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Through a sociological analysis of Hmong former refugees' grassroots movements in the United States between the 1990s and 2000s, Immigrant Agency shows how Hmong, despite being one of America's most economically impoverished ethnic groups, were able to make sustained claims on and have their interests represented in public policies. The author, Yang Sao Xiong argues that the key to understanding how immigrants incorporate themselves politically is to understand how they mobilize collective action and make choices in circumstances far from racially neutral. Immigrant groups, in response to political threats or opportunities or both, mobilize collective action and make strategic choices about how to position themselves vis-à-vis other minority groups, how to construct group identities, and how to deploy various tactics in order to engage with the U.S. political system and influence policy. In response to immigrants' collective claims, the racial state engages in racialization which undermines immigrants' political standing and perpetuates their marginalization.

Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV are important and interconnected public health concerns. While it is recognized that they share common social drivers, there is limited evidence surrounding the potential of community interventions to reduce violence and HIV risk at the community level. The SASA! study assessed the community-level impact of SASA!, a community mobilization intervention to prevent violence and reduce HIV-risk behaviors. Methods From 2007 to 2012 a pair-matched cluster randomized controlled trial (CRT) was conducted in eight communities (four intervention and four control) in Kampala, Uganda. Cross-sectional surveys of a random sample of community members, 18- to 49-years old, were undertaken at baseline (n = 1,583) and four years post intervention implementation (n = 2,532). Six violence and HIV-related primary outcomes were defined a priori . An adjusted cluster-level intention-to-treat analysis compared outcomes in intervention and control communities at follow-up. Results The intervention was associated with significantly lower social acceptance of IPV among women (adjusted risk ratio 0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.38 to 0.79) and lower acceptance among men (0.13, 95% CI 0.01 to 1.15); significantly greater acceptance that a woman can refuse sex among women (1.28, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.52) and men (1.31, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.70); 52% lower past year experience of physical IPV among women (0.48, 95% CI 0.16 to 1.39); and lower levels of past year experience of sexual IPV (0.76, 95% CI 0.33 to 1.72). Women experiencing violence in intervention communities were more likely to receive supportive community responses. Reported past year sexual concurrency by men was significantly lower in intervention compared to control communities (0.57, 95% CI 0.36 to 0.91). Conclusions This is the first CRT in sub-Saharan Africa to assess the community impact of a mobilization program on the social acceptability of IPV, the past year prevalence of IPV and levels of sexual concurrency. SASA! achieved important community impacts, and is now being delivered in control communities and replicated in 15 countries. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov # NCT00790959 , Study protocol available at http://www.trialsjournal.com/content/13/1/96

Abstract This article aims to revisit a constellation of responses to guarantee reproductive justice for women and girls during the Zika crisis in Brazil, that were conducted by Anis - Institute of Bioethics, a Brazilian feminist NGO. We argue that intersectional feminist lenses and gender-sensitive responses are necessary to build effective efforts for women and girls during a public health emergency. As such, we present three concomitant and intersectional learned tactics we used to fight for reproductive justice during the Zika crises, but also in its aftermath: 1. To build storytelling narratives that portray the disproportional effects of the crisis on women and girls; 2. To produce evidence-based data to catalyze advocacy strategies for legal and policy review; 3. To promote movement building opportunities and sharing power through community mobilization activities. We assume the importance of providing immediate evidence and gender sensitive framings to inform real-time public health responses. Advocacy efforts should not be seen as fragmented strategies, since ensuring reproductive justice demands a comprehensive and transformative framework that include solutions for multiple aspects of real-life experiences. Resumo Revisitaremos uma constelação de respostas para garantir justiça reprodutiva para mulheres e meninas durante a crise do Zika no Brasil. As ações relatadas foram conduzidas pela Anis – Instituto de Bioética, uma ONG feminista. Argumentamos que, durante as emergências sanitárias, é necessário o uso de lentes feministas interseccionais para construir respostas efetivas e sensíveis às questões de gênero, em favor de mulheres e meninas. Apresentamos três táticas de incidência utilizadas na luta por justiça reprodutiva durante a crise do Zika: 1) construir narrativas baseadas em histórias de vida que retratem os efeitos desproporcionais da crise em mulheres e meninas; 2) produzir dados baseados em evidências para catalisar estratégias de incidência para revisão legal e de políticas públicas; 3) promover oportunidades para o fortalecimento de alianças e movimentos, bem como o compartilhamento de poder por meio de atividades de mobilização comunitária. Reconhecemos a importância de responder às necessidades das populações em tempo real, e para isso torna-se fundamental que as evidências sobre os impactos das emergências em saúde pública sejam produzidas e compartilhadas de maneira ágil. Os esforços em incidência não são estratégias fragmentadas, pois garantir a justiça reprodutiva exige uma estrutura abrangente e transformadora, incluindo soluções que envolvam o cotidiano das pessoas comuns e suas experiências de vida.

