Lotus Mcdougal
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 359545 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Lotus Mcdougal |
| NOMBRES | Lotus |
| APELLIDO | Mcdougal |
| FIRMA | MCDOUGAL L |
| AFILIACIONES | University of California San Diego |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3002-0489 |
| VERIFICADO | Sí |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 35 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 45 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 35 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2011 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 3 |
Examining the association between structural-level patriarchy and intimate partner violence
From blame to belonging
Infertility-related stigma remains a significant yet often overlooked issue in sexual and reproductive health programming, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Although awareness of infertility's prevalence and social, psychological, and health impacts is growing, efforts to address the associated stigma remain insufficient. Drawing on a synthesis of existing evidence, this commentary examines the multi-level nature of infertility-related stigma, …
It's Time to Get Practical
While there is widespread agreement that measurement is an essential component of successful family planning programming, policy‐making, and research, current measures are still catching up to the field's shift to more person‐centered and agency‐focused goals. Concurrently, the global reproductive health and data ecosystems have been profoundly interrupted, and resources are becoming increasingly scarce. This is thus a critical time to reexamine …
Traditional or Modern Contraception? Association Between Health Worker Contact and Contraceptive Choice in India
Despite greater availability and affordability of modern contraception, the use of traditional contraception is rising in India. We examined the relationship between Indian women's contact with a community health worker (CHW) and discussion of family planning (FP) with their contraceptive use. We analyzed data from 306,037 nonpregnant, non‐sterilized married women in the 2019–2021 National Family Health Survey (NFHS). Multinomial regression model…
Agency in Family Planning
Improving women's agency in family planning is an integral component of empowerment, requiring culturally relevant, reliable, and valid measures. Measuring agency—action towards the achievement of self‐determined goals—is key to tracking progress as highlighted by its inclusion in the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, agency measurement within low‐ and middle‐income contexts has all too often involved applying measures developed and tested in h…
Capturing the Dynamic Nature of Choice
Although empowerment‐focused reproductive health measures have expanded in recent years, gaps exist in measuring person‐centered contraceptive desire and demand. We address this gap by examining the degree to which individuals feel that contraception is acceptable. This study explores women's and men's experiences of contraceptive acceptability and tests the applicability of the “5C” framework of vaccine hesitancy to contraceptive demand and beha…
Marital choice, spousal communication, and contraceptive self-efficacy and use among newly married girls in India
Our study demonstrated that girls' involvement in spouse selection was associated with improved spousal communication, greater contraceptive self-efficacy, and increased contraceptive use, with significant contextual differences. Findings emphasized the critical role of girls' agency in marital decisions and effective spousal communication in increasing contraceptive use tailored to specific contexts among newly married girls in India
Association between sexual violence and depression is mediated by perceived social support among female university students in the kingdom of Eswatini
Sexualized street harassment is associated with increased depressive symptomology for nearly all women, however the effects are especially pronounced for women who have previous experiences of sexual violence. Sexualized street harassment functions as a tool to maintain gendered power hierarchies by reminding women of ongoing threat of sexual violence even in public spaces. Social support and solidarity among women is a potentially important sour…
The Emerge framework to measure empowerment for health and development
The EMERGE Framework can guide development and analysis of survey measures on empowerment and is needed as the current state of the field shows limited coverage of empowerment constructs even in areas which have received more study, such as family planning
Is the Decision Not to Use Contraception an Indicator of Reproductive Agency
Women's engagement in the decision to use contraception, an indicator captured in the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), is frequently used to assess women's reproductive agency. In 2014, DHS added a corollary question to the women's questionnaire on decision‐making not to use contraception. Study authors hypothesize that women's engagement in decision‐making not to use contraception is also indicative of reproductive agency. Analyzing DHS mic…
Effect of preterm birth on early neonatal, late neonatal, and postneonatal mortality in India
Despite India having a high burden of infant deaths and preterm birth, there is a clear lack of studies documenting association between preterm birth and infant mortality in India. Additionally, existing studies have failed to account for unobserved heterogeneity while linking preterm birth with infant mortality. Hence, the present study examines association of preterm birth with early neonatal death (ENND), late neonatal death (LNND), and postne…
