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BACKGROUND: In 2015, following a call for proposals from the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), six scoping reviews on the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases in urban areas were conducted. Those reviews provided a clear picture of the available knowledge and highlighted knowledge gaps, as well as needs and opportunities for future research. Based on the research findings of the scoping reviews, a concept mapping exercise was undertaken to produce a list of priority research needs to be addressed. METHODS: Members of the six research teams responsible for the "VEctor boRne DiseAses Scoping reviews" (VERDAS) consortium's scoping reviews met for 2 days with decision-makers from Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Pan-American Health Organization, and World Health Organization. A total of 11 researchers and seven decision-makers (from ministries of health, city and regional vector control departments, and vector control programs) completed the concept mapping, answering the question: "In view of the knowledge synthesis and your own expertise, what do we still need to know about vector-borne diseases and other infectious diseases of poverty in urban areas?" Participants rated each statement on two scales from 1 to 5, one relative to 'priority' and the other to 'policy relevance', and grouped statements into clusters based on their own individual criteria and expertise. RESULTS: The final map consisted of 12 clusters. Participants considered those entitled "Equity", "Technology", and "Surveillance" to have the highest priority. The cluster considered the most important concerns equity issues, confirming that these issues are rarely addressed in research on vector-borne diseases. On the other hand, the "Population mobility" and "Collaboration" clusters were considered to be the lowest priority but remained identified by participants as research priorities. The average policy relevance scores for each of the 12 clusters were roughly the same as the priority scores for all clusters. Some issues were not addressed during the brain-storming. This is the case for governance and for access and quality of care. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this work, and adopting a participatory approach, the concept mapping exercise conducted collaboratively with researchers from these teams and high-level decision-makers identified research themes for which studies should be carried out as a priority.

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AIM: To describe the pattern of use of the Internet as a source of health information by participants of antenatal classes. Background. There is a lack of information about the frequency of Internet use amongst expectant mothers and fathers who attend antenatal classes. DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive study. METHODS: Women (n = 114) and men (n = 21) were recruited. Data were collected anonymously using a self-administered questionnaire, containing questions about Internet use, the frequency of that use, sources of information about pregnancy, preference over other non-Internet sources, positive and negative feelings generated due to the use of the Internet and willingness to receive instructions on Internet use. RESULTS: The average age of participants was 31·4 (SD 6·1) and their stage of pregnancy ranged from 24-38 weeks. 83·5% were expecting their first child. 93·5% reported that they used the Internet on a regular basis and no significant difference was found between men and women. Amongst Internet users, 97·7% sought, at some point, information on pregnancy on the Internet and 26·9% had done so in the last 24 hours. The Internet was the most popular source of information on pregnancy topics (18·5% of women and 25·8% of men used it as their primary source of information) after a physician. Commercial websites were more frequently used by people looking for information on pregnancy than sites maintained by not-for-profit organisations or professional unions. CONCLUSIONS: The Internet is widely used as a source of information amongst participants of antenatal classes, both male and female. Approximately 95% have used it at some point to find information during pregnancy, but the majority (approximately 90%) had no knowledge of websites run by not-for-profit organisations and preferred commercial websites. Relevance to clinical practice. Instead of disregarding the use of the Internet as a source of information during pregnancy, midwives should keep up to date and give their patients links to high-quality sites.

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