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Volume 2, Number 33
19 August 2002
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY
HIV/AIDS:
South African Exchange May Require Company Infection
Rate Lists (news article)
Responding to investor concern about the potential
impact of HIV/AIDS on South Africa's economy during
the next 10 to 15 years, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange
is considering a proposal that would require its listed
companies to report infection rates among their employees
and detail their efforts to fight the disease.
India:
Country, States Criticized for Two-Child Policies
(news article)
Activists and experts are criticizing measures adopted
by India and several of its states to spur couples
to have two children or fewer. The measures are being
called coercive, and some say they exacerbate an uneven
sex ratio in the country and, in some cases, effectively
bar women from political participation.
China:
Local Law Allows Second Child for Some Families
(news article)
A local law is to take effect soon in east China's
Anhui Province, allowing some families to have second
children.
The
Implications of Health Sector Reforms for Sexual and Reproductive
Health and Rights in India and Tanzania 
(information update / research brief)
CHANGE is conducting a 2-year research project in
India and Tanzania to provide more information on
the effects of various reform strategies on women's
reproductive health and rights.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH
Discussing
Sexuality Fosters Sexual Health (advocacy article)
Issues that tend not to be discussed by health providers
and their clients during medical consultations include
sexuality, infidelity as a cause of sexually transmitted
infections (STIs), and intimate partner violence.
This article explores how better dialogue between
reproductive health and family planning providers
and their clients may improve the quality of health
care.
Contraceptive
Use, Protected Sexual Intercourse and Incidence of
Pregnancies Among African HIV-infected Women. DITRAME
ANRS 049 Project, Abidjan 1995-2000. (PubMed abstract)
The authors aim in this paper was to describe the
adherence of African HIV+ women to the counselling
provided after announcement of the result of the HIV
test during pregnancy, focusing on early weaning to
reduce post-natal transmission, protected sexual intercourse
to avoid sexual transmission, and contraceptive use
to avoid unexpected pregnancies. Significant determinants
of pregnancy occurrence were the death of the previous
child, the cessation of breastfeeding, the cessation
of the post partum abstinence, and higher education.
Clients
of Female Sex Workers in Nyanza Province, Kenya: A
Core Group in STD/HIV Transmission (PubMed abstract)
Researchers found that commercial sex in Nyanza frequently
involves multiple steady relationships instead of
rapidly changing one-time contacts. They suggest that
information, education, and communication (IEC) campaigns
aimed at risk reduction in commercial sex should promote
condom use in steady FSW-client relationships.
When
Partners Talk, Behavior May Change (advocacy article)
Many men and women fail to protect themselves against
unplanned pregnancy and STIs, or to optimize their
sexual health, in part because they find it difficult,
if not impossible, to discuss with their partners
subjects related to sexuality. But research described
in this article suggests that facilitating communication
between husbands and wives helps these couples agree
upon and meet their reproductive goals.
Design,
Measurement, and Analytical Considerations for Testing
Hypotheses Relative to Condom Effectiveness Against
Non-viral STIs (editorial)
In this editorial, the authors describe selected key
issues they believe should be addressed and resolved
in tests of hypotheses relevant to condom effectiveness
for non-viral STI prevention. The issues involve design,
measurement, and data analytical procedures that are
used to test hypotheses related to condom effectiveness.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS
Burundi:
Local Study on Female Condom Shows Acceptability
(news article)
A study on the acceptability of the female condom,
Femidom, shows that "it provides a reliable men-for-women
protection against pregnancy as well as the HIV virus."
Laos Pulls Goldfish-in-a-condom
Ad As Too Explicit (news article)
An advertisement that depicts a woman carrying a goldfish
in a water-filled condom has been pulled from television
in communist Laos after authorities deemed it too
explicit.
More Women Use the
Pill in Germany Than Elsewhere (news article)
German women are more likely to use the contraceptive
pill than women anywhere else in the world, according
to a report by the German Foundation for World Population.
Sexually Transmitted
Diseases on the Rise in UK (news article)
Unsafe sex is fuelling an increase in new cases of
sexually transmitted disease in England, Wales, and
Northern Ireland, public health officials warn.
South
Africa: Government to Avail Female Condoms (news
article)
The South African government is intensifying efforts
to ensure female condoms are available free of charge.
HIV / AIDS RESEARCH
Community
Effects on the Risk of HIV Infection in Rural Tanzania
(research abstract)
Researchers investigated four community factors: level
of social and economic activity, ratio of bar workers
per male population aged 18-59, level of community
mobility, and distance to the nearest town. They found
that all four factors had strong effects on HIV transmission.