Measuring the impacts of maternal child marriage and maternal intimate partner violence and the moderating effects of proximity to conflict on stunting among children under 5 in post-conflict Sri Lank…
This study aimed to understand whether maternal child marriage and past year intimate partner violence (IPV) impact stunting among Sri Lankan children under 5 years old, and, secondarily, whether proximity to conflict is associated with stunting. Additionally, we assessed whether proximity to conflict moderates the relationships between maternal child marriage and past year IPV (sexual, physical, and emotional). We tested these questions using lo…
Understanding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on refugee communities in San Diego, California
Refugee communities have experienced pervasive job losses and worsening mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and these effects are concentrated in respondents who have lived in the US for six or more years. Additional targeted support is needed to ensure that refugees who have lived in the US for longer durations have the financial and social support needed to cope with the unprecedented challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic
Using machine learning to understand determinants of IUD use in India
Intra-uterine devices (IUDs) are a safe and effective method to delay or space pregnancies and are available for free or at low cost in the Indian public health system; yet, IUD uptake in India remains low. Limited quantitative research using national data has explored factors that may affect IUD use. Machine Learning (ML) techniques allow us to explore determinants of low prevalence behaviors in survey research, such as IUD use. We applied ML to…
A mediation analysis of the role of girl child marriage in the relationship between proximity to conflict and past-year intimate partner violence in post-conflict Sri Lanka
Our findings demonstrate that residing in districts central to conflict compared to those distal to conflict is associated with greater odds of IPV and girl child marriage in post-conflict Sri Lanka, with girl child marriage partially mediating the association between centrality to conflict and IPV. Residence in districts proximal to conflict appears protective against IPV. Future research should investigate what factors are responsible for decre…
Interpregnancy Interval and Child Health Outcomes in India
Our findings indicate that IPIs shorter than 12 months are a risk factor for diarrhea and/or ARI, and IPIs shorter than 12 months and 12-17 months are risk factors for stunting and underweight among children under 5 in India. Mother fixed-effects models allowed us to adjust our estimates for unobserved heterogeneity; this has rarely been done before. Increases in birth spacing may improve child health outcomes in India
Association between Intimate Partner Violence and Contraceptive Use Discontinuation in India
Research on the association between experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) and contraceptive use discontinuation in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) is limited. This study aims to fill this important gap using microdata collected from women aged 15–49 in the 2015–2016 National Family Health Survey (NFHS). Analyses used multivariable multinomial logistic regressions stratified by long‐acting reversible contraceptive methods (LARC)/…
Is women’s empowerment associated with coverage of RMNCH interventions in low- and middle-income countries? An analysis using a survey-based empowerment indicator, the SWPER
BACKGROUND: Women's empowerment has a strong potential to promote sustainable development. We evaluate the association between women's empowerment and the Composite Coverage Index (CCI), a weighted average of coverage of eight interventions in reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH). We also assess whether these effects are modified by wealth. METHODS: We used Demographic and Health Survey data from 62 low- and middle-income coun…
Household sanitation access and risk for non-marital sexual violence among a nationally representative sample of women in India, 2015-16
Findings from this study support prior research suggesting that poor access to sanitation is associated with women's risk for NMSV in rural India. This may be via increased exposure, and/or as a marker for greater vulnerability to NMSV beyond what is explained by other SES indicators. Solutions can include increased access to private household sanitation and more targeted NMSV prevention in rural India
Covid-19-Related Financial Hardship, Job Loss, and Mental Health Symptoms
Several countries, including India, imposed mandatory social distancing, quarantine, and lockdowns to stop the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Although these measures were effective in curbing the spread of the virus, prolonged social distancing, quarantine, and the resultant economic disruption led to an increase in financial stress and mental health concerns. Prior studies established a link between the first lockdown and an increase in mental …
Factors Influencing the Sex Ratio at Birth in India
Previous research on sex ratio at birth (SRB) in India has largely relied on macro‐analysis of census data that do not contain the breadth of factors needed to explain patterns in SRB. Additionally, no previous research has examined the differentiation of factors associated with SRB across birth orders, a key determinant in societies affected by son preference. This study aims to fill these gaps using micro‐data related to 553,461 births occurrin…
