- Talking about
- Antimicrobial resistance and gender
By Dr Nichola Jones, University of Leeds PhD graduate and Research and Teaching Fellow in the Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development
Gender can influence every part of an individual's health experiences. Access to healthcare facilities, financial resources and paid employment are all heavily gendered.
My first PHD study explored how antimicrobial resistance (AMR) behaviours, such as sourcing antibiotics, are similarly gendered.
I carried out a participatory video study with two communities in Nepal. Participatory Video (PV) is a filmmaking process used across arts, humanities and social sciences research, and allows communities to explore issues impacting their own lives and share informative local knowledge.
With an undergraduate degree in performing arts, a Masters in international health and a strong interest in gender and equity in health, this combination of arts and health research spoke directly to my experience.
I was able to develop a PV toolkit and evaluation process that explored the role of gender in AMR-related behaviours, particularly the misuse of antibiotic medicines.
I examined what drove antibiotic misuse and overuse in two Nepali communities, then applied a gendered framework, finding that gender affects many aspects of this behaviour, highlighting its importance (and current neglect) in AMR research.
Connecting human, animal and environmental health
My study also explored AMR-driving behaviours through a One Health lens – an approach that recognises the connections between human, animal and environmental health and sets global standards for AMR practice across each sector.
This approach allows us to holistically consider both the drivers and solutions to AMR at a global level.
While the role of gender in AMR research is neglected, there is also a missing link in the One Health approach – putting it into practice in communities. Communities must be engaged in creating and enforcing effective AMR policy to ensure it is accepted and sustained.
If communities are encouraged to engage with issues, consider solutions and ‘speak truth to power’, they are empowered to act.
Engaging communities helps to develop our understanding of One Health principles as they are experienced in communities on a daily basis, such as through running small-scale farms, seeking subtherapeutic antibiotics to prevent sickness in animals and more.
Shaping the future of AMR research
I aimed to bridge the gap in our understanding of how the connections between human, animal and environmental health behaviours and drivers play out in the daily lives of high-risk communities.
I developed an analysis framework to pull One Health themes from data from the Community Engagement for Anti-microbial Resistance project including films, interviews and workshop transcripts. I discovered multiple areas for future research to focus on, particularly in exploring responsibility of action in AMR reduction. My findings will be published later this year.
My study showed the value of intersectional approaches to community engagement work and examined how gender impacts AMR drivers across the One Health spectrum.
My paper exploring the gendered elements of behavioural drivers of AMR at the community level was published in May 2022. Read Gender and Antimicrobial Resistance: What Can We Learn From Applying a Gendered Lens to Data Analysis Using a Participatory Arts Case Study? on the Frontiers website.
A facilitators manual, reviewed and amended as part of this PhD project, has been used in the COSTAR project, which is using PV in Nepali and Bangladeshi communities to better understand the drivers of AMR.
The manual helps teams to carry out PV projects that focus on AMR, explaining AMR from a One Health perspective and highlighting the potential role of gender in AMR. A link to this manual will be made available once the thesis is shared publicly.
Follow Dr Nichola Jones on X via @NicLeedsPHD.
AMR@Leeds event
The AMR@Leeds network will be hosting an in-person event on 19 June 2023, 10am to 3pm.
The event will focus on how the University of Leeds can come together to advance research on antimicrobial resistance.
More information will be shared on the AMR@Leeds website and the AMR@Leeds Twitter account @AMRatLeeds closer to the event.
Picture of Annapurna, Nepal free to use via Unsplash/Giuseppe Mondì
AMR@Leeds event
The AMR@Leeds network will be hosting an in-person event on 19 June 2023, 10am to 3pm.
The event will focus on how the University of Leeds can come together to advance research on antimicrobial resistance.
More information will be shared on the AMR@Leeds website and the AMR@Leeds Twitter account @AMRatLeeds closer to the event.