In what context and by which mechanisms can creative arts interventions improve wellbeing in older people? A realist review protocol.

Background: In recent years, there has been growing interest at national and international policy level in the potential of creative arts to support individual and community wellbeing. Creative arts encompass a wide range of activities, including performing arts, visual arts, design and craft, literature, culture and digital and electronic arts. Participation in creative arts has been linked to lower mental distress, increased social connection, improved quality of life, personal growth and empowerment.

Towards a universal implementation of labor companionship: a synthesis of the policy and facility environment of eight low-and-middle income countries.

Background: Labor companionship, the presence of a woman's person of choice during childbirth, has benefits to both woman and baby and is recommended by the World Health Organization since 2012. However, implementation remains sub-optimal, especially in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aimed to understand the maturity of labor companionship implementation in eight low-and-middle income countries with focus on the policy and facility environment.

Women's experiences of and satisfaction with childbirth: Development and validation of a measurement scale for low- and middle-income countries.

Background: Measuring person-centered maternity care outcomes typically consists of two types of measures: experiences of care and satisfaction with care. There are limited validated measurement tools for these measures, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The QUALI-DEC study aims to improve decision-making around caesarean section.

Planning for scale: analysis of adaptations and contextual factors influencing scale-up of the QUALI-DEC intervention to optimize caesarean section use.

Background: Researchers are encouraged to plan for scale through purposeful and guided assessment of scalability of an intervention. This study analysed factors potentially influencing scale-up and synthesised early adaptations of the QUALI-DEC intervention aiming to improve the appropriate use of caesarean section. The intervention consists of opinion leader engagement, audit and feedback for caesarean section, a tool to help women make an informed decision on the mode of birth, and labour companionship.

Labour companionship and respectful treatment of women during childbirth: a cross-sectional study across 16 hospitals in Benin, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda.

Introduction: Evidence suggests that women value and benefit from having a labour companion during childbirth. However, the applicability of the evidence to low-income and lower-middle-income countries is limited and varies. Thus, we assessed the association between the presence of labour companions and mistreatment in 16 hospitals of Benin, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda.

'This is like tradition, lie on your back, hold your leg, and push': understanding midwives' perspectives on their choice of labour positions in a Ugandan hospital.

Introduction: Despite the well-documented benefits of upright positions and mobility during labour and childbirth, the adoption of these remains limited. Offering women choices in labour positions is essential for respectful maternity care. Since midwives play a pivotal role in guiding women through labour, their perspectives are crucial to the effective integration of these practices.

Unlocking the path to quality maternity care: a qualitative study on work environment dynamics, providers' responsiveness, and professionalism in central region, Malawi.

Background: Responsiveness and professionalism are essential components of high-quality maternity care. Responsiveness involves effective communication, respectful interactions, and consideration of the emotional, physical, and cultural needs of women, while professionalism encompasses clinical competence, ethical adherence, and respectful engagement with patients and colleagues. However, various workplace factors, including managerial structures, resource constraints, and institutional culture, influence the extent to which maternity care providers uphold these principles.

Nursing and medical students' views on their knowledge related to the Sustainable Development Goals - a mixed methods study at three Swedish universities.

Background: The challenges that the world faces to ensure good life for future generations are vast and complex. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to meet these challenges. A growing number of higher education institutions have integrated them within their curricula, but there are indications that health professional education has been lagging behind.

Codesign with citizens to prevent cardiometabolic diseases in disadvantaged neighbourhoods: an interview study on needs and priorities among stakeholders in Sweden.

Objectives: Cardiometabolic diseases are a global health concern, affecting socioeconomically disadvantaged groups more adversely. Effective public health interventions targeting preventable risk factors like physical inactivity and unhealthy diets are needed. Codesign with citizens presents a promising opportunity for developing context-relevant and population-relevant interventions, with high chances of adoption by the target population.

Parental participation in newborn care in the view of health care providers in Uganda: a qualitative study.

Background: Evidence suggests that family-centered care for sick newborns, where parents are co-caregivers in newborn care units, can result in increased breastfeeding frequency, higher weight gain, earlier discharge, and reduced parental anxiety. This study explored healthcare providers' perceptions and experiences of parental participation in care for sick newborns in the newborn care units in two high-volume maternity units in Uganda, with the aim of informing interventions that promote family-centered care for newborns.

Methods: An exploratory qualitative study was conducted between August and December 2023.

"She mimicked the manipulations on my hand": fostering embodied care among children with recurrent acute respiratory tract infections in Southern China.

Introduction: When young children experience recurrent respiratory infections, caregivers face the challenge of preventing new episodes whilst maintaining close rapport with their children. Pediatric massage, such as pediatric Tuina, entails soft massage of the skin, administered by trained providers. This non-pharmaceutical measure is used to prevent new respiratory infections in China.

"Letting themselves go during care" - exploring patient autonomy during co-designed intrapartum care in a Beninese maternity ward.

Background: Patient autonomy is central to the provision of respectful maternity care. Enabling women to make decisions free of discrimination and coercion, and respecting their privacy and confidentiality can contribute to positive childbirth experiences. This study aimed to deepen the understanding of how patient autonomy is reflected through social practices during intrapartum care in Benin.

'I've just heard that there are people who feel like they need to exercise': a photo-elicitation study of values and priorities influencing physical activity in a socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhood in Uppsala, Sweden.

Objective: People living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Sweden engage less in physical activity compared with the general population, contributing to an elevated risk of cardiometabolic diseases. To inform targeted and effective public health interventions, understanding residents' lived experiences is essential. This study sought to understand the values and priorities associated with physical activity by people living in a socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhood in Region Uppsala, Sweden, informing a public health intervention to prevent cardiometabolic diseases and promote healthy and active living.