Development of the India Patriarchy Index
While existing indices of gender equality measure the role of women’s status and position, they inadequately contextualize the broader construct of patriarchy, a social system that underlies many gender inequitable practices. An index capturing patriarchy may afford increased understanding of this social system, and may serve to complement other gender equality indices. This paper involves the development and testing of a novel composite measure,…
Application of machine learning to understand child marriage in India
Machine learning appears to be a valid means of identifying key correlates of child marriage in India and, via our innovative iterative thematic approach, can be useful to identify novel variables associated with this outcome. Findings related to low nutritional service uptake also demonstrate the need for more focus on public health outreach for nutritional programs tailored to this population
Mapping the patchwork
Despite dramatic reductions in child marriage over the past decade, more than one in four girls in India still marry before reaching age 18. This practice is driven by a complex interplay of social and normative beliefs and values that are inadequately represented in national- or even state-level analyses of the drivers of child marriage. A geographic lens was employed to assess variations in child marriage prevalence across Indian districts, ide…
Short interpregnancy interval and low birth weight births in India
Evidence on the effect of interpregnancy interval (IPI) on low birth weight (LBW) births is limited in developing countries including India. Our study aims to examine association between IPI and LBW births in India. We used data from the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) conducted in 2015-16 with a representative sample of 52,825 most recent births for examining the association between IPI and LBW. IPI is defined as the g…
Development of the India Patriarchy Index
While existing indices of gender equality measure the role of women’s status and position, they inadequately contextualize the broader construct of patriarchy, a social system that underlies many gender inequitable practices. An index capturing patriarchy may afford increased understanding of this social system, and may serve to complement other gender equality indices. This paper involves the development and testing of a novel composite measure,…
The Emerge framework to measure empowerment for health and development
The EMERGE Framework can guide development and analysis of survey measures on empowerment and is needed as the current state of the field shows limited coverage of empowerment constructs even in areas which have received more study, such as family planning
Is the Decision Not to Use Contraception an Indicator of Reproductive Agency
Women's engagement in the decision to use contraception, an indicator captured in the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), is frequently used to assess women's reproductive agency. In 2014, DHS added a corollary question to the women's questionnaire on decision‐making not to use contraception. Study authors hypothesize that women's engagement in decision‐making not to use contraception is also indicative of reproductive agency. Analyzing DHS mic…
Association between Intimate Partner Violence and Contraceptive Use Discontinuation in India
Research on the association between experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) and contraceptive use discontinuation in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) is limited. This study aims to fill this important gap using microdata collected from women aged 15–49 in the 2015–2016 National Family Health Survey (NFHS). Analyses used multivariable multinomial logistic regressions stratified by long‐acting reversible contraceptive methods (LARC)/…
Factors Influencing the Sex Ratio at Birth in India
Previous research on sex ratio at birth (SRB) in India has largely relied on macro‐analysis of census data that do not contain the breadth of factors needed to explain patterns in SRB. Additionally, no previous research has examined the differentiation of factors associated with SRB across birth orders, a key determinant in societies affected by son preference. This study aims to fill these gaps using micro‐data related to 553,461 births occurrin…
Gender bias in hospitalization financing from borrowings, selling of assets, contribution from relatives or friends in India
Revisiting Sphere
The proportion of people living in protracted displacement, as well as the duration of this displacement, is increasing. International humanitarian standards for services provided in protracted displacement are based on the Sphere Standards, which were formulated using evidence and experience from acute phase emergencies. However, the majority of protracted emergencies are in the post-emergency phase. This paper discusses trends in displacement, …
Revisiting Sphere
The proportion of people living in protracted displacement, as well as the duration of this displacement, is increasing. International humanitarian standards for services provided in protracted displacement are based on the Sphere Standards, which were formulated using evidence and experience from acute phase emergencies. However, the majority of protracted emergencies are in the post-emergency phase. This paper discusses trends in displacement, …
Gendered Effects of Siblings on Child Malnutrition in South Asia
Gender inequities in curative and preventive health care use among infants in Bihar, India
