Browsing by Author "Marks, Michael"

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    Changes in Solo and Partnered Sexual Behaviors following the First COVID-19 Wave: Data from an International Study of 26 Countries
    (Taylor & Francis, 2023-07-05) Hensel, Devon J.; Mark, Kristen P.; Abdelhamed, Amr; Burns, Sharyn; Esho, Tammary; Hendriks, Jacqueline; Fischer, Vinicius Jobim; Ivanova, Olena; Marks, Michael; Michelsen, Kristien; Nimby, Fillipo; Strizzi, Jenna; Tucker, Joe; Uhlich, Maximiliane; Toller Erausquin, Jennifer; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Objective: To determine individual- and country-level factors associated with self-reported changes in solo and partnered sexual behaviors in an international sample of adults during COVID-19. Methods: Data were from the International Sexual Health And REproductive Health during COVID-19 study (I-SHARE)-a cross-sectional, multi-country study (N = 26 countries) assessing adult (N = 19,654) sexual/reproductive health before and during the first wave of COVID-19. We examined self-reported changes (three-point scale: decreased, no change, increased) in solo masturbation, hugging/holding hands/cuddling with a partner, sex with a primary partner, sex with a casual partner, sexting with a partner, viewing sexually explicit media and partnered cybersex. Ordinal regression assessed the impact of individual (age, gender- and sexual-identity, romantic partnership status, employment and income stability, household change and content, mental well-being, changes in alcohol use, and changes in marijuana use) and country-level (e.g., Oxford Stringency Index, Human Development Index, and the Palma Ratio) factors on behavior change. Results: The most common behavior to increase was hugging, kissing, or cuddling with a partner (21.5%), and the most common behavior to decrease was sex with a main partner (36.7%). Household factors like job/income instability and having children over the age of 12 years were significantly associated with decreased affectionate and sexual partnered sexual behaviors; more frequent substance use was linked to significantly increased solo, partnered, and virtual sexual behaviors. Conclusions: Understanding changes in sexual behaviors-as well as the factors that make changes more or less likely among adults around the world-are important to ensure adequate sexual health support development for future public health emergencies.
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    The International Sexual Health And Reproductive Health Survey (I-SHARE-1): A Multi-Country Analysis of Adults from 30 Countries Prior to and During the Initial COVID-19 Wave
    (medRxiv: The Preprint Server for Health Sciences, 2021-10-19) Erausquin, Jennifer Toller; Tan, Rayner K. J.; Uhlich, Maximiliane; Francis, Joel M.; Kumar, Navin; Campbell, Linda; Zhang, Wei-Hong; Hlatshwako, Takhona G.; Kosana, Priya; Shah, Sonam; Brenner, Erica M.; Remmerie, Lore; Mussa, Aamirah; Klapilova, Katerina; Mark, Kristen; Perotta, Gabriela; Gabster, Amanda; Wouters, Edwin; Burns, Sharyn; Hendriks, Jacqueline; Hensel, Devon J.; Shamu, Simukai; Strizzi, Jenna Marie; Esho, Tammary; Morroni, Chelsea; Eleuteri, Stefano; Sahril, Norhafiza; Low, Wah Yun; Plasilova, Leona; Lazdane, Gunta; Marks, Michael; Olumide, Adesola; Abdelhamed, Amr; López Gómez, Alejandra; Michielsen, Kristien; Moreau, Caroline; Tucker, Joseph D.; I-SHARE research consortium
    Background: The COVID-19 pandemic forced billions of people to shelter in place, altering social and sexual relationships worldwide. In many settings, COVID-19 threatened already precarious health services. However, there is limited evidence to date about changes to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) during the initial wave of COVID-19 disease. To address this gap, our team organized a multi-country, cross-sectional online survey as part of a global consortium. Methods: Consortium research teams conducted online surveys in 30 countries. Sampling methods included convenience, online panels, and population-representative. Primary outcomes included sexual behaviors, partner violence, and SRH service utilization, and we compared three months prior to and three months after policy measures to mitigate COVID-19. We used established indicators and analyses pre-specified in our protocol. We conducted meta-analyses for primary outcomes and graded the certainty of the evidence using Cochrane methods. Descriptive analyses included 22,724 individuals in 25 countries. Five additional countries with sample sizes <200 were included in descriptive meta-analyses. Results: Respondents were mean age 34 years; most identified as women (15160; 66.7%), cis-gender (19432; 86.6%) and heterosexual (16592; 77.9%). Among 4546 respondents with casual partners, condom use stayed the same for 3374 (74.4%) people and 640 (14.1%) people reported a decline. Fewer respondents reported physical or sexual partner violence during COVID-19 measures (1063/15144, 7.0%) compared to the period before COVID-19 measures (1469/15887, 9.3%). COVID-19 measures impeded access to condoms (933/10790, 8.7%), contraceptives (610/8175, 7.5%), and HIV/STI testing (750/1965, 30.7%). Pooled estimates from meta-analysis indicate during COVID-19 measures, 32.3% (95% CI 23.9-42.1) of people needing HIV/STI testing had hindered access, 4.4% (95% CI 3.4-5.4) experienced partner violence, and 5.8% (95% CI 5.4-8.2) decreased casual partner condom use (moderate certainty of evidence for each outcome). Meta-analysis findings were robust in sensitivity analyses that examined country income level, sample size, and sampling strategy. Conclusion: Open science methods are feasible to organize research studies as part of emergency responses. The initial COVID-19 wave impacted SRH behaviors and access to services across diverse global settings.
