BackgroundThe Rohingya people of Myanmar are one of the most persecuted communities in the world and are forced to flee their home to escape conflict and persecution. Bangladesh receives the majority of the Rohingya refugees. On arrival they experience a number of human rights issues and the extent to which human rights approaches are used to inform public health programs is not well documented. The aim of this systematic review was to document human rights- human rights-related health issues and to develop a conceptual human rights framework to inform current policy practice and programming in relation to the needs of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.MethodsThis systematic review was conducted using the 2015 Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Eight computerized databases were searched: Academic Search complete, Embase, CINAHL, JStor, Pubmed, Scopus, SocIndex, and Proquest Central along with grey literature and Google Scholar. Of a total of 752 articles retrieved from the eight databases and 17 studies from grey literature, 31 studies met our inclusion criteria.ResultsUsing meta-ethnographic synthesis, we developed a model that helps understand the linkages of various human rights and human rights-related health issues of Rohingya refugees. The model highlights how insufficient structural factors, poor living conditions, restricted mobility, and lack of working rights for extended periods of time collectively contribute to poor health outcomes of Rohingya refugees.ConclusionThis review provides a human-rights approach to frame actions both at program and policy level in a sustained way to address the health needs of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Such policy actions will focus on finding long term solutions for integrating the Rohingya population while addressing their immediate rights issue.Trial registrationThis systematic review has not been registered.

Background and Aim of the Study: HIV/AIDS is best viewed as a major epidemic which poses serious challenges to mankind on a global scale. The aim of this study was to assess the HIV/AIDS-related knowledge among secondary school students in Bangladesh and investigate the association between secondary school students' socio-demographic characteristics and their level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS. Methods: Following multistage random sampling technique, a total of 384 students aged 11 -17 years were sampled from eight secondary schools and interviewed through a predesigned semi-structured questionnaire. Data analysis was done at three stages including descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and multivariate logistic regression. Results: The findings of the study revealed that more than half (55.26%) of the students were above 14 years of age and their ages ranged from 11 to 17 years. This study also found that around three-fourths of the students (75.78%) watched television. With regard to knowledge, this study demonstrated that around two-fifths of the students (36.98%) had very good knowledge about HIV/AIDS and their main sources of HIV/AIDS information were television, newspaper, radio, textbooks, and teachers. The bivariate results of the study indicated that students' age, gender, type of school, household income, fathers' and mothers' literacy, and watching television were significantly associated with level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS. In addition, students' age, mothers' literacy, and watching television were found as the significant predictors of knowledge about HIV/AIDS. Watching television was documented as the best single predictor. Conclusion: The results of the study strengthen the assumption that there is an influence of students' socio-demographic characteristics upon their knowledge about HIV/ AIDS. Moreover, this study suggests that more information on HIV/AIDS should be included in the textbooks of secondary school students in Bangladesh to enhance their knowledge about the taboo subject.

This article examined the usefulness of the Health Belief Model (HBM) and other confounding factors in determining health behavior of individuals involved in hospital waste management and tested four components of HBM in relation to demographic variables, knowledge, and occupational practices of the respondents. The study revealed that the waste pickers had a lower level of knowledge, attitude, and safe practices than nurses and sweepers. Perceived Susceptibility and Perceived Severity were moderately associated with safe occupational practices among the respondents (p < 0.05). In addition, respondents with higher levels of education and income were more likely to have higher levels of Perceived Susceptibility, Severity, and Benefits. The study findings indicate that individuals with greater economic vulnerability might be at greater risk for not using proper protective measures in handling or picking hospital wastes in Bangladesh.

This study examined levels of AIDS knowledge and condom practices in a sample of female commercial sex workers (CSWs) in Bangladesh. The 284 subjects were questioned about AIDS knowledge using a 12-item AIDS knowledge and patterns of condom use questionnaire. The subjects had a moderate knowledge of AIDS with 61.5 percent of the sample responding correctly to 6 or more of the 12 AIDS knowledge questions. Those with high levels of AIDS knowledge used condoms at a higher rate than those with low levels of AIDS knowledge. These CSWs were predominantly young (36.6 percent) and illiterate (62.7 percent). Street-based CSWs were at greatest risk for acquiring HIV; many reported less frequent use of condom than brothel-based CSWs. The majority knew that condoms offered protection against HIV/AIDS, although only 11 percent reported using condoms prior to the day of survey. Misconception and confusion were identified regarding modes of transmission and prevention.

Background While there is a growing body of empirical studies focusing on the social and behavioral predictors of psychological health, the mechanisms that may underlie the reported associations have not been adequately explored. This study aimed to examine the association of social and lifestyle factors with psychological distress, and the potential mediating role of the lifestyle factors in the estimated associations between social circumstances and psychological distress. Methods A total of 742 tertiary level students (53% females) from a range of socio-economic backgrounds and multiple educational institutions participated in this cross-sectional study. The 12-items General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was utilized for measuring psychological distress. Data related to students’ socio-demographic characteristics, family social circumstances, and lifestyle factors were also collected. Modified Poisson regression analysis was used to estimate the risk ratios (RR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results The multivariable regression analysis suggests heightened risks of psychological distress associated with low parental Socio-Economic Position (SEP) (RR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.76), childhood poverty (RR: 1.31; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.55), and living away from the family (RR: 1.28; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.54). Among the lifestyle factors, past smoking, physical inactivity, inadequate fruit intake, and poor sleep quality were strongly associated with psychological distress and these associations persisted when the family social circumstances and lifestyle factors were mutually adjusted for. The lifestyle factors did not considerably mediate the estimated associations between family social circumstances and psychological distress. Conclusion The social and lifestyle factors operated independently to increase students’ risk of psychological distress. Accordingly, while promoting students’ healthy lifestyles may reduce the overall burden of psychological distress, any equity initiative aiming to minimize the social inequalities in psychological health should be targeted to improving the living conditions in early life.