BACKGROUND: India has the highest rate of excess female infant deaths in the world. Studies with decade-old data suggest gender inequities in infant health care seeking, but little new large-scale research has examined this issue. We assessed differences in health care utilization by sex of the child, using 2014 data for Bihar, India. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional analysis of statewide representative survey data collected for a non-blinded …
Intersections of girl child marriage and family planning beliefs and use
Child marriage and subsequent early first birth is a considerable social, economic and health concern, and a pervasive practice in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This study explores barriers and facilitators to family planning among women and girls, and their marital decision-makers subsequent to receipt of child marriage prevention programmes in Ethiopia and India. In-depth interviews with 128 women and girls who were married as minors or wh…
Disrupting gender norms in health systems
Does owning a bank account improve reproductive and maternal health services utilization and behavior in India? Evidence from the National Family Health Survey 2015–16
Ownership of a bank account is associated with improved reproductive and maternal health services utilization and behaviour.•Observed associations are strongest in states where the utilization of studied services is far below the national average.•No association is found between women's ownership of a bank account and institutional delivery
More than credit
Microcredit programs are increasingly popular interventions aimed at enabling women's economic empowerment in low- and middle-income countries. Resultant improved income, and social support from co-members of microcredit programs, may lead to increased utilization of health services. But existing research is inconclusive. This study investigates the association of microcredit program awareness and participation, with maternal and postpartum repro…
Students and brides
Social norms of early marriage, financial burden of school fees, and minimal opportunity for girls beyond marriage affect girls' education. Nonetheless, some girls manifest psychological resiliency in these settings and, with support from parents and teachers, are able to stay in school and delay marriage. Unfortunately, girls less academically inclined, and those who do marry early, are less supported by family and existing programs to remain in…
Application of machine learning to understand child marriage in India
Machine learning appears to be a valid means of identifying key correlates of child marriage in India and, via our innovative iterative thematic approach, can be useful to identify novel variables associated with this outcome. Findings related to low nutritional service uptake also demonstrate the need for more focus on public health outreach for nutritional programs tailored to this population
Mapping the patchwork
Despite dramatic reductions in child marriage over the past decade, more than one in four girls in India still marry before reaching age 18. This practice is driven by a complex interplay of social and normative beliefs and values that are inadequately represented in national- or even state-level analyses of the drivers of child marriage. A geographic lens was employed to assess variations in child marriage prevalence across Indian districts, ide…
Short interpregnancy interval and low birth weight births in India
Evidence on the effect of interpregnancy interval (IPI) on low birth weight (LBW) births is limited in developing countries including India. Our study aims to examine association between IPI and LBW births in India. We used data from the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) conducted in 2015-16 with a representative sample of 52,825 most recent births for examining the association between IPI and LBW. IPI is defined as the g…
Spatial analysis of individual- and village-level sociodemographic characteristics associated with age at marriage among married adolescents in rural Niger
Our findings suggest that large-scale approaches to eliminating child marriage in these communities may be less successful if they do not take into consideration geographically and socially determined contextual factors at the village level
Gender bias in hospitalization financing from borrowings, selling of assets, contribution from relatives or friends in India
Is women’s empowerment associated with coverage of RMNCH interventions in low- and middle-income countries? An analysis using a survey-based empowerment indicator, the SWPER
BACKGROUND: Women's empowerment has a strong potential to promote sustainable development. We evaluate the association between women's empowerment and the Composite Coverage Index (CCI), a weighted average of coverage of eight interventions in reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH). We also assess whether these effects are modified by wealth. METHODS: We used Demographic and Health Survey data from 62 low- and middle-income coun…
Household sanitation access and risk for non-marital sexual violence among a nationally representative sample of women in India, 2015-16
Findings from this study support prior research suggesting that poor access to sanitation is associated with women's risk for NMSV in rural India. This may be via increased exposure, and/or as a marker for greater vulnerability to NMSV beyond what is explained by other SES indicators. Solutions can include increased access to private household sanitation and more targeted NMSV prevention in rural India
Covid-19-Related Financial Hardship, Job Loss, and Mental Health Symptoms
