International Sexual Health And Reproductive Health during COVID-19 (I-SHARE)
The Academic Network on Sexual and Reproductive Health Policies (ANSER) initiated a study on the impact of the COVID-19 isolation measures on sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing.
COVID-19 measures such as the obligation to stay at home, social distancing, prohibition to do more than the essential trip, etc may have a profound impact on sexual behaviors, reproductive health, and social life across the world. It may have an impact on contraceptive use, intimate partner violence, access to essential reproductive health services and ante-natal and post-natal care.
This behavioral cross-sectional study, developed under the supervision of Prof. Kristien Michielsen at Ghent University (Belgium) and Prof. Joe Tucker at the University of North Carolina (US) and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK), includes online national surveys and a global comparative analyses. For the moment, about 30 countries expressed interest to participate in the online survey. Eligible participants will be individuals 18 years and older who consent to participate. In each country, a lead organization will be responsible for organizing ethical review, translation, and survey administration. The consortium network provides support for national studies, coordination, and multi-national comparison. Multi-level modelling will be used to determine the impact of COVID-19 measures on SRHR. The results of the study will be translated into policy recommendations that could limit the negative consequences of these measures as much as possible. The survey tool and protocol are freely available. Do you want to know more? Check the website: https://ishare.web.unc.edu/ or please contact Kristien.michielsen@ugent.be
