Background Mental health disparities persist as a pressing public health concern globally. Gender disparities in mental health are evident, with women disproportionately affected by conditions such as depression and anxiety. Despite the apparent need, studies from Bangladesh indicate that women are less likely to seek mental healthcare compared with men. Objective This study aims to investigate gender differences in mental health help-seeking behaviour in Bangladesh. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from 15 to 30 October 2021, targeting individuals with perceived mental health problems through the Facebook page of LifeSpring, a mental health and well-being organisation based in Bangladesh. Data (n=3031; women: 2140; men: 891) were collected using the JotForm online survey tool and analysed using descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses and multinomial logistic regression. Results The majority of participants were female (70.6%), aged between 18 and 34 years (87.3%), and from urban areas (85.4%). Overall, 28.4% received non-professional help, with females at 30.9% and males at 22.3%. Additionally, 22.9% received help from professionals, with females at 20.8% and males at 28.1%. Notable disparities were observed in mental health help-seeking behaviour between genders. While females exhibit higher odds of seeking non-professional support (OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.21 to 1.84, p value <0.001), they have lower odds of obtaining professional assistance compared with males (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.56 to 0.86, p value 0.001). Factors such as stigma, financial constraints and marital status significantly influenced help-seeking behaviours. Conclusion This study contributes to our understanding of gender disparities in mental healthcare utilisation in Bangladesh, highlighting the need for gender-sensitive approaches in mental healthcare service delivery.

Background Well-functioning patient feedback systems can contribute to improved quality of healthcare and systems accountability. We used realist evaluation to examine patient feedback systems at health facilities in Bangladesh, informed by theories of citizenship and principal–agent relationships. Methods We collected and analysed data in two stages, using: document review; secondary analysis of data from publicly available web-portals; in-depth interviews with patients, health workers and managers; non-participant observations of feedback environments; and stakeholder workshops. Stage 1 focused on identifying and articulating the initial programme theory (PT) of patient feedback systems. In stage 2, we iteratively tested and refined this initial theory, through analysing data and grounding emerging findings within substantive theories and empirical literature, to arrive at a refined PT. Results Multiple patient feedback systems operate in Bangladesh, essentially comprising stages of collection, analysis and actions on feedback. Key contextual enablers include political commitment to accountability, whereas key constraints include limited patient awareness of feedback channels, lack of guidelines and documented processes, local political dynamics and priorities, institutional hierarchies and accountability relationships. Findings highlight that relational trust may be important for many people to exercise citizenship and providing feedback, and that appropriate policy and regulatory frameworks with clear lines of accountability are critical for ensuring effective patient feedback management within frontline healthcare facilities. Conclusion Theories of citizenship and principal–agent relationships can help understand how feedback systems work through spotlighting the citizenship identity and agency, shared or competing interests, and information asymmetries. We extend the understanding of these theories by highlighting how patients, health workers and managers act as both principals and agents, and how information asymmetry and possible agency loss can be addressed. We highlight the importance of awareness raising and non-threatening environment to provide feedback, adequate support to staff to document and analyse feedback and timely actions on the information.

Exposure to second-hand smoke from tobacco is a major contributor to global morbidity and mortality. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a community-based smoke-free-home intervention, with or without indoor-air-quality feedback, in reducing second-hand-smoke exposure in homes in Bangladesh. We did a three-arm, cluster-randomised, controlled trial in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and randomly assigned (1:1:1) mosques and consenting households from their congregations to a smoke-free-home intervention plus indoor-air-quality feedback, smoke-free-home intervention only, or usual services. Households were eligible if they had at least one resident attending one of the participating mosques, at least one adult resident (age 18 years or older) who smoked cigarettes or other forms of smoked tobacco (eg, bidi, waterpipe) regularly (on at least 25 days per month), and at least one non-smoking resident of any age. The smoke-free-home intervention consisted of weekly health messages delivered within an Islamic discourse by religious leaders at mosques over 12 weeks. Indoor-air-quality feedback comprised providing households with feedback on their indoor air quality measured over 24 h. Households in the usual services group received no intervention. Masking of participants and mosque leaders was not possible. The primary outcome was the 24-h mean household airborne fine particulate matter (<2·5 microns in diameter [PM2·5]) concentration (a marker of second-hand smoke) at 12 months after randomisation. Cost-effectiveness was estimated using incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). This trial is registered with ISRCTN, 49975452. Between April 11 and Aug 2, 2018, we enrolled 1801 households from 45 mosques. 640 households (35·5%) were assigned to the smoke-free-home intervention plus indoor-air-quality feedback group, 560 (31·1%) to the smoke-free-home intervention only group, and 601 (33·4%) to the usual services group. At 12 months, the adjusted mean difference in household mean 24-h PM2·5 concentration was -1·0 μg/m3 (95% CI -12·8 to 10·9, p=0·88) for the smoke-free-home intervention plus indoor-air-quality feedback group versus the usual services group, 5·0 μg/m3 (-7·9 to 18·0, p=0·45) for the smoke-free-home intervention only group versus the usual services group, and -6·0 μg/m3 (-18·3 to 6·3, p=0·34) for the smoke-free-home intervention plus indoor-air-quality feedback group versus the smoke-free-home intervention only group. The ICER for the smoke-free-home intervention plus indoor-air-quality feedback versus usual services was US$653 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained, which was more than the upper limit of the Bangladesh willingness-to-pay threshold of $427 per QALY. The smoke-free-home intervention, with or without indoor-air-quality feedback, was neither effective nor cost-effective in reducing household second-hand-smoke exposure compared with usual services. These interventions are therefore not recommended for Bangladesh. Medical Research Council UK. For the Bengali translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

This paper documents, and reflects on key strengths and weaknesses of, existing patient feedback management systems at primary health care in Bangladesh and proposes key implications for future policy and practice. A mixed-method study was conducted in two Upazila (sub-district) Health Complexes (UHC) within one district in Bangladesh. It reports qualitative data from thematic analysis of in-depth interviews (n = 15) with key stakeholders; non-participant observations of feedback environment at UHCs; document review; and a stakeholder workshop. Patient feedback data from publicly available web portals were also analyzed. Multiple parallel patient feedback systems exist at health facilities. Key strengths across all systems included common goals of ensuring accountability and patient voice and high-level commitment. Common weaknesses included lack of documented processes, limited awareness of available channels among patients and a lack of documented actions following feedback. The findings helped to provide a few implications for future policy and practice on patient feedback management.