Background Effective health promotion responds to the unique needs of communities. Community granting programs that fund community-driven health promotion initiatives are a potential mechanism to meet those unique needs. While numerous community health-focused programs are available, the various strategies used by granting programs to foster engagement, administer grants and support awardees have not been systematically evaluated. This rapid systematic review explores the administration of community granting programs and how various program components impact process and population health outcomes. Methods A systematic search was conducted across three databases: Medline, SocINDEX, and Political Science Database. Single reviewers completed screening, consistent with a rapid review protocol. Studies describing or evaluating community granting programs for health or public health initiatives were included. Data regarding program characteristics were extracted and studies were evaluated for quality. A convergent integrated approach was used to analyze quantitative and qualitative findings. Results Thirty-five community granting programs, described in 36 studies, were included. Most were descriptive reports or qualitative studies conducted in the USA. Program support for grant awardees included technical assistance, workshops and training, program websites, and networking facilitation. While most programs reported on process outcomes, few reported on community or health outcomes; such outcomes were positive when reported. Programs reported that many funded projects were likely sustainable beyond program funding, due to the development of awardee skills, new partnerships, and securing additional funding. From the perspectives of program staff and awardees, facilitators included the technical assistance and workshops provided by the programs, networking amongst awardees, and the involvement of community members. Barriers included short timelines to develop proposals and allocate funds. Conclusions This review provides a comprehensive overview of health-related community granting programs. Grant awardees benefit from technical assistance, workshops, and networking with other awardees. Project sustainability is enhanced by the development of new community partnerships and grant-writing training for awardees. Community granting programs can be a valuable strategy to drive community health, with several key elements that enhance community mobilization. Registration PROSPERO #CRD42023399364.

The high HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men and transgender women (TW) in Peru calls for innovative HIV prevention strategies to modify social norms, increase social support and promote empowerment and community mobilization. This qualitative article presents the synergistic processes that generated community mobilization throughout Generación Actual (GA, Current Generation in English), an HIV prevention intervention with gay men (GM) and TW in Lima South based on Mpowerment, a U.S.-model intervention program. We conducted 24 interviews with GM and TW participants, informed by observations of GA and the perceptions of its implementing coordinators, and complemented by the number/types of GA activities. Four significant processes occurred throughout GA: (1) high participant engagement, community building and empowerment; (2) an effect on HIV prevention and treatment; (3) the integration of GM and TW and (4) GA’s community center becoming a safe space for socializing, support and information. These processes helped produce positive changes related to self-empowerment, personal agency and the participants’ health, suggesting an impact of GA on HIV prevention, stigma reduction and care engagement. Community mobilization strategies that ensure active community participation and involvement may constitute relevant aspects for an effective approach to HIV prevention for TW and GM in Peru.

