
Angela DawsonUniversity of Technology Sydney | UTS · Australian Centre for Public and Population Health Research
Angela Dawson
BA. (Hons.) PhD
About
157
Publications
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Publications (157)
Background
Refugees resettled in Australia may experience significant physical, mental and emotional health issues on arrival and difficulty accessing mainstream healthcare that often demands specialised services. It is not known if and how refugee health needs and service use change over time and generations, how this compares with the broader Aus...
When is it ethically permissible for clinicians to surgically intervene into the genitals of a legal minor? We distinguish between voluntary and nonvoluntary procedures and focus on nonvoluntary procedures, specifically in prepubescent minors (“children”). We do not address procedures in adolescence or adulthood. With respect to children categorize...
When is it ethically permissible for clinicians to surgically intervene into the genitals of a legal minor? We distinguish between voluntary and nonvoluntary procedures and focus on nonvoluntary procedures, specifically in prepubescent minors ("children"). We do not address procedures in adolescence or adulthood. With respect to children categorize...
Woman-centred care is a collaborative approach to care management, where the woman and her health provider recognise one another's expertise and interact based on mutual respect to provide adequate information and individualised care. However, woman-centred care has not been fully achieved, particularly for women who have experienced female genital...
Objective
This study sought to investigate the level and determinants of receiving quality antenatal care (ANC), intrapartum care, and postnatal care (PNC) services by women in Ethiopia. The quality of care a woman receives during ANC, intrapartum care, and PNC services affects the health of the woman and her child and her likelihood of seeking car...
Background
Woman-centred maternity care is respectful and responsive to women’s needs, values, and preferences. Women’s views and expectations regarding the quality of health services during pregnancy and childbirth vary across settings. Despite the need for context-relevant evidence, to our knowledge, no reviews focus on what women in sub-Saharan...
Pornography is not homogenous. There is a paucity of research that offers guidance to young adults and adult stakeholders interested in navigating the available range of pornography to find materials that support healthy sexual development for young adults. Drawing on the expertise of a Delphi Panel of experts from a range of relevant areas this ar...
Introduction: Approximately 9.2 million refugees live in Asia, with most originating from Afghanistan and Myanmar, and half of them are women, girls, and children. Humanitarian crises disrupt the existing health-care system, limiting access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. This review explores the SRH status of Afghan and Rohingya...
Background
Women-centred maternity care is respectful and responsive to women’s needs, values, and preferences. Women’s views and expectations regarding the quality of health services during pregnancy and childbirth vary across settings. Despite the need for context-relevant evidence, to our knowledge, no reviews focus on what women in sub-Saharan...
Adolescent alcohol, drug, and tobacco use is an emerging public health concern in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs). Yet, there is a lack of reliable, national-level data to inform policies and prevention interventions. This study aimed to provide the best available associations of global and regional risk and...
Background
Self-care is the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and manage illness and disability with or without a health care provider. In resource-constrained settings with disrupted sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service coverage and access, SRH self-care could play a crit...
Background
The quality of care a woman receives during antenatal care (ANC), intrapartum care, and postnatal care (PNC) affects the health of the woman and her child and her likelihood of seeking care in the future. This study aimed to assess the recommended interventions received by a mother and/or her newborn during ANC, intrapartum care and PNC,...
Objectives:
Achieving high vaccination coverage is a critical strategy to reducing the spread of COVID-19 infection. This study, undertaken before the Delta variant outbreak, aimed to understand potential drivers and barriers influencing COVID-19 vaccine uptake for refugees.
Methods:
Four focus group interviews were conducted with 37 refugees fr...
Background:
Cancer patients are confronted with a variety of other health-related issues, including physical disability, poor quality of life, and psychological challenges. This study aims to quantify the association of dietary, behavioural and lifestyle risk factors and comorbidities on the magnitude and distribution of disability burden among ca...
Background:
Effective referral of maternity cases, which cannot be managed at the primary healthcare level, with detailed referral forms is important for reducing possible delays in the provision of higher-level healthcare. This is the first study to audit documentation or referral forms that accompany referred maternity cases to a referral hospit...
Background
A woman and girl centred, rights-based approach to health care is critical to achieving sexual and reproductive health. However, women with female genital mutilation in high-income countries have been found to receive sub-optimal care. This study examined documents guiding clinicians in health and community service settings in English-sp...
Background
Self-care is the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and manage illness and disability with or without a health care provider. In resource-constrained settings with disrupted sexual and reproductive health (SRH) service coverage and access, SRH self-care could play a crit...
