The Pop Reporter®
– Events – Archives – Subscribe – Modify Profile – Headline Sharing Program – The Pop Reporter en Espaņol (Spanish)
Volume 3, Number 19
12 May 2003
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH
Reasons for Not Using Family Planning Methods in Eastern Turkey (research abstract)
The authors interviewed 518 randomly selected women. The rate of women who were not using any form of family planning was 45.2%. Major reasons for not using any form of family planning were not having the approval of the husband or family leaders (38%); believing that it was a sin to use a family planning method (32.5%); believing that it could cause abnormal bleeding (14.1%); believing that it could cause infertility (7.3%). The authors suggest that efforts should be directed towards education of family members and religious leaders to increase the usage of family planning methods.
Accuracy of Sperm-cervical Mucus Penetration Tests in Evaluating Sperm Motility in Semen: A Systematic Quantitative Review (research abstract)
This was a systematic quantitative review of test accuracy studies. The Cochrane library (2000:4), Medline (1966-2001), Embase (1988-2001), and SciSearch (1981-2001) were searched, in addition to manual searches of conference papers and bibliographies of articles. There were 18 primary diagnostic studies published in 17 papers, involving a total of 2580 samples. Fourteen primary diagnostic tests used vanguard distance as diagnostic criteria (SMPTvd) and the pooled likelihood ratio (LR) for positive (LR+) and negative (LR-) tests were 2.29 and 0.52, respectively. Four studies used diagnostic criteria based directly or indirectly on swim-up sperm count per high power field (SMPTsc) instead. Their pooled LR+ and LR- were 5.24 and 0.15, respectively.
Herpes Simplex 2 Risk Among Women in a Polygynous Setting in Rural West Africa (research abstract)
Data from women who participated in a cross-sectional survey of reproductive health were matched to their own and, for women who had been or were married (ever-married), their spouses' data collected in a cross-sectional survey of fertility interests. HSV2 prevalence was 16% among never-married women and 36% among ever-married women. For ever-married women, their own personal characteristics (age, ethnicity, and genital cutting status) and events from their husbands' marriage history were important determinants of HSV2 infection. Women whose husbands married for the first time over age 35 were at greater risk than women whose husbands married by age 24. Women whose husbands were currently monogamous but had had previous marriages (OR 2.76) and women in currently polygynous marriages (OR 2.88) were three times as likely to be HSV2 positive as women who were their husband's only wife ever.
Ectopic Pregnancies Following Emergency Levonorgestrel Contraception (research abstract)
There are little or no data on the risk of ectopic pregnancy following levonorgestrel treatment as an emergency contraception. The authors discuss three cases of ectopic pregnancy following the use of levonorgestrel administered peri- or postovulation and the clinical and epidemiologic implications of this association.
Hepatitis B Vaccination for Sex Workers: Do Outreach Programmes Perform Better? (research abstract)
This article assesses the extent to which hepatitis B vaccination of sex workers in Ghent, Belgium, is successful within the context of the existing health services and to compare this with alternative approaches such as outreach programmes. Naturally acquired HBV was found in 11.9% of 1,096 sex workers (0.6% HBsAg), and 7% were vaccinated in existing services. In contrast, hepatitis B vaccination using outreach methodology was able to achieve higher vaccination rates: among non-immune sex workers, 82.8% received the first dose of vaccine, and 71.5% the second.
Chancroid: Clinical Manifestations, Diagnosis, and Management (research abstract)
This paper discusses the aetiology, presentation, detection, and treatment of chancroid.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS
The Philippines: Pills, Sterilization Top Birth Control Methods (news article)
Birth control pills and female sterilization are the top methods of family planning of married women in the Philippines despite opposition from the dominant Roman Catholic church, a national survey showed. The poll of 29,760 married women aged 15-49, conducted in 2002, found that 15% used birth control pills and 11% had used female sterilization.
