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Volume 3, Number 24
16 June 2003
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH
Select Committee on Health - Third Report (report)
Related news article: Sexual-health Crisis Looms in Britain
Britain is facing a sexual-health crisis, with diseases like chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhoea soaring in recent years, according to a parliamentary committee report released last week.
Risk of Ischemic Stroke Among Users of the Oral Contraceptive Pill. The Melbourne Risk Factor Study (MERFS) Group (research abstract)
Related news article: Low-Dose "Pill" May Have Less Stroke Risk for Young Women
Newer, low-dose birth control pills seem to carry less stroke risk than high-dose pills for young women, but should be prescribed with care.
Demand for Sexual Health Services during the Olympic Games: Both Sides of the Sherman Effect (research abstract)
To determine the impact of the Olympic Games, the Sydney Sexual Health Centre database was accessed for demographic, health care utilization, and morbidity variables for two periods of interest: 15-29 September 2000 (the 'Olympic period'), and 1-30 September 1999 ('1999 comparison period'). Differences were tested by chi-square statistics and by calculation of odds ratios (ORs) using SPSS. During the Olympic period twice as many of the new patients had arrived in Australia that year (35% c.f. 18%: OR 2.46, 95% CI 1.49-4.05, P=0.0002). Per attendance the proportion with symptoms or a known sexually transmitted infection (STI) contact was higher during the Games (29% c.f. 16% OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.1.27-2.21, P=0.0002) and there was a marginally higher yield of bacterial STIs (6% c.f. 3%: OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.06-3.13 P=0.03). The normal clinic population was replaced by an increased proportion of symptomatic patients who were recent arrivals in Australia.
Should Family Planning Clinics Provide Clinical Services for Sexually Transmitted Infections? A Case Study from Côte d'Ivoire (research abstract)
This study evaluated the quality and usefulness of integrated sexually transmitted infection care at non-governmental family planning clinics in Côte d'Ivoire.
Emergency Contraception: Lessons Learned from the UK (research abstract)
The author charts the multisectoral developments required to make emergency contraception (EC) available without prescription in the UK, from clinical research findings and results on the views and behavior of health care professionals and users of EC, through to professional and policy developments, including challenges during and after this process. The author concludes that lessons learned from the innovative experience of the deregulation of EC in the UK apply to other regions currently considering similar change. Internationally applicable lessons include the importance of stakeholder partnership, transparency and cautious pace of change, and the vital role of professional groups.
Using Theory to Design Effective Health Behavior Interventions (research abstract)
This article demonstrates the usefulness of two theories for the development of effective health communication campaigns.
The Fall and Rise of Gonorrhoea Incidence in Israel: An International Phenomenon? (research abstract)
The authors examined the trends in gonorrhoea incidence in Israel and compared them with the United States and countries in Europe. The resurgence of gonorrhoea does not appear to be explained solely by behavioral changes. In Israel, following a long period of decline from 40 per 100,000 in 1970 to 0.74 per 100,000 in 1997, incidence rates began to increase in 1998 to 13.8 per 100,000 in 2001. This pattern parallels those observed in a number of European countries and to some extent, in the United States. They recommend that transmission of the disease be further studied among different subpopulations in order to develop new prevention strategies.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS
New Zealand: Epidemic in Sexual Disease (news article)
New Zealand faces a sexual health crisis as rates of chlamydia soar, particularly among young people.
Indonesia Activists Sell Scented Condoms (news article)
AIDS activists are selling condoms that smell like durian, Southeast Asia's popular but pungent fruit, to encourage safe sex in Indonesia.
FAMILY PLANNING / REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY
Wife Wins Damages for HIV Case (news article)
An Australian woman has successfully sued two doctors after they failed to tell her that her husband was HIV positive.
Debate Rages Over Women and Sharia (news article)
Stoning for adultery and the introduction of vice and virtue squads were hallmarks of Afghanistan's Taleban regime. Now the debate over Islamic law is raging globally, among Muslim women's groups alarmed by cases in Nigeria and Pakistan.
Persuade a Man, Without Hitting Him on the Head (feature article)
''It's not easy to change the pattern of a man who is used to making love to ten women, who is polygamous in nature,'' says Nigerian Femi Jarret, executive producer of the African Radio Drama Association. ''Traditionally, his forefather had 10 wives. There were 40 of them as children. Most of them don't even know each other. And you are saying to this guy, 'Look, you can't afford to have more than one wife. How can you love more than one wife?' These issues are very foreign to him,'' Jarret points out. One popular way of getting such messages across is through entertainment.
China's Brainy Sperm Bank Lacks Donors (news article)
China's first "smart sperm" bank, which accepts only highly educated donors, says it has 400 women on a waiting list for fertilization. Now it needs donors. Four years after it was set up, the center says it has fewer than 20.
HIV / AIDS RESEARCH
HIV Testing: United States, 2001 (report)
Related news article: Half of US Adults Have Been Tested for HIV
Nearly 50% of American adults younger than 65 have been tested for HIV, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the agency, the numbers show a need to further expand voluntary HIV testing, as well as access to counseling and treatment to prevent transmission of the virus that causes AIDS.
Brief Report: Economic Implications of Failure to Reduce Incident HIV Infections by 50% by 2005 in the United States (research abstract)
Related news article: Failure to Curb HIV Will Cost US Billions
The economic implications of failing to meet the U.S. HIV prevention goal of reducing new infections by 50 percent by 2005 are enormous.
HIV / AIDS NEWS
South Africa: Special Report on HIV in Prisons (feature article)
Prison conditions in most countries of the world are ideal for the transmission of HIV. This article details those conditions in prisons for men and women, why those conditions exist, and what can be done to lessen the risks of HIV transmission.