Risks
and Macroeconomic Impact of HIV/AIDS in the Middle
East and North Africa: Why Waiting to Intervene Can
Be Costly
(working paper)
The authors develop a model of optimal growth to assess
the risks of an HIV/AIDS epidemic and the expected
economic impact in nine countries in the Middle East
and North Africa region. On average, GDP losses across
countries for 2000-2025 could approximate 35 percent
of today's GDP. Delaying action for 5 years can cost,
on average, the equivalent of six percentage points
of today's GDP.
The
Integration of HIV/AIDS Care and Support into Primary
Health Care in Gauteng Province (research article)
This study aimed to assess the integration of HIV/AIDS
care and support in the primary health care services
of Gauteng Province, South Africa.
HIV / AIDS NEWS
Uganda
Announces Free Antiretroviral Program (news article)
Uganda will provide free antiretrovirals to 2000 people
across the country, health minister Jim Muhwezi announced.
Chinese
Government Approves Sale of a Domestic AIDS Drug
(news article)
The Chinese government approved for the first time
production and sale of an AIDS drug by a domestic
company, potentially paving the way for cut-rate treatments
to address a looming epidemic in China.
Kenya:
Girl Guides to Train One Million HIV/AIDS Educators
(news article)
A million Girl Guide peer educators will be trained
by the year 2004 in an ambitious program to fight
AIDS in Kenya. In the week-long training whose theme
is "Empowering African Young Women," the
guides representing 28 countries will be exposed to
various HIV/AIDS issues that they are expected to
pass on to their youth peers in the continent.
Saudi
Arabia Reports 1,285 HIV/AIDS Cases (news article)
Saudi Arabia has recorded 452 cases of AIDS with another
833 testing HIV-positive since 1984, when the kingdom
began monitoring the disease, according to a health
ministry official.
Salvadorans
Lament Rising Death Rates (news article)
Marking the 10th anniversary yesterday of El Salvador's
nongovernmental Fundacion Nacional para la Prevencion,
Educacion y Acompanamiento de las Personas con VIH/Sida,
officials expressed concern over the rising number
of HIV/AIDS-related deaths in the country. The officials
said HIV/AIDS is the fourth leading cause of death
in El Salvador.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH
Policy
and Management Constraints on Access to and Use of
Life-Saving Emergency Obstetric Care in India
(commentary)
Maternal mortality is still very high in India and
the developing world. India's maternal mortality ratio
is about 540 deaths per 100,000 live births. Poverty
and lack of resources contribute to this, but the
main reasons for such high maternal mortality are
policy barriers and management problems that impede
access to good-quality emergency obstetric care in
rural areas.
Weaning
Initiation Patterns and Subsequent Linear Growth Progression
Among Children Aged 2-4 Years in India (PubMed
abstract)
This study investigated the association between timing
of weaning and stunting of children in India, using
data from National Family Health Survey, 1992-1993.
Children weaned at age 6 months and after 6 months
were more likely to be stunted at later age compared
with those weaned before 6 months. The effect of age
at weaning on stunting attenuated but persisted with
statistical significance after controlling for important
demographic, health, social and region variables.
Birth
Weight of Offspring and Insulin Resistance in Late
Adulthood: Cross Sectional Survey (research article)
Birth weight of offspring is inversely related to
the mother's insulin resistance in late adulthood,
despite the association of glucose intolerance during
pregnancy with heavier offspring at birth.
The
Determinants of Birth Intervals: A Qualitative Approach
from Punjab, India (research abstract)
The determinants of birth intervals have been a focus
of attention because of the strong relationship between
birth intervals, mortality and fertility. This paper
criticizes the conventional hazard model approach
to the determinants of birth intervals on the grounds
of, first, the widespread assumption that birth intervals
are planned and go according to plan, and secondly,
a common failure to situate birth intervals within
the social structures in which they take place.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS
Kenya:
Free HIV/Aids Drugs for Mothers Programme Launched
(news article)
A program to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission
has been launched in Kenya. It will involve free provision
of the anti-retroviral drug Nevirapine to the 150,000
infected pregnant mothers and their infants in the
provincial and district hospitals.
MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Increased
Sperm Nuclear DNA Damage in Normozoospermic Infertile
Men: A Prospective Study (PubMed abstract)
Related news article: Sperm DNA
Damage May Help Explain Male Infertility
Infertile men with no apparent deficiency in their
sperm quality may be unable to impregnate their partners
because their sperm carries damaged DNA. The causes
of this DNA damage are still unknown, but it could
be inherited or due to environmental factors such
as hormones or oxidative damage.
POPULATION RESEARCH
Life
Expectancy at Current Rates vs. Current Conditions:
A Reflexion Stimulated by Bongaarts and Feeney's "How
Long Do We Live?"
(review article)
Life expectancy is overestimated if mortality is declining
and underestimated if mortality is increasing. This
article explains why this claim is true in most heterogeneous
populations. It suggests that demographers should
be careful about distinguishing between life expectancy
under current conditions, which is difficult and problematic
to assess, and life expectancy at current rates, which
can be estimated using standard methods.
POPULATION NEWS
Poverty
Fuels Developing World's High Birth Rate (news
article)
Related news article: 99
Percent of Growth Seen Occurring in Developing World
Poverty fuels high birth rates in poor nations, as
documented in the 2002 World Population Data Sheet
released by the Population Reference Bureau. Of the
41 countries designated as "heavily indebted
poor countries" by the World Bank, 39 fall into
the category of high-fertility nations, where women,
on average, bear four or more children. Similarly,
the 48 countries identified by the United Nations
as "least developed" are expected to triple
their populations by 2050.
Male
Preference Continues to Grow in Asia (news story)
In India and China, where cultural beliefs remain
steadfast, recent reports show that the preference
for sons has dramatically widened female-male birth
ratios and boosted incidents of infanticide.
Iran's
Population Growth Rate to Drop to Zero in 2010
(news article)
A member of the Scientific Board at Mazandaran University
predicts that Iran's population growth rate will reach
zero 2010 through family planning.
Ethnic Origins Ignored
in Rwanda's First Census (news article)
Eight years after up to a million of its citizens
died in Africa's worst genocide in living memory,
Rwanda began its first ever population census that
ignores ethnic origins.
Report: China's Aging Population Expanding Fast (news
article)
China faces social problems caused by a sharp increase
in its aging population, and the number of people
aged over 60 in China exceeded 90 million at the end
of 2001, the Chinese Academy of Sciences warned in
a recent report.
Arab
Population Rose to 289 Million Last Year (news
article)
The total Arab population rose to 289 million last
year, which was one of the fastest growth rates in
the world, according to latest figures.
WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Part
Time Female Sex Workers in a Suburban Community in
Kenya: A Vulnerable Hidden Population (research
abstract)
The researchers studied parameters of sexual behaviour
and knowledge of STI and HIV in 503 self-described
sex workers in order to describe health seeking behaviours
related to STI and to measure the prevalence of gonorrhoea,
chlamydia, syphilis, and HIV-1. Forty-five percent
never used a condom with a nonpaying partner. The
overall HIV-1 seroprevalence was 30.6 percent.
Two
Novel Vaginal Microbicides (Polystyrene Sulfonate
and Cellulose Sulfate) Inhibit Gardnerella vaginalis
and Anaerobes Commonly Associated with Bacterial Vaginosis
(research abstract)
Related news article: Two Vaginal
Microbicides Kill 'Bad' Bacteria
Two vaginal microbicides under study for preventing
HIV infection in women have been shown to kill off
bacteria that cause the common vaginal infection bacterial
vaginosis (BV). Researchers say the findings suggest
that these agents, which have been shown in the test
tube to inhibit HIV and other sexually transmitted
pathogens, could also offer a way to prevent BV.
The
Diagnosis of Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, and Trichomonas
Infections by Self Obtained Low Vaginal Swabs, in
Remote Northern Australian Clinical Practice (research
abstract)
The authors conclude that self obtained low vaginal
swabs are an acceptable, simple and sensitive diagnostic
sample for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis,
Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis infection
and have particular applications in remote clinical
practice and as a screening technique.
WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Gender
Stereotypes Compromise Sexual Health (advocacy
article)
Expectations about what it means to be a man or a
woman, which are a basic part of most children's socialization,
can also greatly affect sexual health. This article
describes how such gender stereotypes can increase
vulnerability to violence, sexual exploitation, unplanned
pregnancy, unsafe abortion, and STIs, including HIV.
