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The Pop Reporter®

Volume 2, Number 32
12 August 2002

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FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY

China Clears Way to Enforce First Family Planning Law (news article)
A nationwide publicity campaign has begun to ensure that China's new family planning law has a trouble-free birth on Sept 1.

Reproductive Health and Health Sector Reform in Developing Countries: Establishing a Framework for Dialogue (research article)
It is not clear how policy-making in the field of reproductive health relates to changes associated with programs for health sector reform in developing countries. This paper examines the factors that limit dialogue between the two areas and proposes a framework for encouraging it.

Lesotho Proposes Death Penalty for HIV-Positive Rapists (news article)
HIV-infected rapists who know they carry the virus could face the death penalty under a bill introduced last week in Lesotho's parliament. The bill, introduced by Justice Minister Refiloe Masemene, would provide for the compulsory testing of all sexual offenders.

Nigeria: Catholic Church Adopts Curriculum On Sex Education (news article)
The Catholic Church in Nigeria has evolved a curriculum on sexuality education for use in homes and parishes.

FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH

Reproductive Health Indicators and Outcomes Among Refugee and Internally Displaced Persons in Postemergency Phase Camps (research abstract)
Related news article: Pregnant Women, Newborns Do OK in Refugee Camps
Refugees and internally displaced persons in most postemergency phase camps had better reproductive health outcomes than their respective host country and country-of-origin populations.

Use of Oral Contraceptive Pills and Vulvar Vestibulitis: A Case-Control Study (PubMed abstract)
Related news article: Painful Sex Possibly Linked to Pill in Some Women
Vulvar vestibulitis is characterized by superficial pain during intercourse. Exploratory studies have suggested that oral contraceptives (OCs) could be associated with occurrence of vulvar vestibulitis. This study found that 4 percent of cases had never used OCs compared with 17 percent of controls, with a relative risk of 6.6 for ever users compared with never users.

Reduced Ovulation Rate in Adolescent Girls Born Small for Gestational Age (research abstract)
Related news article: Low Weight at Birth May Impair Later Ovulation
Low birth weight may affect ovulation--and perhaps fertility--later in life, results of a new European study suggest. The researchers found that teenage girls who were small at birth were less likely to release eggs regularly than girls who were normal-sized at birth.

FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS

India: Water, Power and Now Condom Shortage (news article)
In addition to the power and water crisis, the spectre of a condom shortage now looms over the state of Andhra Pradesh, with the Government of India not able to supply enough condoms to meet the demand under the state's free distribution and social marketing program.

Nigeria: Solution Sought to Dearth of Contraceptives (news article)
Nigeria has approved wide-ranging recommendations to secure an uninterrupted supply of contraceptive commodities as countries all over the world face a dearth of supply and donor support, increasing demand, and the growing incidence of HIV/AIDS.

A New Ring Cycle: Contraceptive Woos the Wary (news article)
A new birth control device that fits in the vagina and emits lower levels of estrogen and progestin than are contained in oral contraceptives could make birth control easier and more effective for many women, experts say.

HIV / AIDS RESEARCH

Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV in Asia: Practical Guidance for Programs (research report)
This report can be used as a technical resource, a programmatic guide, and a basis for policy dialogue and coordination. It focuses on the five most affected countries in the region--Cambodia, China, India, Myanmar, and Thailand--but presents technical background and lessons learned that are relevant for the rest of the region.

Determinants of Individual AIDS Risk Perception: Knowledge, Behavioral Control, and Social Influence (research report)
This paper investigates the determinants of the reported degree of risk perception of getting infected by HIV/AIDS. In particular, adopting a social interaction approach, the authors argue that individual risk perception is shaped by social network influences. Information is used about conversations related to AIDS and HIV infection risk occurring among individuals and their social network members.

HIV-1/AIDS and the Control of Other Infectious Diseases in Africa (PubMed abstract)
The effect of HIV-1 on other infectious diseases in Africa is an increasing public health concern. This review describes the role that malaria, sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis have had in the HIV-1 epidemic.

