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Research is a vital driver of the response to health emergencies. This scoping review aimed to characterize the application of qualitative research during the COVID-19 pandemic, with two primary objectives: identifying the qualitative research methods and adaptations applied, and summarizing the research questions which the studies sought to answer. CINAHL and PsycINFO were systematically searched for qualitative studies relating to COVID-19 and published between January 2020 and November 2021. Articles were screened and included in the review using pre-defined eligibility criteria. A total of 535 articles met the inclusion criteria, mostly from North America and Europe. An observed methodological adaptation was a surge in virtually conducted research – most studies collected data through interviews, 52% of which were conducted virtually using telephone or teleconferencing technology. Similarly, 27% of the focus group discussions and 20% of the ethnographies were conducted virtually. A textual narrative synthesis of all reviewed studies identified four major groups: health-related studies, education-related studies, studies about vaccine acceptance, and studies in specific population groups, such as the elderly, ethnic minorities, and working-class women in patriarchal contexts. There was a seeming neglect of the experience of youths, and insufficient attention has been paid to the dynamics of medical distrust with regard to vaccine hesitancy. Qualitative research has been applied to extensively explore people’s perceptions and experiences of the pandemic. The progressive improvement of virtual research methods will be beneficial for future pandemic preparedness. More representation of research from under-resourced regions of the world is also needed.

Aim This study aims to evaluate the impact of MPOWER tobacco control policies on smoking and smokeless tobacco (SLT) use prevalence in Africa, between 2007 and 2018. Subject and Methods: This is a longitudinal ecological study using panel data from 40 African countries at 6 time-points between 2007 and 2018. MPOWER scores and tobacco use prevalence data were obtained from the WHO global health repository. Two-way fixed effects regression models were used to assess the impact of the MPOWER policies on smoking and SLT use prevalence among African adults. The analysis was stratified by sex and UN African sub-region. Results In the primary analysis of all included countries, only the fiscal tobacco control measure (represented by the price of cigarettes) was significantly associated with a decrease in tobacco use among African adults – each $10 increase in the price of a 20-cigarette pack was associated with a 2.90 (95% CI: 0.30, 5.50) percentage point decrease in smoking prevalence, and a 1.10 (95% CI: 0.02, 2.00) percentage point decrease in SLT use prevalence, among men. In the stratified analysis by UN African sub-regions, the greatest impact was observed in Western and Northern Africa, and MPOWER policies appeared to be more effective in reducing smoking prevalence than SLT use prevalence. Conclusion The MPOWER package (especially its fiscal component) has had an impact on tobacco use in African countries. However, more attention needs to be paid to SLT use in Africa, which appears to have been impacted to a much lesser extent than smoking.

This study aims to evaluate the impact of MPOWER tobacco control policies on smoking and smokeless tobacco (SLT) use prevalence in Africa, between 2007 and

Background Tobacco use is projected to increase in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the next century, and delineating the patterns of inequality in tobacco use will facilitate its control within this region. Methods Using nationally representative data from Global Adult Tobacco Surveys (GATS) conducted in seven SSA countries (2012–2018), this study explores the association between the social determinants of health and tobacco use among SSA adults. The surveys provided information on 47,246 adults aged 15 years or older in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda. Current tobacco use prevalence was estimated in each country overall and across socioeconomic and demographic factors (sex, age, residence, education, wealth, religion, marital status, and tobacco health knowledge). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association of these determinants with current tobacco use in each country and for the combined dataset. The pooled data analysis was further stratified by tobacco product category and sex. Results We found significant homogenous associations between the social determinants and tobacco use across all countries. For the pooled data, smoking was independently associated with male sex, rural residence, greater age, lower education and health knowledge, and irreligiousness. For smokeless tobacco (SLT) use, the trends were similar and stronger for all determinants except sex. Among women only, the odds of smoking and SLT use respectively increased and decreased with greater wealth. Conclusions Tobacco use is significantly associated with socioeconomic deprivation in SSA (stronger for SLT use than for smoking). These findings highlight opportunities for targeted interventions within SSA.

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Aim: To assess the inter-relationships between women’s sexual autonomy (SA), financial autonomy (FA) and experience of intimate partner violence (IPV), and how these factors influence HIV infection risk. Subject and Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the 2016 South-Africa Demographic and Health Survey. The study included all ever-partnered women aged 18-49 who were randomly selected for the domestic violence and HIV test modules. SA was measured from questions about women’s ability to refuse sex or request condom use. FA was measured from questions about women’s employment status, personal earnings, etc. IPV was measured from questions about women’s experience of emotional, physical and/or sexual violence. Bivariate analyses were used to assess the inter-relationships between SA, FA and IPV, and their individual relationships with HIV. Lastly, a multiple logistic regression model assessed their mutually adjusted associations with HIV infection risk. Results: There was no apparent relationship between sexual and financial autonomy, but they were weakly inversely associated with IPV. In the bivariate analyses, all three variables were associated with HIV risk. However, in the mutually adjusted model, only SA and IPV remained associated with HIV risk. Low SA (AOR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.30 to 3.10, p=0.006) and exposure to sexual violence (AOR = 2.91, 95% CI: 1.14 to 7.43, p = 0.03) were associated with higher odds of HIV seropositivity. Conclusion: This study highlighted the important roles of SA and IPV on women’s HIV risk, as well as the need for further research to clarify the role of FA.

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