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Using the concept of methodological congruence—where the different elements of a study 'fit' together—we explore both problematic and good practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis (TA) as reported in Health Promotion International (HPI). Aligning with the importance we place on 'owning your perspectives' we situate this exploration in relation to our understanding of the variation in approaches to TA and qualitative research more broadly. This contextualization is necessary for highlighting why we judge practices to be in/congruent, and to facilitate more knowing congruence in future research. We critically reviewed a 'sample' of 31 papers published in HPI between 2010 and 2023 citing Braun and Clarke as reference for TA. We overview a range of problematic and good features of the use of TA in HPI , before focusing on two domains that seemed to present key challenges: theory and themes. Methodological incongruence can occur when postpositivist values and practices unwittingly creep into ostensibly non-positivist TA; we encourage thoughtfully and what we term 'knowing' consideration of theory, and quality practices and criteria. Methodological incongruence can also occur through mismatched conceptualizations of themes—notably, the use of 'topic summaries' as themes for reflexive TA (and fragmented thematic structures with 'thin' themes). We provide examples from the reviewed papers to demonstrate good practice in researcher reflexivity, articulation of theoretical and methodological frameworks and congruent themes. However, mindful of power dynamics, we only discuss problematic practice in general terms, to protect author anonymity. To facilitate thoughtful, quality TA—of all kinds—we provide eight pointers for researchers (and reviewers) to guide quality practice, and facilitate the use of concepts, procedures and criteria that promote knowing methodological congruence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been significant progress in improved adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (ASRHR) for girls across low- to- middle-income countries (LMICs). However, progress has been uneven, and disparities persistent across and within countries. For example, Vietnam is one of only nine countries to have achieved the 2015 maternal mortality rate (MMR) target of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a nation, but for some sub-populations, progress has been much slower, and MMR is more than twice that the national average. Ensuring equity is a current focus of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda that seeks to Leave No One Behind. This paper explores some of these inequities and potential drivers for ethnic minority adolescent girls in Vietnam, with a specific focus on the Tay community, the largest ethnic minority group in Vietnam. This paper highlights the challenges to progress, including areas where there is still limited evidence about the range of socio-cultural factors that may determine sexual and reproductive health outcomes for Tay adolescent girls. In the era of the SDGs, Vietnam's national policy platforms and current aid architecture provide a solid basis on which to build research, policy and practice investments that improve the health of adolescent ethnic minority girls in Vietnam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since launching health health-promoting settings approach to health by WHO, valuable progress has happened in implementing its holistic concepts in settings such as cities, schools, workplaces, hospitals and healthcare services. However, significant knowledge–intention–success gaps still exist in creating sustainable health-promoting changes in settings. The complexity of the task of bridging this gap has contributed to the call for a complexity-informed paradigm shift to health as well as settings, followed by increasing consultation of relevant complexity theories, frameworks and tools in health research. This paper provides a critical scoping review of the application of complex adaptive system (CAS) theory in settings-based health promotion research. We included 14 papers, mostly qualitative studies, reporting on planning or implementation of change initiatives, less on its evaluation. CAS theory application was often incomplete thereby reducing the potential benefit of using this lens to understand change management. We suggest some recommendations how to comprehensively apply the CAS theory in setting-based health research and to report on all CAS characteristics to enhance the understanding of settings as adaptive health-promoting settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A list of reviewers of papers published by the health promotion-focused periodical in 2023 is presented including Rachel Engler-Stringer, Jude Ball and Glen Bates.