Malawi: A Suitable Case for Treatment (research article)
Although some progress was reported at the international AIDS conference held here last month, one country's efforts to secure help in tackling its AIDS epidemic indicates the gulf between needs and the resources available to meet them. After repeated interactions with donor organizations and the newly established Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, Malawi, a country in which 16% of the adult population is infected with HIV, was forced to whittle down an ambitious plan to one that will barely make a dent in its problems.

Antiretroviral-Drug Resistance among Patients Recently Infected with HIV (research abstract)
Related news article: North American Drug-Resistant Cases Tripled In Five Years
The percentage of North Americans with HIV who have drug-resistant strains of the virus nearly tripled between 1995 and 2000, and about one in eight people newly infected now contracts a strain resistant to at least one drug

HIV / AIDS NEWS

Chronic Condom Shortage Could Trigger AIDS in Indian Brothels (news article)
Indian brothels are grappling with a severe shortage of condoms that could spread AIDS and other STDs to clients.

Tajikistan: Focus on AIDS (news article)
Tajik authorities have been responsive to the problem. The government has demonstrated its concern by preparing a national strategic plan for 2002 and 2004 on HIV, but remains short of funding. Approximately US $2.5 million is needed to implement the project.

China: Nation Mobilizes to Fight AIDS/HIV (news article)
China is intensifying its spread of information on AIDS to prevent and control the deadly disease. High-profile reports and programs on AIDS patients can be seen frequently in the media. Even a few brave AIDS patients have broken their silence and appealed to the public for respect by citing their own experiences via the media.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

Using Process Indicators to Monitor and Evaluate Obstetric Services in Developing Countries (research article)
Measuring progress toward safe motherhood goals is an increasingly important priority for developing countries and their development partners. As more countries adopt the 6 basic indicators developed by the UN, work continues to identify and implement additional indicators, particularly those that will improve measurements of quality of care.

Accuracy of Cervicovaginal Fetal Fibronectin Test in Predicting Risk of Spontaneous Preterm Birth: Systematic Review (research article)
Spontaneous preterm birth is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. If spontaneous preterm birth can be predicted, effective therapeutic strategies can be used to improve neonatal outcomes. Though the cervicovaginal fetal fibronectin test has been proposed as a predictive test, estimates of its accuracy are variable. This study finds that the cervicovaginal fetal fibronectin test is most accurate in predicting spontaneous preterm birth within 7-10 days of testing among women with symptoms of threatened preterm birth before advanced cervical dilatation.

What are the Implications for the Next Delivery in Primigravidae Who Have an Elective Caesarian Section For Breech Presentation? (PubMed abstract)
Related news article: First Baby Breech Doesn't Require Repeat C-Section
Women who have an elective caesarian section for a breech presentation in their first pregnancy have about a 1 in 10 chance of having an elective caesarian section for a breech presentation in their second pregnancy.

Using Technology to Reduce Maternal Mortality in Low-Resource Settings: Challenges and Opportunities (research article)
This article examines the limitations and challenges affecting health technologies in low-resource settings and suggests a framework for characterizing specific technology-based solutions. It also provides examples of pregnancy-related problems in which the introduction of new or modified technologies could help save women's lives.

Contribution of Nursing and Midwifery to Health System Performance and Goals (research report) PDF | Microsoft Word
Nursing and midwifery practitioners comprise the largest health service providers and have been affected by health system changes in different ways. This paper presents an analysis of case study results in Belize, Colombia, and Mexico.

Breastfeeding and Infant Growth: Biology or Bias? (research abstract)
Related news article: Breastfed Babies Grow as Quickly as Others
Healthy infants breast-fed exclusively for the first three months of life grow faster than their formula-fed peers, but there are no differences in weight, length or head circumference between the two groups by the time they reach the age of one year, a new study shows. The findings contradict research that suggests infants who are fed only breast-milk for the first year of life gain less weight than babies given at least some formula.