USAID Phaseout of Free Contraceptives Raises More Problems for Philippines' Poor (news article)
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has decided to phase out its US$5 million program to distribute free contraceptives in the Philippines. The country already has one of Asia's highest population growth rates, with 40% of its people living in poverty. With the latest USAID move, many Filipinos who depended on the free contraceptives are now left with no easy alternative.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY
France Offers E800 Reward for Each New Baby (news article)
The French prime minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, announced last week that a bonus of €800 (£560, $895) will be awarded mothers for each baby born after 1 January 2004. The bonus is part of a series of measures to encourage families to have more children. It is estimated that 90% of families will qualify for the childbirth bonus.
House Committee Approves Restoring Birth Control Funds (news article)
A House committee narrowly voted to restore US birth control funding for the United Nations Population Fund, which was stopped by President Bush in 2001 amid accusations that the UN agency was involved in forced abortions and coerced sterilizations in China.
Mother Sues MDs after HIV Passed to Newborn (news article)
An Ontario woman is suing her doctors because they did not offer to test her for the AIDS virus during her pregnancy and she passed it on to her newborn child.
South Africa: Business in a Quandary Over HIV/AIDS Treatment Costs (news article)
Studies have found that businesses using poorly designed HIV strategies were doubling their HIV costs.
HIV / AIDS RESEARCH
Maternal Health Factors and Early Pediatric Antiretroviral Therapy Influence the Rate of Perinatal HIV-1 Disease Progression in Children (research abstract)
A total of 2,656 pregnant and postpartum HIV-infected women enrolled in the Perinatal AIDS Collaborative Transmission Study, and 360 children were determined to be HIV-infected. Children born to mothers with class C disease, CD4 cell count < 200 x 106/l, or HIV-1 RNA viral load > 100 000 copies/ml, progressed more rapidly than children born to mothers with less advanced disease. Children who received combination antiretroviral therapies with a protease inhibitor or non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor were significantly less likely to progress compared with those receiving no therapy.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection Prevention: Strategies for Clinicians (research abstract)
The clinical care setting offers a unique opportunity to bring people with HIV disease into care and to establish relationships, thus creating a foundation for prevention-related activities. However, the expertise and energy that clinicians currently dedicate to diagnosis and treatment far exceeds that directed toward prevention. This article reviews details about and the efficacies of specific prevention efforts of relevance in clinical practice, and provides practical recommendations regarding the most simple and efficient ways of integrating both behavioral counseling and medical interventions
Once-a-Day Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy: A Systematic Review (research abstract)
The authors analyzed the available evidence about the efficacy and tolerability of once-a-day highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), searching databases, conference proceedings, and journals. Two reviewers independently selected 6 uncontrolled and 2 randomized clinical trials of at least 24 weeks duration and with 80% participant follow-up. Virological efficacy ranged between 70% and 91%. Preliminary randomized clinical trials showed that once-a-day regimens had a virological efficacy at least similar to that of conventional HAART. The overall CD4 cell increase was at least 114 lymphocytes/L. Tolerability was good, with a low discontinuation rate.
A Role for Community HealthCorps Members in Youth HIV/AIDS Prevention Education (PubMed abstract)
This article highlights findings and summarizes lessons learned from the HIV/AIDS prevention curriculum, Be Proud! Be Responsible!
Evidence of Iatrogenic HIV Transmission in Children in South Africa (research abstract)
Related news article: South Africa: Dirty Needles Blamed for HIV
Children in South Africa are being infected with HIV through dirty needles, experts have claimed. Researchers have suggested hundreds of thousands of children may have contracted the virus in this way. The study is the latest to point to contaminated needles as a major cause of HIV in Africa. This South African study revealed that while 5.6% of South African children between the ages of 2 and 14 have HIV, figures for mother-to-baby transmission are substantially lower, suggesting that children are contracting the virus in another way.
HIV / AIDS NEWS
HIV Rate May Be Declining in Africa (news article)
Related news article: AIDS on the Increase in Nigeria - Report
For the first time since the breakout of AIDS, infection rates are showing widespread signs of stagnating or declining in some of the hardest-hit urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new US analysis. US and United Nations officials have found a decline or leveling off of HIV rates in cities in 11 countries, greatly expanding earlier reports that the deadly virus was in retreat in Uganda and among young people in Zambia. But analysts say that the rates are still disturbingly high in those areas and that they are unsure whether to attribute the relative stability or decrease in the number of HIV cases to improved prevention efforts, changes in sexual behavior, or more ominously, an upswing in the numbers of people dying.
