenges resulting from COVID-19. Results About 12% of members suffered from general illness and 25% reported chronic illness. Over 80% sought healthcare and the majority sought care from informal healthcare providers. 39% of the recently delivered women sought healthcare in 3 months preceding the survey. An overall reduction in healthcare use was reported during the lockdown period compared with prepandemic time. Mismanagement and inefficient use of resources were reported as challenges of health financing during the pandemic. Health information sharing was inadequate at the urban slums, resulting from the lack of community and stakeholder engagement (51% received COVID-19-related information, 49% of respondents knew about the national hotline number for COVID-19 treatment). Shortage of human resources for health was reported to be acute during the pandemic, resulting from the shortage of specialist doctors and uneven distribution of health workforce. COVID-19 test was inadequate due to the lack of adequate test facilities and stigma associated with COVID-19. Lack of strong leadership and stakeholder engagement was seen as the barriers to effective pandemic management. Conclusion The findings of the current study are expected to support the government in tailoring interventions and allocating resources more efficiently and timely during a pandemic.
Health-Related Quality of Life among Rural-Urban Migrants Living in Dhaka Slums: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Bangladesh
(MDPI, 2021-10-07) Koly, Kamrun Nahar; Islam, Md. Saiful; Reidpath, Daniel; Saba, Jobaida; Shafique, Sohana; Chowdhury, Md. Razib; Begum, Farzana
Background: The study aimed to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its associated factors among urban slum dwellers who migrated from different rural parts of Bangladesh. Methods: The present study analyzed data from a Migration and Mobility Determinants on Health survey and was conducted in 2017 among 935 migrant slum dwellers of Dhaka city (North & South) and Gazipur City Corporations, as a part of the icddr,b’s Urban Health and Demographic Surveillance System (UHDSS). The face-to-face interviews were conducted with the adult population by using a semi-structured questionnaire that included variables related to socio-demographics, migration, occupation, and HRQoL (SF-12). Bivariate and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to determine the factors associated with HRQoL. Results: The mean (±SD) scores of physical component summary (PCS), and mental component summary (MCS) were 57.40 ± 22.73 and 60.77 ± 22.51, respectively. As per multiple regression analysis, lower PCS scores were associated with having older age, being female, and not having any job. Mean MCS scores were significantly lower among participants who reported having older age, not having any job, not working/ less working hours (≤8 h/day), as well as increased work-related stress in the current urban slum. Conclusions: The findings suggest that available urban social protection programs should include a comprehensive social safety net for the improvement of the slum infrastructure as well as proper health care and risk mitigation plans at workplaces.
Psychosocial health of school-going adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from a nationwide survey in Bangladesh
(Public Library of Science, 2023-03-27) Koly, Kamrun Nahar; Islam, Md. Saiful; Potenza, Marc N.; Mahumud, Rashidul Alam; Islam, Md. Shefatul; Uddin, Md. Salim; Sarwar, Md. Afzal Hossain; Begum, Farzana; Reidpath, Daniel
Background: Common psychosocial health problems (PHPs) have become more prevalent among adolescents globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the psychosocial health of school-going adolescents has remained unexplored in Bangladesh due to limited research during the pandemic. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of PHPs (i.e., depression and anxiety) and assess associated lifestyle and behavioral factors among school-going adolescents in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted among 3,571 school-going adolescents (male: 57.4%, mean age: 14.9±1.8 years; age range: 10–19 years) covering all divisions, including 63 districts in Bangladesh. A semi-structured e-questionnaire, including informed consent and questions related to socio-demographics, lifestyle, academics, pandemic and PHPs, was used to collect data between May and July 2021. Results: The prevalence of moderate to severe depression and anxiety were 37.3% and 21.7%, respectively, ranging from 24.7% in the Sylhet Division to 47.5% in the Rajshahi Division for depression, and from 13.4% in the Sylhet Division to 30.3% in the Rajshahi Division for anxiety. Depression and anxiety were associated with older age, reports of poor teacher cooperation in online classes, worries due to academic delays, parental comparison of academic performance with other classmates, difficulties coping with quarantine situations, changes in eating habits, weight gain, physical inactivity and having experienced cyberbullying. Moreover, being female was associated with higher odds of depression. Conclusions: Adolescent psychosocial problems represent a public health problem. The findings suggest a need for generating improved empirically supported school-based psychosocial support programs involving parents and teachers to ensure the well-being of adolescents in Bangladesh. School-based prevention of psychosocial problems that promote environmental and policy changes related to lifestyle practices and active living should be developed, tested, and implemented.
Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge of women: a cross-sectional study among the women experienced abortion in urban slums, Dhaka, Bangladesh
(BioMed Central, 2025-05-10) Billah, Md Arif; Koly, Kamrun Nahar; Begum, Farzana; Naima, Shakera; Sultana, Quazi Suraiya; Sarker, Tithi Rani; Mustary, Elvina; Haque, Md. Mahbubul; Reidpath, Daniel; Hanifi, Syed Manzoor Ahmed
Background: Women in urban slums are particularly susceptible due to a lack of knowledge about sexual and reproductive health (SRH), and abortion is frequently performed. Our study investigates the level and predictors of SRH knowledge among the reproductive-aged women who have had abortions and lived in urban slums in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Methods: We adopted a cross-sectional survey among the reproductive-aged women who experienced any kind of abortion from July 2020 to January 2022 living in the UHDSS sites, applying a predefined interviewer-assisted survey questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (i.e., mean, standard error, and 95% confidence interval (CI)) for continuous and percentage distribution for categorical variables. Bi-variate analysis was used to examine for associations. After checking the assumptions, multinomial regression analysis was used to confirm the determinants with 95% CIs. Results: A total of 338 women participated (221 spontaneous abortions and 117 induced abortions) with an average age of 26.59 ± 0.355, age at first marriage of 16.69 ± 0.173, and marital length of 9.45 ± 0.386. Except for the use of emergency contraceptives (32%), many women correctly identified condom effectiveness for preventing pregnancy (89%), STDs and HIV/AIDS prevention (79–80%), and abortion (98%). About 34 to 64% of them experienced stigmas attached to sexually explicit items. Few of them knew about abortion complications (9 to 57%), with the exception of bleeding associated with abortion (91.7%). Overall, 3 out of 4 women lacked sufficient SRH knowledge, with a mean score of 58.28 (95% CI: 56.70, 59.87), which was slightly higher for women who had spontaneous abortions 58.90 (95% CI: 57.02, 60.78) and lower for women who had induced abortions 57.69 (95% CI: 54.94, 60.45). Women aged 20–29 and 30 + years had high level of SRH knowledge than those of under 20 years. Women with higher education, longer marriages, and who availed post abortion care had high level of SRH knowledge than respective counterparts. However, employed slum women other than garment workers had lower levels of SRH knowledge than housewives. Conclusion: Our findings can be used in the abortion policies and strategies for vulnerable women and we recommend an intervention to increase awareness and knowledge on SRH, which is essential for those women to achieve the maternal reproductive health parameters.