Consumer Demand for Caesarean Sections in Brazil (letters to the editor)

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS

UNICEF Programme Teaches Parents the Basics in Child-Rearing (news article)
The Better Parenting Project aims at providing parents, mainly those living in underprivileged areas with low literacy and education rates, with basic information on bringing up children. The project addressed the needs of parents of children under the age of eight by providing them with basic information on children's upbringing in the areas of health, nutrition and psychological development.

Nigeria: Pregnant Women Shun Ante-Natal Care (news article)
The number of pregnant women who attend ante-natal clinic in government approved health institutions is declining in Yobe State due to high illiteracy level and misinformation on the importance of modern reproductive techniques on safe motherhood and child survival.

Kazakhstan: Boosting Nutrition with a Pinch of Salt (news article)
Thousands of children under five throughout Central Asia are mentally retarded simply because their mothers did not consume enough vital nutrients, such as iodine, during pregnancy.

MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Risk of Paternity in Teen Pregnancy (PubMed abstract)
The authors found that adverse childhood experiences have an important relationship to male involvement in teen pregnancy. This relationship has persisted throughout four successive birth cohorts dating back to 1900-1929, suggesting that the effects of adverse childhood experiences transcend changing sexual mores and contraceptive methods. Efforts to prevent teen pregnancy will likely benefit from preventing adverse childhood experiences and their associated effects on male behaviors that might mediate the increased risk of teen pregnancy.

MEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Men With Breast Cancer Go Public (news article)
The death rate for women with breast cancer has been dropping dramatically for the last 20 years due to one of the most successful health-awareness campaigns in history. But the death rate for men is essentially unchanged during that time and may have climbed slightly, due to lack of education and, some say, a massive misconception that the disease only afflicts women.

Only Three Condoms for a Man in Africa (news article)
A man in Sub-Saharan Africa can on average, access only three condoms annually, according to the United Nations Population Fund. Only four percent of married women in developing countries report that their partners use condoms.

Findings Support PSA Tests for High-Risk Men (news article)
French scientists say their research findings support targeted prostate cancer screenings for men with a family history of the disease.

Viagra Benefits Men with Heart Failure: Study (news article)
Viagra is not only safe for men with congestive heart failure but may encourage patients to take their heart medication, according to Brazilian researchers.

Doctors Debate Hormones for Men (news article)
Doctors around the country are questioning whether aging men with declining testosterone should be medicated with hormone replacement therapy or if the concept of a male menopause is just another attempt to exploit the never-ending quest for the fountain of youth.

Prison Rapes Spreading Deadly Diseases (news article)
Prison rape has become such a common occurrence in federal and state prisons across the United States that it could have deadly consequences for the inmate population as well as the public at large.

POPULATION RESEARCH

Demographic Impact of AIDS in a Low-fertility Urban African Setting: Projection for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (research article)
The HIV epidemic is expected to reduce life expectancy by 10 and 17 years in Addis Ababa in 2000 and 2024, respectively. The rate of natural increase is projected at a negative rate after 2009. Population growth is expected to continue, however, due to in-migration.

POPULATION NEWS

Population Trends Pose New Challenges for Asia - ADB Report (press release)
The report raises intriguing questions. Given the opposing trends, how will young and populous countries interact with aging countries with shrinking populations? What shape will future population policies take? After supporting family planning programs to reduce fertility rates, will policy makers develop programs to encourage larger families? (see link to report in Profiles/Special Reports section below)

Pakistan: Population and Economic Development (news article)
The author of this article states that "It is a fallacy that control of population would lead to economic development. Population has its own pattern, which cannot be "influenced," much less "controlled," by either publicity or persuasion or otherwise."

Philippine Government Urged to Control Population Growth (news article)
Philippine lawmakers on Thursday urged the government to spell out a definite population management program that would defuse the ticking population time bomb.

Pakistan: Seminar Calls for Steps to Check Population Growth (news article)
Speakers said that whatever economic progress the country had made was being neutralized by unchecked population growth. Although Pakistan's growth rate had been brought down considerably, it is among the highest in the region and much needs to be done to bring it down to a sustainable level.