WHO recommends participatory learning and action cycles with women's groups as a cost-effective strategy to reduce neonatal deaths. Coverage is a determinant of intervention effectiveness, but little is known about why cost-effectiveness estimates vary significantly. This article reanalyses primary cost data from six trials in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Malawi to describe resource use, explore reasons for differences in costs and cost-effectiveness ratios, and model the cost of scale-up. Primary cost data were collated, and costing methods harmonized. Effectiveness was extracted from a meta-analysis and converted to neonatal life-years saved. Cost-effectiveness ratios were calculated from the provider perspective compared with current practice. Associations between unit costs and cost-effectiveness ratios with coverage, scale and intensity were explored. Scale-up costs and outcomes were modelled using local unit costs and the meta-analysis effect estimate for neonatal mortality. Results were expressed in 2016 international dollars. The average cost was $203 (range: $61-$537) per live birth. Start-up costs were large, and spending on staff was the main cost component. The cost per neonatal life-year saved ranged from $135 to $1627. The intervention was highly cost-effective when using income-based thresholds. Variation in cost-effectiveness across trials was strongly correlated with costs. Removing discounting of costs and life-years substantially reduced all cost-effectiveness ratios. The cost of rolling out the intervention to rural populations ranges from 1.2% to 6.3% of government health expenditure in the four countries. Our analyses demonstrate the challenges faced by economic evaluations of community-based interventions evaluated using a cluster randomized controlled trial design. Our results confirm that women's groups are a cost-effective and potentially affordable strategy for improving birth outcomes among rural populations.

Introduction Community mobilization (CM) is increasingly recognized as critical to generating changes in social norms and behaviours needed to achieve reductions in HIV. We conducted a CM intervention to modify negative gender norms, particularly among men, in order to reduce associated HIV risk. Methods Twenty two villages in the Agincourt Health and Socio‐Demographic Surveillance Site in rural Mpumalanga, South Africa were randomized to either a theory‐based, gender transformative, CM intervention or no intervention. Two cross‐sectional, population‐based surveys were conducted in 2012 (pre‐intervention, n = 600 women; n = 581 men) and 2014 (post‐intervention, n = 600 women; n = 575 men) among adults ages 18 to 35 years. We used an intent‐to‐treat (ITT) approach using survey regression cluster‐adjusted standard errors to determine the intervention effect by trial arm on gender norms, measured using the Gender Equitable Mens Scale (GEMS), and secondary behavioural outcomes. Results Among men, there was a significant 2.7 point increase (Beta Coefficient 95% CI: 0.62, 4.78, p = 0.01) in GEMS between those in intervention compared to control communities. We did not observe a significant difference in GEMS scores for women by trial arm. Among men and women in intervention communities, we did not observe significant differences in perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV), condom use at last sex or hazardous drinking compared to control communities. The number of sex partners in the past 12 months (AOR 0.29, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.77) were significantly lower in women in intervention communities compared to control communities and IPV victimization was lower among women in intervention communities, but the reduction was not statistically significant (AOR 0.53, 95% CI 0.24 to 1.16). Conclusion Community mobilization can reduce negative gender norms among men and has the potential to create environments that are more supportive of preventing IPV and reducing HIV risk behaviour. Nevertheless, we did not observe that changes in attitudes towards gender norms resulted in desired changes in risk behaviours suggesting that more time may be necessary to change behaviour or that the intervention may need to address behaviours more directly. Clinical Trials number ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02129530.