YOUTH RESEARCH
HIV
Prevalence and Socio-cultural Contexts of Sexuality
Among Youth in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (research article)
Of the 677 study subjects in this study, 20 (3 percent)
tested positive for HIV-1 antibodies. The researchers
found that cultural shaping of young people's sexuality
gave privileges for males to be sexually active, be
in control of sexual relationships, and be less responsible
for precautions to prevent HIV/AIDS. The youth in
general sensed their excessive vulnerability to HIV/AIDS
but lacked individual motivation and skills to practice
safe sex behaviour.
Is
Lack of Sexual Assertiveness Among Adolescent and
Young Adult Women a Cause for Concern? (research
article)
Many sexually active young women perceive that they
do not have the right to communicate about or control
aspects of their sexual behavior. Interventions to
prevent sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy
and coercive sexual behaviors should include strategies
to evaluate and address these perceptions.
Effect
of Mandatory Parental Notification on Adolescent Girls'
Use of Sexual Health Care Services (research abstract)
Related news article: Teens Shun
Sexual Health Care If Parents Get Report
Related editorial: Limiting
Confidentiality of Adolescent Health Services
More than half of teenaged girls who attend family
planning clinics say they would stop or delay using
certain or all services, including testing and treatment
for sexually transmitted diseases, if practitioners
were required to inform their parents that they had
sought prescription contraceptives
School
Based HIV Prevention in Zimbabwe: Feasibility and
Acceptability of Evaluation Trials Using Biological
Outcomes (PubMed abstract)
Researchers found that it is feasible to conduct randomized
trials to establish the effectiveness of adolescent
reproductive health interventions. However, self-reported
behavioural outcomes will probably be biased, indicating
the importance of using externally validated biological
outcome measures to determine effectiveness.
YOUTH NEWS
Sex
Education Fights Taboos in Sri Lanka (news article)
Though the government encourages sex education for
high school students, most teachers simply gloss over
the syllabus for lack of knowledge and fear of embarrassment,
allowing wild notions to run rampant.
South
Africa: Teenage Sex Habits May Be Changing (news
article)
There is tentative evidence that the high-risk sexual
behaviour of teenagers, which has been driving South
Africa's high rate of HIV infection, is changing as
a result of awareness campaigns.
BOOKS / BOOK REVIEWS
British
Medical Bulletin Volume 58 2001: The Changing Face
of HIV and AIDS (book review)
This book offers a concise series of review articles
on a broad array of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related
topics. The subjects covered in this book include
virology, pathogenesis, treatment, prevention, and
progress toward a prophylactic vaccine, to name a
few. Given the wide range of topics covered, anyone
with an interest in HIV/AIDS is bound to find many
aspects of this book appealing.
PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS
Reproductive Health Organizations Use Industry Technique to Improve Performance (press release)
Reproductive health organizations in many developing countries are using a process pioneered in industry to improve the quality of their services, according to a new report from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Performance Improvement (PI) helps organizations create the conditions for high employee productivity. Reproductive health organizations use it to focus on meeting the needs of service providers and other staff members, according to the latest issue of Population Reports®, published by the Johns Hopkins Population
Information Program. HTML | PDF
Women, Children and HIV: Resources for Prevention and Treatment (resource materials)
CD ROM containing over 5,000 pages of text related to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care of HIV infected women and children available without charge from Global Strategies for HIV Prevention.
Facts About Adolescents From the Demographic and Health Survey: Statistical Tables for Program Planning (research reports)
The Population Council analyzed Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data in a way that could clearly illustrate the diversity of adolescents' lives. It is the Council's goal that these analyses will be used to improve understanding about the adolescent experience, and to build interventions based on fact rather than assumption. These analyses are presented in individual country reports.
Monitoring and Evaluation of Sexual and Reproductive Health Interventions: A Manaul for the EC/UNFPA Initiative for Reproductive Health in Asia (manual)
The manual is a tool aimed at helping organisations to monitor and evaluate sexual and reproductive health interventions, whether they be individual projects or part of larger programmes like the EC/UNFPA Initiative for Reproductive Health in Asia (RHI). The manual acquaints the reader with concepts and terminology underlying the objectives of the RHI and ICPD/POA, the scope and focus of project monitoring and evaluation and their different functions, the use of a conceptual model for monitoring and evaluation and their different functions, the use of a conceptual model for monitoring and evaluation and its relationship with the logical framework and the systems analysis framework.
Partnering: A New Aproach to Sexual and Reproductive Health
This feature article on the Development Gateway/UNFPA Population and Reproductive Health (POP/RH) Portal includes selected links to Internet resources about male involvement in reproductive health and family planning.
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