Scientists Pursue Origins of HIV (news article)
Researchers have identified another piece in the puzzle of how HIV emerged from the wilderness to spawn one of the most devastating epidemics humanity has ever known.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH
Implementing Reproductive and Child Health Services in Rural Maharashtra, India: A Pragmatic Approach (research abstract)
This paper describes a 7-year operations research project in Parner block, Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India. It shows the feasibility of establishing a more efficient maternal and child health services system, with a minimum of affordable inputs, that increases the use of services by women.
Does Smoking During Pregnancy Affect Sons' Sperm Counts? (research abstract)
Related news article: Smoking During Pregnancy Affects Sons' Sperm Count
Sons of mothers who smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day during pregnancy have lower sperm counts than sons whose mothers did not smoke.
Prevention of Recurrent Preterm Delivery by 17 Alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone Caproate (research abstract)
Related news article: Hormones May Help vs. Premature Delivery
Giving pregnant women the hormone progesterone can reduce their risk of premature delivery by one-third, offering the first clear-cut way to head off this increasingly common and dangerous problem.
MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH
Pregnancy Outcomes after Vasectomy Reversal for Female Partners 35 Years Old or Older (research abstract)
Related news article: Age Should Not Rule Out Vasectomy Reversal: Study
For couples who want to have a baby after the man has had a vasectomy, reversing the vasectomy offers a reasonable chance for pregnancy even when the woman is 35 or older.
MEN'S HEALTH NEWS
>Men's Health Crisis Prompts Calls for Action (news article)
Lower life expectancy, rising levels of male cancers, and common sexual problems have created a crisis in men's health and prompted calls to get male private parts on a global health agenda. The problem, according to one expert, begins in childhood when girls are encouraged to take care of themselves and others while boys are advised to be strong. So while women seek medical advice as soon as they have a health problem, men tend to ignore it and by the time they do get help -- usually because of the prompting of their wives or partners -- the condition can be serious.
UK: Men's Sexual Health Services "Need Improving" (news article)
Campaigners are urging the government to rethink its sexual health policies and services because they often ignore the specific needs of men.
Men Usually Slow to Detect Breast Cancer (news article)
Men who have breast cancer usually discover the disease later than women, when the tumors are larger and the cancer has spread, according to findings from the largest-ever study of male breast cancer.
POPULATION NEWS
UAE has Highest Population Growth Rate in Arab World (news article)
The UAE has recorded the highest population growth rate in the Arab region because of a sharp increase in national births, better health services, and continued influx of expatriates to benefit from expanding business opportunities, according to official reports.
WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS
Egypt Wants to Break Wall of Silence on Female Circumcision (news article)
Egypt will highlight the battle against the practice of female genital mutilation when it hosts campaigners from African and Arab countries later this month. Even though female circumcision has been banned in Egypt since 1997 and a campaign against it was launched here with 2003 named the "Year of the Girl," most Egyptian girls still undergo the painful practice.
YOUTH HEALTH RESEARCH
Sex, Studies or Strife? What to Integrate in Adolescent Health Services (research abstract)
This paper describes a study aiming to elicit the needs of adolescents in higher secondary schools in Goa, India, in 1999-2000. The study began with free-listing, followed by focus group discussions and in-depth interviews to elicit areas of concern. Then a survey of 811 students with a self-report questionnaire was carried out. The findings demonstrated that there is an unmet need for information about sexual and reproductive health, but also a large, unmet need for psychosocial support for health issues ranging from violence in schools to poor relationships with parents, stress-related health complaints and educational difficulties, which are often perceived by adolescents to be of primary importance.
YOUTH HEALTH NEWS
UK: 'Ten Times More' Sex Education Needed (news article)
Pupils need up to 10 times more sex education if a huge rise in sexually transmitted infections is to be halted, an expert has warned.
BOOKS / BOOK REVIEWS
Violence against Women: The Health Sector Responds (book)
Violence against Women: The Health Sector Responds provides a strategy for addressing this complex problem and concrete approaches for carrying it out, not only for those on the front lines attending to the women who live with violence, but also for the decision-makers who may incorporate the lessons in the development of policies and resources. For those communities where support for women does not yet exist, the authors hope that this book will motivate health providers and leaders to more directly confront the issue of gender-related violence and ensure support to affected women in resolving their situation.
PROFILES / SPECIAL REPORTS / RESOURCES
Ethiopia: Interview with AIDS Economist Alan Whiteside (interview)
Professor Alan Whiteside is a leading AIDS economist based in South Africa. During a visit to Ethiopia, he spelled out the scale of the continent's crisis, explained how the enormous number of AIDS orphans could mean potential disaster, and called on African leaders to start addressing the tragedy.
Synergy Project: HIV/AIDS Programming Toolkit Website and CD-ROM (resource)
The Synergy APDIME Toolkit is a resource to support programme designers and managers in HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support programming in the developing world. It is a window through which you can learn about programme outcomes, training guides and research findings. Tools include worksheets, budget templates, survey instruments, data and software produced by HIV/AIDS organisations from around the world. It was developed in collaboration with the University of Washington and contains five modules covering Assessment, Planning, Design, Implementation Monitoring, and Evaluation. Each module outlines a comprehensive step-by-step method and weblinks to hundreds of resources for programming.
Peer Approach in Adolescent Reproductive Health Education: Some Lessons Learned (handbook)
This booklet synthesizes the experiences of the countries in the use of peer approach in their adolescent programs and activities to facilitate delivery of the message and acceptance. It also shares lessons learned and offers guidelines to enable policy makers and program implementers to learn from others and possibly to adopt/adapt those strategies that will have the greatest potential to succeed in their own setting.
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