Aktar Shaki, Ahmed Shakil, Islam Tanjeena Tahrin, -E-Ferdous Tarana, Ahmed Meftah Uddin, Imtiaz Syed Hassan, Akter Salma, Miah Shathil, Khan Md Sharful Islam, Naved Ruchira Tabassum, Arifeen Shams El, Nahar Quamrun, Ahmed Anisuddin, Hanifi S M Manzoor Ahmed, Huda Fauzia Akhter
Maternal and Child Health Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
PLoS One. 2025 Jan 22;20(1):e0316230. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0316230. eCollection 2025.
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) aim to enhance quality of life through safe sexual experiences, reproductive autonomy, and protection against gender-based violence. However, existing SRHR research and interventions in low- and middle-income countries like Bangladesh predominantly focus on women, often understating men and neglecting the nuanced contextual issues faced by married couples. This study contributes to filling this gap by examining SRHR dynamics among newlyweds in rural and poor urban areas of Bangladesh, especially focusing on marital satisfaction, fertility preferences, and post-marriage adaptation mechanisms. Employing a prospective cohort design across four Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems (HDSS) managed by icddr,b, the study spans from November 2021 to March 2025, with data collection starting in December 2022. Of the 2011 newlywed couples identified, 666 who met eligibility criteria (married for ≤6 months, first marriage, and no pregnancy history) were enrolled. Participants will undergo six quantitative interview sessions over a two-year period. Additionally, 44 in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 22 purposefully selected couples. Demographic data reveal that a significant proportion of husbands (67.3% in rural areas, 71.8% in poor urban areas) are aged 20-29 years, while a majority of wives (67.9% in rural areas, 84.8% in poor urban areas) are adolescents. Education levels varied, with a higher proportion of poor urban husbands lack formal education compared to their rural counterparts (7.2% vs. 3.0%), while no significant variation was observed among wives (0.6% vs 1.0%). Arranged marriages are more common among rural couples (80%) compared to those in poor urban areas (50%). Moreover, poor urban participants tend to marry at a younger age than the rural participants, with poor urban wives marrying earlier than rural wives (60.4% vs 39.7%). This pioneering study provides valuable insights into the SRHR needs of newlywed couples in Bangladesh. The findings will be instrumental for designing targeted interventions aimed at improving SRHR service utilization and enhancing overall well-being, particularly in rural and poor urban areas of the country.
性与生殖健康及权利（SRHR）旨在通过安全的性体验、生殖自主权以及防范性别暴力来提高生活质量。然而，在孟加拉国等低收入和中等收入国家，现有的性与生殖健康及权利研究和干预措施主要集中在女性身上，常常低估男性，并忽视已婚夫妇面临的细微背景问题。本研究通过调查孟加拉国农村和贫困城市地区新婚夫妇的性与生殖健康及权利动态，尤其是关注婚姻满意度、生育偏好和婚后适应机制，为填补这一空白做出了贡献。该研究采用前瞻性队列设计，跨越由孟加拉国腹泻疾病研究国际中心（icddr,b）管理的四个卫生和人口监测系统（HDSS），研究时间从2021年11月至2025年3月，数据收集于2022年12月开始。在确定的2011对新婚夫妇中，666对符合资格标准（结婚≤6个月、初婚且无怀孕史）的夫妇被纳入研究。参与者将在两年内接受六次定量访谈。此外，还对22对经过有目的挑选的夫妇进行了44次深入定性访谈。人口数据显示，很大一部分丈夫（农村地区为67.3%，贫困城市地区为71.8%）年龄在20 - 29岁之间，而大多数妻子（农村地区为67.9%，贫困城市地区为84.8%）为青少年。教育水平各不相同，与农村丈夫相比，贫困城市地区没有接受过正规教育的丈夫比例更高（7.2%对3.0%），而妻子之间没有观察到显著差异（0.6%对1.0%）。包办婚姻在农村夫妇中（80%）比贫困城市地区的夫妇（50%）更为常见。此外，贫困城市地区的参与者结婚年龄往往比农村参与者更小，贫困城市地区的妻子比农村妻子结婚更早（60.4%对39.7%）。这项开创性研究为了解孟加拉国新婚夫妇的性与生殖健康及权利需求提供了宝贵见解。研究结果将有助于设计有针对性的干预措施，以提高性与生殖健康及权利服务的利用率并提升整体幸福感，特别是在该国的农村和贫困城市地区。