Growing up in the shadow of HIV: post-AIDS generation of HIV-negative men who have sex with men in Sweden and their perceptions of HIV and stigma.

Despite growing understanding and acceptance of the concept of Undetectable = Untransmittable (U = U) among gay men, HIV stigma remains a burden for people living with HIV. This study explored perceptions of HIV among HIV seronegative gay men in Sweden in this new context. Using snowball sampling, 15 gay men born between 1980 and 2000 were recruited to the study.

Women's and maternity care providers' perceptions of pain management during childbirth in hospitals in Southern Tanzania.

Background: The majority of women experience pain during childbirth. Offering and supporting women to use different methods for coping with pain is an essential competency for maternity care providers globally. Research suggests a gap between what women desire for pain management and what is available and provided in many low-and middle-income settings.

'Let him die in peace': understanding caregiver's refusal of medical oxygen treatment for children in Nigeria.

Introduction: Efforts to improve oxygen access have focused mainly on the supply side, but it is important to understand demand barriers, such as oxygen refusal among caregivers. We therefore aimed to understand caregiver, community and healthcare provider (HCP) perspectives and experiences of medical oxygen treatments and how these shape oxygen acceptance among caregivers of sick children in Lagos and Jigawa states, which are two contrasting settings in Nigeria.

Methods: Between April 2022 and January 2023, we conducted an exploratory qualitative study using reflexive thematic analysis, involving semistructured interviews with caregivers (Jigawa=18 and Lagos=7), HCPs (Jigawa=7 and Lagos=6) and community group discussions (Jigawa=4 and Lagos=5).

Stillbirth mortality by Robson ten-group classification system: A cross-sectional registry of 80 663 births from 16 hospital in sub-Saharan Africa.

Objective: To assess stillbirth mortality by Robson ten-group classification and the usefulness of this approach for understanding trends.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Prospectively collected perinatal e-registry data from 16 hospitals in Benin, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda.

Implementing the QUALI-DEC project in Argentina, Burkina Faso, Thailand and Viet Nam: a process delineation and theory-driven process evaluation protocol.

The project 'Quality Decision-making by women and providers' (QUALI-DEC) combines four non-clinical interventions to promote informed decision-making surrounding mode of birth, improve women's birth experiences, and reduce caesarean sections among low-risk women. QUALI-DEC is currently being implemented in 32 healthcare facilities across Argentina, Burkina Faso, Thailand, and Viet Nam. In this paper, we detail implementation processes and the planned process evaluation, which aims to assess how and for whom QUALI-DEC worked, the mechanisms of change and their interactions with context and setting; adaptations to intervention and implementation strategies, feasibility of scaling-up, and cost-effectiveness of the intervention.

Sustainable development goals and multisectoral collaborations for child health in Cambodia: a qualitative interview study with key child health stakeholders.

Objectives: Multisectoral collaboration highlighted as key in delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but still little is known on how to move from rhetoric to action. Cambodia has made remarkable progress on child health over the last decades with multisectoral collaborations being a key success factor. However, it is not known how country stakeholders perceive child health in the context of the SDGs or multisectoral collaborations for child health in Cambodia.

Motivation for Behavior Change among Women with Recent Gestational Diabetes and Their Partners-A Qualitative Investigation among Participants in the Face-It Intervention.

Promoting diet and physical activity is important for women with recent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and their partners to reduce the risk of future type 2 diabetes (T2D). The study aimed to understand how motivation for changing diet and physical activity behaviors among women with recent GDM and their partners was experienced after participation in the Danish Face-it intervention. Fourteen couples' interviews were conducted.

Mothers' perceptions and experiences of caring for sick newborns in Newborn Care Units in public hospitals in Eastern Uganda: a qualitative study.

Introduction: Mothers' participation in the care of their sick newborns in Newborn Care Units (NCUs) has been linked to several advantages including earlier discharge, fewer complications, better mother-baby bonding, and an easier transition to home after discharge. This study aimed to understand mothers' perceptions and experiences while participating in the care of their sick newborns in the NCUs to inform interventions promoting mothers' participation in public health facilities in Uganda.

Methods: We conducted an exploratory qualitative study comprised of 18 in-depth interviews with mothers caring for their newborns in two NCUs at a Regional Referral and General hospital in Eastern Uganda between April and May 2022.

Companion restrictions in the emergency department during COVID-19: physician perceptions from the Western Cape, South Africa.

Objectives: To determine emergency department (ED) physicians' perceptions regarding hospital companions being prohibited from accompanying the patient during COVID-19.

Design: Two qualitative datasets were combined. Data collected included voice recordings, narrative interviewing and semistructured interviews.

Conceptualizing safer sex in a new era: Risk perception and decision-making process among highly sexually active men who have sex with men.

Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at the epicenter of the HIV epidemic. Efforts to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV transmission have traditionally focused on condoms and abstinence from high risk sexual practices. Recently, additional methods such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and viral load sorting have been introduced.

Care seeking for under-five children and vaccine perceptions during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Lagos State, Nigeria: a qualitative exploratory study.

Objective: To explore healthcare seeking practices for children and the context-specific direct and indirect effects of public health interventions during the first two waves of COVID-19 in Lagos State, Nigeria. We also explored decision-making around vaccine acceptance at the start of COVID-19 vaccine roll-out in Nigeria.

Design, Setting And Participants: A qualitative explorative study involving 19 semistructured interviews with healthcare providers from public and private primary health facilities and 32 interviews with caregivers of under-five children in Lagos from December 2020 to March 2021.