Background:
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) persists in low-middle-income countries and in high-income countries where there are health inequities. RHD in pregnancy (RHD-P) is associated with poorer maternal and perinatal outcomes. Our study examines models of care for women with RHD-P from the perspectives of health care providers.
Methods:
A des...
RHD in pregnancy (RHD-P) is associated with an increased burden of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. A sequellae of rheumatic fever resulting in heart valve damage if untreated, RHD is twice as common in women. In providing an historical overview, this commentary provides context for prevention and treatment in the 21 st century.
Four...
African-born migrants and refugees arriving from fragile states and countries with political and economic challenges have unique health needs requiring tailored healthcare services and support. However, there is little investigation into the distribution of this population and their spatial access to healthcare in Australia. This paper reports on r...
The Guttmacher-Lancet Commission report on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights called for the acceleration of progress to achieve SRHR that is essential for sustainable development. To integrate the essential services defined in this report into universal health coverage in the 11 sovereign nations in the Pacific, quality data is required to...
Background
Social capital is an important social determinant of women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. Little research has been conducted to understand the role of social capital in women’s sexual and reproductive health and how this can be harnessed to improve health in humanitarian settings. We synthesised the evidence to examine the...
Background
Vaccines have substantially contributed to reducing morbidity and mortality among children, but inequality in coverage continues to persist. In this study, we aimed to examine inequalities in child vaccination coverage in sub-Saharan Africa.
Methods
We analysed Demographic and Health Survey data in 25 sub-Saharan African countries. We d...
Background: A humanitarian crisis disrupts the existing health care system limiting access to sexual reproductive health (SRH) services. The Asia and the Pacific region is home to 9.2 million refugees as of September 2020, most originating from Afghanistan and Myanmar. Afghan and Rohingya refugees have long been deprived of formal SRH education and...
Background:
Improved access to and quality obstetric care in health facilities reduces maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. We examined spatial patterns, within-country wealth-related inequalities and predictors of inequality in skilled birth attendance and caesarean deliveries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Methods:
We analysed the most recen...
Objective
: To explore models of maternal healthcare for African refugee women and their acceptability, cost, and associated outcomes.
Design
: A systematic review and content analysis
Setting
: High-income countries
Participants
: African refugee women
Review methods
: Seven databases were searched to identify peer-reviewed literature using de...
Plain Language Summary Pacific Island countries experience many disasters, including cyclones and earthquakes. The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has been working in the Pacific to help build skills to improve the response to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and rights during disasters. This paper describes research to ident...
Background: A humanitarian crisis disrupts the existing health care system limiting access to sexual reproductive health (SRH) services. The Asia and the Pacific region is home to 9.2 million refugees as of September 2020, most originating from Afghanistan and Myanmar. Afghan and Rohingya refugees have long been deprived of formal SRH education and...
Background:
Adolescent suicide is a global public health concern and the second leading cause of adolescent death worldwide. This study aimed to estimate the burden of adolescent suicidal behaviours and its association with violence and unintentional injury, psychosocial, protective, lifestyle, and food security-related factors amongst school-based...
Objective
To gain insights and improve existing referral structures with maternity care in Northern region of Ghana, this study explored the referral experiences and satisfaction of women.
Research design
Twenty women referred to the Tamale Teaching Hospital for maternal health conditions were interviewed along with three husdands of these women b...
Background
Well-trained, competent, and motivated human resources for health (HRH) are crucial to delivering quality service provision across the sexual, reproductive, maternal, and newborn health (SRMNH) care continuum to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) maternal and neonatal health targets. This review aimed to identify HRH i...
Recent crises have accelerated global interest in self-care interventions. This debate paper aims to raise the issue of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) self-care and invites members of the global community operating in crisis-affected settings to look at potential avenues in mainstreaming SRH self-care interventions. We start by exploring self...
This short communication explores the challenges and ways forward for the delivery of sexual and reproductive health care in Pacific Island countries during the pandemic and the responses in relation to contraception, the management of unintended pregnancies, and gender-based violence.
Female incarceration is rising steeply in Australia and other high-income countries. The majority of incarcerated women are mothers. Their children represent a particularly vulnerable group, often subject to adverse experiences due to their family’s disadvantaged circumstances involving inadequate housing, food insecurity, poverty, poor health, a l...
Background
Pacific Island countries are vulnerable to natural disasters, including cyclones and earthquakes. Disaster preparedness is key to a well-coordinated response to preventing sexual violence and assisting survivors, reducing the transmission of HIV and other STIs, and preventing excess maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. The Inte...
