Deconstructing antimicrobial resistance national action plans: A gender-perspective driven mixed-methods analysis.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Global Health Security
• Gender Studies

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant global health threat, necessitating comprehensive National Action Plans (NAPs).
• Existing AMR policies often overlook gender considerations, despite evidence of women's disproportionate susceptibility to infections and higher antibiotic prescription rates.
• This gap highlights a critical need to integrate gender perspectives into global AMR strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the extent to which gender is incorporated into National Action Plans (NAPs) for antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
• To examine the relationship between gender-related keyword inclusion, geographical region, income level, and the gender composition of NAP curators.
• To identify gaps and provide recommendations for enhancing gender sensitivity in AMR policy development.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach was employed, analyzing 132 NAPs published before December 2023.
• Quantitative analysis involved keyword frequency counts for gender-related terms.
• Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted on high-scoring NAPs, alongside an assessment of curator gender composition and its correlation with keyword inclusion.

Main Results:

• Only 11% of NAPs explicitly mentioned "gender," with "urinary tract infection" being the most frequent gender-related term (33%).
• NAPs with higher gender-related term scores were more common in low-income countries, particularly in Africa.
• Women were underrepresented among NAP curators, and no significant correlation was found between female participation and the inclusion of gender-related keywords.

Conclusions:

• Gender remains inadequately integrated into AMR National Action Plans globally.
• There is a clear need for enhanced gender awareness in policy development for AMR.
• Adopting an intersectional framework is crucial to address the complex social determinants influencing AMR vulnerability and response.