Health misinformation in Ethiopia undermines public trust and weakens the effectiveness of health interventions. Cultural beliefs, religious influences, and the expansion of digital media contribute to myths that fuel vaccine hesitancy, stigma, and delayed health-seeking behavior. To synthesize evidence on the scope, drivers, and impacts of health misinformation in Ethiopia and to highlight actionable strategies for improving public health communication. A narrative literature review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and African Journals Online, supplemented with grey literature from the Ministry of Health, World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and Regional fact checking organizations. Sources published between 2010 and 2025 that addressing misinformation, communication channels, or public responses in Ethiopia were included. Findings were summarized using descriptive narrative synthesis. Misconceptions related to traditional remedies, vaccine safety, COVID-19 cures, and modern contraceptives are widespread. Narratives spread rapidly across social media, particularly Facebook and Telegram, whereas oral traditions reinforce misinformation in rural communities. These Documented impacts include reduced uptake of immunization and maternal services, delayed treatment for diseases such as TB and HIV, and persistent stigma. Interventions involving community health workers, religious leaders, and youth-led campaigns have proven effective in countering misinformation. Health misinformation remains a significant barrier to Ethiopia's health targets. Strengthening media literacy, engaging trusted community actors, and building partnerships between government, civil society, and digital platforms are crucial to mitigate health misinformation and improve public health outcomes.

Most governmental initiatives in India, to leash down urban air pollution, have yielded little results till date, largely due to purely technocratic vision, which is shrouded by technological, economic, social, institutional, and political hardships. We present this reflective article on urban greenery, as a proposition to urban authorities (e.g., pollution regulators, environmental systems’ managers, urban landscape planners, environmental policy makers), shift from purely technocratic way of thinking to thinking with nature , by strategic greening of urban spaces, for long-term air pollution prevention and control measures. To that end, we offer a meta-analysis of recent (post 2005) global literature using four-stage PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach. We open the narrative by briefing about main pollutant filtration mechanisms by trees, followed by cognitive aspects of species selection (e.g., deciduous vs. evergreen, air pollution tolerance index, environmental stressors). Till date, most Indian studies on urban greenery mostly but focused on physiological aspects of trees. Here, we draw attention of urban authorities to an equally compelling, but yet less explored, aspect: design criteria, with reference to two most common urban configurations, namely, street canyon and open road. With pictorial depictions, we enumerate various categories of street canyons and discuss aspect ratio (building height to street width) and various wind flow regimes (isolated roughness, wake interface, and skimming), that the urban authorities should be cognizant about to maximize pollutant removal efficiency. For open road, we discuss vegetation barriers, with special emphasis on canopy porosity/density functions. In the final sections, we reflect on a potential systems’ thinking approach for on-ground implementation, comprising of revamping of urban forestry programs, research and development, community mobilization and stakeholder engagement, and strategic outreach. In addition, we emphasize on means to harness co-benefits of urban greenery, beyond mere pollutant removal, to garner support from urban residents’ communities. Last but not the least, we also caution the urban authorities about the undesirable outcomes of urban greenery that will require more process-level research.

Background During their menstrual period, women are generally considered impure in Nepal; in the rural areas of the western part of the country, they are even banished to stay in sheds (called chhaupadi) during this time, which increases their vulnerability to a variety of health consequences. There is lack of clarity regarding the effectiveness of interventions that have been implemented to address menstrual taboo and improve menstrual hygiene and practices in Nepal (e.g., public awareness, community sensitization and legislation). In this paper, we discuss why menstruation management interventions, particularly those implemented to change the menstrual taboo might not work, and the opinions and experiences regarding the implementation of such interventions. Main text Anecdotal reports from the field and empirical studies suggest that interventions to address menstrual taboos have only been effective for short durations of time due to several reasons. First, local community stakeholders have been reluctant to take actions to abandon retrogressive menstrual practices in rural areas. Second, women who have stopped practising chhaupadi have faced stigma (e.g., fear of exclusion) and discrimination (e.g., blaming, physical and verbal abuse). Third, contextual factors, such as poverty and illiteracy, limit the effectiveness of such interventions. Fourth, community sensitization activities against chhaupadi have faced resistance from community leaders and traditional healers. Fifth, the law prohibiting chhaupadi has also faced implementation problems, including poor filing of complaints. Conclusion Multilevel, multisectoral interventions could be more effective than single-component interventions in breaking the prevailing menstrual taboo and in improving menstrual health and hygiene practices among young girls and women in the rural areas of Nepal. Moreover, interventions that have an active community mobilization component could be effective within local contexts and cultural groups.