Several countries, including India, imposed mandatory social distancing, quarantine, and lockdowns to stop the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Although these measures were effective in curbing the spread of the virus, prolonged social distancing, quarantine, and the resultant economic disruption led to an increase in financial stress and mental health concerns. Prior studies established a link between the first lockdown and an increase in mental …
Factors Influencing the Sex Ratio at Birth in India
Previous research on sex ratio at birth (SRB) in India has largely relied on macro‐analysis of census data that do not contain the breadth of factors needed to explain patterns in SRB. Additionally, no previous research has examined the differentiation of factors associated with SRB across birth orders, a key determinant in societies affected by son preference. This study aims to fill these gaps using micro‐data related to 553,461 births occurrin…
Development of the India Patriarchy Index
While existing indices of gender equality measure the role of women’s status and position, they inadequately contextualize the broader construct of patriarchy, a social system that underlies many gender inequitable practices. An index capturing patriarchy may afford increased understanding of this social system, and may serve to complement other gender equality indices. This paper involves the development and testing of a novel composite measure,…
Effect of preterm birth on early neonatal, late neonatal, and postneonatal mortality in India
Despite India having a high burden of infant deaths and preterm birth, there is a clear lack of studies documenting association between preterm birth and infant mortality in India. Additionally, existing studies have failed to account for unobserved heterogeneity while linking preterm birth with infant mortality. Hence, the present study examines association of preterm birth with early neonatal death (ENND), late neonatal death (LNND), and postne…
Measuring the impacts of maternal child marriage and maternal intimate partner violence and the moderating effects of proximity to conflict on stunting among children under 5 in post-conflict Sri Lank…
This study aimed to understand whether maternal child marriage and past year intimate partner violence (IPV) impact stunting among Sri Lankan children under 5 years old, and, secondarily, whether proximity to conflict is associated with stunting. Additionally, we assessed whether proximity to conflict moderates the relationships between maternal child marriage and past year IPV (sexual, physical, and emotional). We tested these questions using lo…
Understanding the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on refugee communities in San Diego, California
Refugee communities have experienced pervasive job losses and worsening mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and these effects are concentrated in respondents who have lived in the US for six or more years. Additional targeted support is needed to ensure that refugees who have lived in the US for longer durations have the financial and social support needed to cope with the unprecedented challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic
Using machine learning to understand determinants of IUD use in India
Intra-uterine devices (IUDs) are a safe and effective method to delay or space pregnancies and are available for free or at low cost in the Indian public health system; yet, IUD uptake in India remains low. Limited quantitative research using national data has explored factors that may affect IUD use. Machine Learning (ML) techniques allow us to explore determinants of low prevalence behaviors in survey research, such as IUD use. We applied ML to…
A mediation analysis of the role of girl child marriage in the relationship between proximity to conflict and past-year intimate partner violence in post-conflict Sri Lanka
Our findings demonstrate that residing in districts central to conflict compared to those distal to conflict is associated with greater odds of IPV and girl child marriage in post-conflict Sri Lanka, with girl child marriage partially mediating the association between centrality to conflict and IPV. Residence in districts proximal to conflict appears protective against IPV. Future research should investigate what factors are responsible for decre…
Interpregnancy Interval and Child Health Outcomes in India
Our findings indicate that IPIs shorter than 12 months are a risk factor for diarrhea and/or ARI, and IPIs shorter than 12 months and 12-17 months are risk factors for stunting and underweight among children under 5 in India. Mother fixed-effects models allowed us to adjust our estimates for unobserved heterogeneity; this has rarely been done before. Increases in birth spacing may improve child health outcomes in India
Association between Intimate Partner Violence and Contraceptive Use Discontinuation in India
Research on the association between experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) and contraceptive use discontinuation in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) is limited. This study aims to fill this important gap using microdata collected from women aged 15–49 in the 2015–2016 National Family Health Survey (NFHS). Analyses used multivariable multinomial logistic regressions stratified by long‐acting reversible contraceptive methods (LARC)/…
Medicine (27 obras) · Global Maternal and Child Health (21 obras) · Population (20 obras) · Demography (19 obras) · Environmental health (19 obras) · Psychology (18 obras) · Demography (17 obras) · Sociology (16 obras) · Economic growth (12 obras) · Economics (10 obras)