The People Equation (opinion)
"We are inside a bottleneck of overpopulation and wasteful consumption," maintains eminent Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson. In his critically acclaimed book "The Future of Life," Mr. Wilson observes that the world is now engaged in a race between "forces that are destroying the living environment and those that can be harnessed to save it."

WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Is There an Association Between Female Circumcision and Perinatal Death? (research article)
In Sweden, a country with high standards of obstetric care, the high rate of perinatal mortality among children of immigrant women from the Horn of Africa raises the question of whether there is an association between female circumcision and perinatal death. To investigate this, the records of 63 perinatal infant deaths born to circumcised women were reviewed. The results did not support the hypothesis that female circumcision was a factor in these deaths, suggesting that other, suboptimal, delivery factors contribute to perinatal mortality among circumcised women.

Should Health Professionals Screen Women for Domestic Violence? Systematic Review (research article)
Screening by health professionals increases the identification of domestic violence, and many women do not object to being asked. Most health professionals in the UK surveyed, however do not agree with screening of women in healthcare settings. Insufficient evidence exists to show whether screening and intervention can lead to improved outcomes for women identified as abused, leading researchers to conclude that implementing screening programs in healthcare settings is not currently justified.

WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Violence Against Women in the Name of Honor Should Be Criminalized - UN Report (press release)
All forms of violence against women and girls committed in the name of honor should be criminalized, and those deliberately participating in such acts should be penalized, says United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Risk of Breast Cancer Increases with Number of Years' Smoking (news article)
Women who smoke for many years may increase their risk of developing breast cancer. New research shows that for women who had smoked for 40 years or longer, the risk of breast cancer was 60% higher than that of women who had never smoked.

Cambodia Jails Vietnamese "Brothel Victims" (news article)
A Cambodian court has imposed prison sentences on a group of Vietnamese girls rescued from a brothel, who were arrested for illegally entering the country.

YOUTH RESEARCH

Knowledge on AIDS among Female Adolescents in Bangladesh: Evidence from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey Data
Of the nearly 1500 ever-married adolescent girls surveyed in the Bangladesh 1996-97 DHS, only 1 in 6 had ever heard of AIDS. Knowledge about AIDS was strongly related to women's education, as well as that of their husbands'.

The Global Impact of HIV/AIDS on Youth: The Tip of the Iceberg
Although many young people across the world have now heard about the AIDS epidemic, awareness may not be translated into a perception of personal risk. The impact of the epidemic on young people is expected to grow, particularly in hard hit countries which already have very young populations. Prevention interventions directed at youth will thus be critical to altering the future course on the epidemic.

YOUTH NEWS

Young People Account for 40 Percent of HIV-Infected in Japan (news article)
People in their teens and 20s account for nearly 40 percent of all Japanese newly infected with AIDS, according to new Health Ministry figures that officials say underline a disturbing new trend. While the overall number of Japanese infected with HIV remains low compared to other countries, the Health Ministry said lax condom use has caused infection rates to spike among young people.

Mobilizing Youth to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls in Nepal (news article)
Youth are the key to changing cultural attitudes for generations to come and they're the most effective agents of change in society. "If we can't affect change in our generation, at least something will be different for the next." SAATHI - which means friend in Nepalese - is sponsoring a series of youth camps to teach young people how to mobilize against gender-based violence in their society.

BOOKS / BOOK REVIEWS

South Africa: Population to Even Out in 20 Years (book review)
South Africa's population could level out at between 30 million and 40 million people in about 20 years' time, South African environmental journalist James Clarke has said in his latest book.

PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS

Key Indicators 2002: Population and Human Resource Trends and Challenges
This annual statistical data book features 31 regional tables that compare the Millenium Development Goals, economic, financial, and other social indicators across the 40 developing member countries of ADB. It also contains 38 country tables, each with 18-year data series on indicators, including population. In addition to this comprehensive set of data, there is also a theme chapter that examines the population and human resource trends and challenges in the Asia and Pacific region.

Introduction
Part I: Population and Human Resource Trends and Challenges

PDF and Excel links to regional and country tables for individual countries can he found here.

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