Zambia Hard Hit by AIDS (news article)
The southern African country of Zambia has set a new record - one which no country would wish to hold. The average life expectancy in the country is 33 years, by far the lowest in the world, and it is all due to AIDS.
Mozambique Reports Increase HIV Rate (news article)
The adult rate of HIV infection in Mozambique has risen to nearly 15%, prompting the government to take more serious steps in fighting the spread of the disease, a top health official said.
Zimbabwe: Focus on Voluntary Counselling and Testing (feature article)
Public health experts consider VCT a critical step in both the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. This article highlights the realities faced by patients and counselors at a testing centre in Chitungwiza, a small town 30 km outside Zimbabwe's capital city of Harare.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH
The Importance of Women's Status for Child Nutrition in Developing Countries 
(research abstract)
This research shows unequivocally that making a decision at the policy level to improve women's status produces significant benefits. Not only does a woman's own nutritional status improve, but so too does the nutritional status of her young children. Raising women's status today is a powerful force for improving the health, longevity, mental and physical capacity, and productivity of the next generation of young adults.
Maternal Mortality in a Teaching Hospital in Sudan (research abstract)
The authors reviewed case notes at the Medani Teaching Hospital, Medani City, Sudan, for the period 1985-1999. Of the 44,605 deliveries, 877 women died (for a rate of 1,966 per 100,000). Sepsis was the cause of death in almost one third of cases, while malaria accounted for 37.2%.
Fetal Femur Length is Influenced by Maternal Dairy Intake in Pregnant African American Adolescents (research abstract)
Related news article: Pregnant Teens' Dairy Intake Affects Fetal Bones
Pregnant African-American teenagers who don't get enough dairy products in their diet may hinder their babies' early bone development. Baltimore researchers found that fetal bone growth appeared to be poorer in pregnant teens who consumed fewer than two servings of dairy products a day, compared with those who took in more than three daily servings.
State of the World's Mothers (report)
Related news article: State of the World's Mothers
The best country in the world in which to be a mother is Sweden, according to a new report from Save the Children, a global relief and development organization. The worst is Niger, at No. 117. And the United States is only No. 11, ranking just above Costa Rica.
Maternal Obesity and Risk for Birth Defects (research abstract)
Related news article: Fat Moms More Likely to Have Unhealthy Babies
Obese and overweight women face significantly increased risks of having babies with heart abnormalities and other birth defects.
Underestimation of Infant Mortality Rates in One Republic of the Former Soviet Union (research abstract)
The authors studied the impacts of both live-birth definitions on the computations of the infant mortality rate (IMR) and maternal and child health (MCH) planning in Kazakhstan. Using the two indicators of birth weight and age at death, the authors created a matrix delineating the respective contribution to infant death (maternal health, newborn care, or infant care) for the cells. They then calculated the IMR, birth weight-specific IMR (BWS-IMR), and birth weight-proportionate IMR (BWP-IMR) for each cell. The observed IMR in 1996--using the FSU definition of a live birth--was 32 per 1,000 live births. The recalculated IMR--using the WHO definition--was 58.7 per 1000 live births. Computed estimates of the contribution to infant death, by the categories of maternal health, newborn care, and infant care, were 10%, 23%, and 67%, respectively, when using the live-birth definition from the Soviet era. These estimates shifted to 24%, 41%, and 35%, respectively, when using the WHO definition.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS
Ghana: Childbirth Claims 40% Women - Statistics Reveals (news article)
Statistics on maternal mortality ratio indicate that about 40% of women in Ghana die through childbirth. The Deputy Health Minister Moses Dani-Baah has reiterated his government's commitment and determination to improve access to health delivery among women by ensuring that the health sector plays an essential role in the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy.
UN Population Fund Marks Mother's Day with Appeal to Curb Pregnancy Deaths (news article)
On the eve of Mother's Day, the head of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) called on world leaders today to ensure safe motherhood for all women, noting that pregnancy-related complications now claim the lives of 60 women every hour - or more than half a million a year.
MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Vasectomy Effectiveness in Nepal: A Retrospective Study (research abstract)
The main purpose of this retrospective, cross-sectional study was to evaluate the effectiveness of vasectomy in an ongoing public sector program in Nepal. A two-stage stratified sampling procedure was used to select 1,263 men from among over 30,000 men, who had previously undergone a no-scalpel vasectomy, mostly by ligation and excision. The study concluded that in low-resource, programmatic settings, vasectomy failure rates may be higher than commonly cited rates, especially in younger populations; and that counseling on vasectomy should always convey the possibility of failure and partner pregnancy.
Multiplex Biomarker Approach for Determining Risk of Prostate-specific Antigen-defined Recurrence of Prostate Cancer (PubMed abstract)
Related news article: Two Proteins Linked to Prostate Cancer Recurrence
Researchers have discovered two proteins that may help doctors figure out which prostate cancers are the most aggressive. Prostate cancer patients who had had surgery to remove the gland were more likely to have signs of a recurrence of the disease if they had high levels of a protein named EZH2 and relatively low levels of one called ECAD. These biological markers could eventually be valuable in determining the risk of prostate cancer progression and, thus, aid in treatment selection.
MEN'S HEALTH NEWS
New Zealand: Cheap Snips for Men (news article)
A Whangarei urology clinic is celebrating Mother's Day this weekend by offering 20 cut-price vasectomies. The Cardinal Points clinic has slashed the price of the operation by almost 40%. The promotion was first run 3 years ago, and the clinic ended up performing 72 operations.
POPULATION RESEARCH
Does Biological Relatedness Affect Survival? (research article)
The authors studied child survival in Rakai, Uganda, where many children are fostered out or orphaned. They found that presence of both parents in the household increased the odds of survival by 28%. After controlling for the endogeneity of child placement decisions in a multivariate model, they found that lower biological relatedness of a child was associated with statistically significant reductions in child survival.
POPULATION NEWS
Japan's Child Population Falls to Record Low (news article)
Japan's declining birthrate is starkly illustrated by new government data showing that the proportion of children to the overall population has fallen to record lows. Children under 15 now comprise only 14.1% of Japan's population. UN figures show that to be the smallest percentage of children in any country worldwide.
Alarm Over South Korea's Low Birth Rate (news article)
After decades of actively promoting birth control - which was implemented until 1996 - population advisers are now considering what was once unthinkable: introducing new policies to promote child birth.
WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Defective Sexuality and Female Circumcision: The Cause and the Possible Management (research abstract)
At the Kasr El Aini School of Medicine, Egypt, the authors selected on a random basis 30 women as uncircumcised controls, 30 women who were "minorly circumcised", 30 women who were "minorly circumcised mutilated", and 57 circumcised women having clitoral cysts. Sexuality was assessed by a special questionnaire sheet. The researchers determined that sexuality was not affected in minorly circumcised cases. However, sexuality was markedly affected in the mutilated cases. The scores for sex desire and arousal and for orgasm were especially affected in such cases.
Sex-Related Health Risks and Implications for Interventions with Hospitality Women in Hainan, China (research abstract)
This article describes the living situations of sex workers (hospitality girls) in a typical rural town in southern China. Though some similarities to knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of sex workers reported in other Asian countries were identified, this study identified some differences distinctive to the China context, such as how economic factors, kinship, and friendship networks function in the service industry, and how the culture of reproduction and birth control policy interact with and affect sex workers' health and decision-making options. The authors concluded that understanding these factors was critical for design of a culturally and contextually tailored intervention for the reduction of sex-related health risks of women in the sex service industry.
Serum Albumin Is a Powerful Predictor of Survival Among HIV-1-Infected Women (research abstract)
Previous research has reported that single measurements of albumin strongly predict survival in HIV-1-infected women independent of disease-specific markers. This study was done to extend this to the use of serial measurements and single albumin values prior to initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy. The authors concluded that serum albumin is a strong independent predictor of mortality in HIV-1-infected women after adjustment for known disease markers and may be useful for clinical monitoring.
WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS
New Breast Cancer Test for High-RISK Patients (news article)
Doctors can now use a new technique called ductal lavage in women known to be at high risk of breast cancer to examine for abnormal or precancerous cells. In one study, the procedure detected abnormal cells in 24 percent of 507 high-risk women who had been cleared by standard mammograms and physical exams. Malignant cells were also found in two of the study participants. Studies show that women with a family history of breast cancer in whom abnormal or precancerous cells are detected have a tenfold risk of developing the disease compared with women who have neither atypical cells nor cancer in the family. The hope is that it could do for breast cancer what the Pap smear did for cervical cancer.
YOUTH HEALTH RESEARCH
Supporting Adolescent Mothers and their Children Through a High School-based Child Care Center and Parent Support Program (research abstract)
A pilot study was conducted of adolescent parents and their children at a high school-based child care center in the US to examine the influence of the program on parental competence, parent-child interaction, and child development. A convenience sample of 18 urban adolescent mothers with children was interviewed at the end of one academic year. The results of this pilot study indicate that adolescent mothers and their young children in the sample benefited from the educational and support services offered at a school-based child care and parent support program.
Developing a Culturally Appropriate Video to Promote Dual-Method Use by Urban Teens: Rationale and Methodology (research abstract)
This article describes the development and production of a video targeted to urban adolescent women who use hormonal contraception. Research has shown that this population is at high risk for nonuse of condoms. Responses from the focus groups suggest that the video developed by the researchers has a strong impact on young women.
Adolescent Oral Sex, Peer Popularity, and Perceptions of Best Friends' Sexual Behavior (research abstract)
Related news article: Rise in Unprotected Oral Sex and STI Risk
Increasing numbers of adolescents are engaging in oral sex and ignoring warnings about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), US research suggests.
YOUTH HEALTH NEWS
Asian Countries Agree to Step-up Fight against Child Sexual Exploitation (news article)
Asian-Pacific countries agreed to step-up action against the sexual exploitation and trafficking of youngsters after the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned earlier that such problems, left unchecked, would undermine the region's progress in improving child welfare. About one million children aged 12 to 17 work in the sex trade in Asia, the largest number in the world, UNICEF told delegates at the Sixth East Asia and Pacific Ministerial Consultation on Children in Bali, Indonesia.
Norway: Safe Sex for Reveling Teens (news article)
The 'russ' - graduating high school students that are currently in their traditional, debauched three-week celebrations - will be promoting safe sex and passing out free condoms to help keep the revelry under control.
BOOKS / BOOK REVIEWS
Understanding Environmental Policy Processes: Cases From Africa (book)
"Understanding Environmental Policy Processes" answers the following questions: How are environmental policies created and once put to effect, why are they so difficult to change despite sometimes becoming detrimental to the environment they are set up to protect? African environmental policy is largely controlled by Northern concepts of how the environment should be handled - are these Northern ideals best for Africa itself? What can be done to make policy making more participatory?
PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS / RESOURCES
International Reproductive Health Sample Curricula (resource)
PATH's Women's Reproductive Health Initiative has collected curricula from several Schools of Public Health. This resource consists of a packet of these curricula, which include course objectives, session outlines, student assignments and reading lists. The packet includes curricula on reproductive health, gender and human rights from Columbia University, Emory University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Michigan, University of Illinois, University of South Florida, University of Vermont, Tufts University, Tulane University and Yale University. Available as a single self-extracting archive at http://www.path.org/files/RH_Curricula.exe.
When you click on any link, your Internet browser will access a Web site not connected to "The Pop Reporter.®" Information accessed through these links and contained in this issue of "The Pop Reporter®" does not necessarily state or reflect the views of the Population Information Program, Johns Hopkins University, or the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
All links were verified at the date of posting. Your computer and/or network configuration regarding Java script, cookies, and other security issues may not allow you to view certain Web sites. Consult your computer technician if you are having problems.
Information & Knowledge for Optimal Health (INFO) Project
111 Market Place Suite 310, Baltimore, MD 21202
Phone: 410-659-6300 Fax: 410-659-6266 Security & Privacy Policy