Substantial evidence supports comprehensive sex education programs as effective means of promoting adolescent sexual health, but evidence on the effect of state-level sex education policy is inconclusive. Multiple states in the U.S. afford local authority in school policy, and existing literature calls for investigation of the impact of local…

This study aims to bring reproductive justice issues to a more in-depth discussion within the field of social work and to explore social work students' understandings and perspectives on these important issues. An extensive qualitative analysis of 90 academic, published, peer-reviewed articles on the topic of reproductive justice was completed.…

Background and purpose: The diagnosis of infertility not only involves biological but the psychosocial links have also been established. Individual difference variables, such as personality and temperament have been found playing prominent role in modifying the psychological and biological aspects of infertility. This systematic review aimed to…

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to demonstrate far-reaching impact on individuals, families, and communities. Emerging research highlights the detrimental impact of the pandemic on perinatal mental health. Warm Connections is a behavioral health program embedded in Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,…

This is a study of water and beverages consumed during pregnancy by mothers of children with autism. Materials included vials for water samples and a survey to describe the water and beverages. Samples were tested for sulfate and surveys evaluated for average daily levels. Results were stratified for selected regions of the United States. Areas…

The rise of Black maternal mortality rates throughout the country demonstrates a great need to utilize innovative frameworks to craft solutions that improve health outcomes for Black birthing people. Previous research and interventions have examined individual- and policy-level factors to reduce maternal mortality; however, these methods may lack…

With the dawn of a constitutional democracy, South Africa has enacted contentious policies, such as outlawing capital punishment and legalizing same-sex marriage. Within the educational environment, the religious education (RE) and comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) polices remain the most controversial to date. A comparative analysis of…

Adopting an ethnographic lens, readers are provided a look inside a California high school sexuality education classroom. On this chosen day, two invited guest speakers from an outside company are teaching students about pregnancy prevention, healthy relationships, and risks associated with having sex. Analysis of the guest speakers' pedagogical…

Parent-adolescent communication about sexual and reproductive health (SRH) issues is associated with healthy sexual outcomes in adolescents. The increasing evasion of this discourse at the home front in sub-Saharan Africa is receiving greater academic and public health attention. In many Nigerian households, adolescents lack access to informative…

Research has linked pre- and perinatal complications (PPCs) with increased risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, PPCs are also known risk factors for other mental health disorders. This study explored which PPCs are specific risk factors for ASD, as opposed to other forms of psychopathology, among a large sample of clinically-referred…

This singular holistic case study examined the experience of a Black pregnant mother pursuing doctoral studies in a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) field at a predominantly white flagship institution in the southern United States. We employed the tenets of critical race feminism in this study to demonstrate the ways in which…

Much care has been paid to reflexivity, including considering emotional sensitivities?in relation to face-to-face interviews. However, less attention has been paid to the impact of sensitivities on the process of data?analysis and the presentation of research findings. This paper focuses on?what constitutes 'the data' to be analysed, who analyses…

This article highlights the contributions and thinking of scholar and activist Loretta Ross on the intersection of human rights, Black feminism and education for liberation. This essay is organized into themes, drawing from Ross' writings, scholarship that discusses her contributions, and an hour-long conversation between Ross and Monisha Bajaj,…

The negative health effects of cigarette smoking during pregnancy (SDP) on the foetus are well known. Despite previous reports of poor cognitive performance in offspring exposed to SDP, few studies specifically consider language outcomes according to maternal smoking. In this study, we systematically review the literature to assess the…

To describe and analyze the changes in anthropometric parameters in children with congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) from birth to four years of age. This prospective study evaluated 117 children diagnosed with CZS. Anthropometric indices evaluated annually were classified with respect to presence of microcephaly and adequacy of weight-for-age,…