Background
FGM/C is a cultural practice associated with adverse health outcomes that involves the partial or complete removal of the external female genitalia or injury to the genitalia. FGM/C is a form of violence against women and girls. There are no laws that specifically outlaw FGM/C in Sri Lanka and no national prevalence data. There is a lack...
Problem
The maternity care experiences and perinatal outcomes of women seeking asylum in high-income countries (HICs) are poorer than the general population of pregnant women in that HIC. There is a paucity of literature on the maternity experiences of women seeking asylum in HICs.
Background
There is an increasing number of women seeking asylum i...
Background
Access to and delivery of comprehensive emergency obstetric and neonatal care (CEmONC) services are often weak in low and middle-income countries affecting maternal and infant health outcomes. There are no studies on resources for maternal healthcare in the Northern region of Ghana. This knowledge is vital for health service planning and...
Background:
sub-Saharan African Low and Lower-Middle Income Countries (sSA LLMICs) have the highest burden of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in the world. Timely and appropriate maternal referral to a suitable health facility is an indicator of effective health systems. In this systematic review we aimed to identify which referral...
Limited research in high-income countries (HICs) examines adolescent abortion care-seeking pathways. This review aims to examine the pathways and experiences of adolescents when seeking abortion care, and service delivery processes in provision of such care. We undertook a systematic search of the literature to identify relevant studies in HICs (20...
Background: FGM/C is a cultural practice associated with adverse health outcomes that involves the partial or complete removal of the external female genitalia or injury to the genitalia. FGM/C is a form of violence against women and girls. There are no laws that specifically outlaw FGM/C in Sri Lanka and no national prevalence data. There is a lac...
Abstract
Introduction
In Australia, New South Wales (NSW), abortion has recently been removed from the criminal code. Previous research from Australia and other high-income countries has focused on adult women’s access to abortion services. This protocol describes a five-stage mixed-methods study to determine the care trajectories and experiences...
Background
Although most induced abortions in Ethiopia are performed in the first trimester, many women will still require second trimester abortions. While access to abortion in Ethiopia is limited, few data are being available concerning the demand for and associated outcomes of second trimester abortions. This knowledge is important for planning...
Introduction
There is a paucity of research examining models of maternal and child health (MCH) care for refugees in high-income countries. Attention has focused on tailoring existing healthcare services to meet the needs of this population and ensure accessible high-quality patient-centred care. This protocol reports the methodology of a study des...
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a cultural practice defined as the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-therapeutic reasons. Changing patterns of migration in Australia and other high-income countries has meant that maternity care providers and health systems are caring for more pregnant women affected by this practi...
There is strong evidence that involving women in the design of healthcare and decisions relating to a woman's own care leads to more satisfactory, safer, higher quality care and improved health outcomes. Shared decision-making can facilitate effective communication between a woman and her doctor to develop a shared understanding of an issue and gen...
Background
Previous studies conducted in Iraqi Kurdistan have reported that parent’s decisions to circumcise their daughters are based on religious or cultural beliefs. Despite the widespread practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), the effectiveness of educational strategies to change attitudes towards FGM has not been examined in this region....
Objective:
A major public health challenge in Australia is the lack of national adolescent abortion data. This descriptive study identifies, collates and describes publicly available adolescent abortion data in high-income countries including Australia, to describe trends over 10 years and provide recommendations for strengthening data collection....
We seek to clarify and assess the underlying moral reasons for opposing all medically unnecessary genital cutting of female minors, no matter how severe. We find that within a Western medicolegal framework, these reasons are compelling. However, they do not only apply to female minors, but rather to non-consenting persons of any age irrespective of...
An understanding of alcohol’s place in Iraq’s history and society can help inform alcohol policy responses in that country and other Muslim majority countries. This article describes the history of alcohol in Iraq from ancient to modern times, with reflection on the challenges facing Iraqi youth today. A search was undertaken to identify peer-revie...
Background: Sub-Saharan African Low and Lower-Middle Income Countries (SSA LLMICs have the highest burden of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in the world. Timely and appropriate obstetric referral to a suitable health facility is a sign of effective health system. This paper presents the findings of a systematic review that aimed to i...
Background: Sub-Saharan African Low and Lower-Middle Income Countries (SSA LLMICs have the highest burden of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in the world. Timely and appropriate obstetric referral to a suitable health facility is a sign of effective health system. This paper presents the findings of a systematic review that aimed to i...
Background: Sub-Saharan African Low and Lower-Middle Income Countries (SSA LLMICs have the highest burden of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in the world. Timely and appropriate obstetric referral to a suitable health facility is a sign of effective health system. This paper presents the findings of a systematic review that aimed to i...
