Institutions and organisations providing institutional food services are important in ensuring sustainability throughout the food supply chain and promoting sustainable and healthy eating among consumers. This study evaluated the relationships between food literacy, sustainable and healthy eating behaviors, and diet quality of institutional food service staff. The participants in the study were 173 volunteer staff (cooks, assistant cooks, waiters, dishwashers, and cleaners) aged 19-64 working in kitchens and dining halls affiliated with a university in Ankara (Türkiye). Socio-demographic information, the Sustainable and Healthy Eating (SHE) Behaviors Scale, the Self- Perceived Food Literacy (SPFL) Scale and a 24-hour dietary recall were collected through face-to-face method questionnaire administration. The quality of the diet was evaluated via the Healthy Eating Index-2020 (HEI-2020), derived from 24-hour dietary recall data. A moderate positive association existed between the total score on the SHE Behavior Scale and the total score on the SPFL Scale (r: 0.584, p<0.001). Weak positive correlation was found between the total SPFL and the total HEI-2020 scores (r: 0.160, p=0.036). The mean SPFL score for production personnel, including cooks and assistant cooks, exceeded that of support personnel, which includes waiters, dishwashers and cleaners (p=0.006). None of the participants had a good diet quality. Food literacy levels should be enhanced so that food service personnel may develop sustainable and healthy eating behaviors and improve the quality of their diets. Considering that the food service personnel participating in the study did not have an ideal diet, strategies to improve diet quality should be developed.

Temporary Childbirth Migration (TCM), where women return to their natal homes during or after pregnancy, is a common but understudied practice in India and South Asia. This study examines the influence of social support systems on TCM decisions among Indian women, focusing on the roles of husbands, in-laws, and parents. The study was conducted in the Vadu Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) in Western Maharashtra, India, and involved 41 in-depth interviews with triads comprising women, their husbands, and mothers-in-law. Participants varied in age, education, occupation, marriage, migration type, and delivery method and included women with infants up to two years old. Data were analysed using rapid and traditional coding approaches with predefined and emergent codes. Findings were categorised under four key domains of social support: emotional, financial, instrumental, and informational. Emotional support from mothers fosters a stress-free environment; financial support from family influences location; instrumental support for household tasks differs across settings; and informational guidance from experienced family members guides expectant mothers. Healthcare access, household status, and the husband’s role also shape migration choices. Women prioritise proximity to medical facilities, comfort, and freedom in their natal homes. Decisions are typically inclusive, involving multiple family members. The study shows that social support, cultural norms, and practical needs influence TCM decisions, and further research is needed to support women’s choices during the perinatal period. In conclusion, recognising emotional, financial, informational, and instrumental support can help providers and policymakers improve maternal and child health outcomes.

In recent years, mental health policy and legislation have changed dramatically, allowing for more human rights-based and recovery-orientated services to come into being. One example of this is the enactment of The Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act 2015 which allowed for conversations to begin within mental health about respecting the wishes of the person, even when they are in crisis. Within health discourse, this can be achieved through the creation of an advance healthcare directive. However, to date, within mental health services, clinicians, and service users do not have a recognised template that can be adapted for this purpose when a service user loses capacity to make decisions about their own life and care they receive. This paper proposes that Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP), and particularly the crisis and post-crisis planning section of the programme should be used as a potential structure for such advance healthcare directives to be formulated. This is potentially plausible due to how engrained WRAP is in Irish mental health services, the evidence base backing for WRAP as well as the ease of use of the initiative to support overall well-being. As such, this paper has laid out how such plans can be used as an advance healthcare directive in an Irish setting and is also likely to be applicable internationally.

Exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months of life is crucial for the health of mothers and babies in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC). Milk mid-chain fatty acids (MCFA) are potential biomarkers of milk production in other settings. This study investigates MCFA as markers of exclusive breastfeeding in an LMIC. This was an ancillary observational analysis of human milk fatty acids from a parent randomized-controlled trial (RCT) of vitamin D supplementation in Bangladesh. We categorized mothers as currently exclusively or non-exclusively breastfeeding based on weekly infant feeding questionnaires. We analyzed milk fatty acids at 3 months postpartum by gas chromatography and modeled longitudinal exclusive breastfeeding using milk fatty acids in repeated measures Poisson regression. Fatty acids are reported as % total fatty acids. The prevalence of currently exclusive breastfeeding was 76% at 3 months and 43% at 6 months (N=587). Both C6:0 and C15:0 were higher with exclusive breastfeeding (C6:0, p=0.001; C15:0, p=0.007), while C12:0 and C14:0 were lower (C12:0, p<0.001; C14:0, p<0.001). We combined these into a MCFA index defined as ((C6:0+C15:0)/(C12:0+C14:0))*1,000 (Excl:25±0.50, Non-excl:20±0.60, p<0.001). Mothers in the highest and lowest MCFA index tertiles had an exclusive breastfeeding prevalence at 3 months of 95% and 60%, respectively (p<0.001) and remained different until 6 months. In secondary analysis, vitamin D supplementation during lactation was moderately associated with exclusive breastfeeding (relative prevalence: 1.17 [95% CI:1.04,1.32]). Milk MCFA were markers of exclusive breastfeeding in this cohort, and the milk MCFA index at 3 months predicted exclusive breastfeeding from 3 to 6 months postpartum.

In a globalised world, authoritarian politics does not stay within state borders. Autocrats and their allies reach abroad to influence their international environment to, at a minimum, protect authoritarianism at home or, more ambitiously, to promote pro-authoritarian norms and practices abroad. A rich stream of political science literature – comparative, international and area studies – has mapped the contours of this ‘transnational authoritarianism’ in an increasingly permissive international environment. This review article argues that transnational authoritarianism is facilitated by the rise of authoritarian powers and deepening globalisation. It first examines the drivers of contemporary transnational authoritarianism before identifying and categorising its central actors. The review then organises the literature on this topic into two strands, each enabled by autocracies’ ascendance in a globalised era. First, official channels of transnational authoritarianism see mostly state actors advance regime goals with familiar instruments such as security cooperation agreements, but with renewed vigour and support. Second, unofficial channels feature a mix of state and non-state actors exerting leverage and influence within the networks and channels of global interconnectedness. By necessity, these categories traverse the fields of comparative politics and international relations, revealing how these transnational dimensions are critical to the success of contemporary authoritarian regimes. The review concludes by revisiting earlier literature on autocracy promotion considering these emergent realities, and reflecting on how recent political developments in the United States relate to these processes.