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    Online health survey research during COVID-19
    (Elsevier, 2021-02) Hlatshwako, Takhona G.; Shah, Sonam J.; Kosana, Priya; Adebayo, Emmanuel; Hendriks, Jacqueline; Larsson, Elin C.; Hensel, Devon J.; Toller Erausquin, Jennifer; Marks, Michael; Michielsen, Kristien; Saltis, Hanna; Francis, Joel M.; Wouters, Edwin; Tucker, Joseph D.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
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    The International Sexual Health And REproductive Health during COVID-19 (I-SHARE) Study: A Multicountry Analysis of Adults from 30 Countries Prior to and During the Initial Coronavirus Disease 2019 Wave
    (Oxford University Press, 2022) Toller Erausquin, Jennifer; Tan, Rayner K.J.; Uhlich, Maximiliane; Francis, Joel M.; Kumar, Navin; Campbell, Linda; Zhang, Wei Hong; Hlatshwako, Takhona G.; Kosana, Priya; Shah, Sonam; Brenner, Erica M.; Remmerie, Lore; Mussa, Aamirah; Klapilova, Katerina; Mark, Kristen; Perotta, Gabriela; Gabster, Amanda; Wouters, Edwin; Burns, Sharyn; Hendriks, Jacqueline; Hensel, Devon J.; Shamu, Simukai; Strizzi, Jenna Marie; Esho, Tammary; Morroni, Chelsea; Eleuteri, Stefano; Sahril, Norhafiza; Low, Wah Yun; Plasilova, Leona; Lazdane, Gunta; Marks, Michael; Olumide, Adesola; Abdelhamed, Amr; López Gómez, Alejandra; Michielsen, Kristien; Moreau, Caroline; Tucker, Joseph D.; International Sexual Health And REproductive Health during COVID-19 Research Consortium; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Background: There is limited evidence to date about changes to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) during the initial wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To address this gap, our team organized a multicountry, cross-sectional online survey as part of a global consortium. Methods: Consortium research teams conducted online surveys in 30 countries. Sampling methods included convenience, online panels, and population-representative. Primary outcomes included sexual behaviors, partner violence, and SRH service use, and we compared 3 months prior to and during policy measures to mitigate COVID-19. We conducted meta-analyses for primary outcomes and graded the certainty of the evidence. Results: Among 4546 respondents with casual partners, condom use stayed the same for 3374 (74.4%), and 640 (14.1%) reported a decline. Fewer respondents reported physical or sexual partner violence during COVID-19 measures (1063 of 15 144, 7.0%) compared to before COVID-19 measures (1469 of 15 887, 9.3%). COVID-19 measures impeded access to condoms (933 of 10 790, 8.7%), contraceptives (610 of 8175, 7.5%), and human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infection (HIV/STI) testing (750 of 1965, 30.7%). Pooled estimates from meta-analysis indicate that during COVID-19 measures, 32.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 23.9%-42.1%) of people needing HIV/STI testing had hindered access, 4.4% (95% CI, 3.4%-5.4%) experienced partner violence, and 5.8% (95% CI, 5.4%-8.2%) decreased casual partner condom use (moderate certainty of evidence for each outcome). Meta-analysis findings were robust in sensitivity analyses that examined country income level, sample size, and sampling strategy. Conclusions: Open science methods are feasible to organize research studies as part of emergency responses. The initial COVID-19 wave impacted SRH behaviors and access to services across diverse global settings.