Background: sub-Saharan African Low and Lower-Middle Income Countries (sSA LLMICs) have the highest burden of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality in the world. Timely and appropriate maternal referral to a suitable health facility is an indicator of effective health systems. In this systematic review we aimed to identify which referral p...
Objectives
Although female genital mutilation (FGM) is illegal in Iraqi Kurdistan, FGM continues to be performed frequently in Muslim communities in the region. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the prevalence of FGM among females living in rural areas of Iraqi Kurdistan; (2) assess the attitudes toward FGM of mothers, village comm...
Background:
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is prevalent in communities of migration. Given the harmful effects of the practice and its illegal status in many countries, there have been concerted primary, secondary and tertiary prevention efforts to protect girls from FGM. However, there is paucity of evidence concerning useful strategies and appr...
Introduction and aims:
Substance use significantly contributes to increasing the disease burden experienced by young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Aboriginal) Australians. Little is known about the primary healthcare needs of young Aboriginal people who use drugs. The aim of this study was to pilot Audio Computer Assisted Self-Interviewin...
Background
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is a preventable cardiac condition that escalates risk in pregnancy. Models of care informed by evidence‐based clinical guidelines are essential to optimal health outcomes. There are no published reviews that systematically explore approaches to care provision for pregnant women with RHD and examine reported...
Background and Objectives
Emergency departments are essential providers of compassionate, immediate treatment and referral for women experiencing intimate partner violence. Intimate partner violence, largely perpetrated by men against women, exerts a substantial burden on the health systems and economies of all nations. There is little known about...
Background
Midwives have an essential role to play in preparing for and providing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in humanitarian settings due to their unique knowledge and skills, position as frontline providers and geographic and social proximity to the communities they serve. There are considerable gaps in the international guidanc...
Background
As older adults approach the end‐of‐life (EOL), many are faced with complex decisions including whether to use medical advances to prolong life. Limited information exists on the priorities of older adults at the EOL.
Objective
This study aimed to explore patient and family experiences and identify factors deemed important to quality EO...
Mental health consumers who hear voices frequently experience distress and express a desire to discuss their voice‐hearing experience. Nurses do not regularly demonstrate a willingness to engage in such discussions. With the introduction of educational strategies that develop empathy and an understanding of voice‐hearing experiences, it is anticipa...
Background
Words matter when describing people involved in the criminal justice system because language can have a significant impact upon health, wellbeing, and access to health information and services. However, terminology used in policies, programs, and research publications is often derogatory, stigmatizing, and dehumanizing.
Discussion
In re...
Purpose
It is unclear how consumer participation (CP) can be optimised to transform drug and alcohol treatment services and improve health outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a systematic review examining the types and benefits of activities, and the factors that facilitate CP in drug treatment services.
Design/method...
Objective
Cardiac disease in pregnancy is a leading cause of maternal death in high-income countries. Evidence-based guidelines to assist in planning and managing the healthcare of affected women is lacking. The objective of this research was to produce the first qualitative metasynthesis of the experiences of pregnant women with existing or acquir...
As incarceration rates rise worldwide, increasing numbers of parents are separated from their children. Researchers have studied the psychosocial impact on inmates and their families extensively. However, few researchers have examined how their own perspectives affect the collection and interpretation of data, specifically about parenting in correc...
Background
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a cultural practice defined as the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for nontherapeutic indications. Due to changing patterns of migration, clinicians in high‐income countries are seeing more women from countries where the practice is prevalent. This review aims to understand the...
Background:
Bangladesh has made major improvements in health outcomes over the past two decades, with falls in mortality rates in mothers and in infants and young children aged under 5 years. Despite these improvements, neonatal mortality rates (NMRs) are high in Bangladesh. This paper describes recent changes in NMRs and health-care practices, di...
Aims and objectives: To explore the role of culture in the seasonal influenza prevention practices of Hong Kong Chinese parents with a healthy preschool child.
Background: Cultural values and norms significantly influence parents’ health preventive practices and related health promotion strategies. Most research is concerned with influenza preventi...
Learning to parent sensitively and safely can be challenging for adults with childhood abuse and neglect experiences. Such childhood experiences are prevalent among incarcerated parents whose ability to parent their own children is also limited by separation from them. Several prisons have developed programs to foster pro-social parenting skills am...
Given the importance of fathering to the well-being and development of children, paternal incarceration has a major impact on children and families. Drawing on interviews with 64 incarcerated fathers in New South Wales, Australia, this article explores their experiences. The men’s childhood familial separation and disconnection is frequently repeat...