Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: The INFO Project

Your knowledge-sharing resource on family planning and reproductive health

Shopping Basket

The Pop Reporter®

Volume 4, Number 12
22 March 2004

"The Pop Reporter" (R) Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs INFO Project Get news and research headlines delivered to your website, every day, customized to topics of interest to your webiste visitors. The Pop Reporter Headline Sharing Program is a free service of The INFO Project, with funding from USAID. Complete the form at our sign up page and let us know which news and research topics you want to display on your website. We will contact you to discuss the specific requirements for displaying The Pop Reporter headline box on your website. When you click on any link below, 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 INFO Project, Johns Hopkins University, or the US Agency for International Development. All links were verified at the date of mailing. 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.

GUEST EDITORIAL

Five Keys to HIV Stigma Reduction

by Laura Nyblade, Kerry MacQuarrie

Lnyblade@icrw.org, kerry@icrw.org

It is widely recognized that where there is HIV, there is stigma against people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHA). We know that stigma and resulting discrimination increases vulnerability to HIV and lowers quality of life. It compromises the effectiveness of all HIV programs, including voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), prevention of vertical transmission of HIV, home based care to treatment with HAART and opportunistic infection treatment. Despite how visibly stigma impedes an effective response to the epidemic on many fronts, we have struggled with a less-than-thorough understanding of stigma's complexities and a dearth of stigma-reduction tools. Instead, many of us have been left hoping that if we design and implement HIV programs to the best of our ability, the stigma problem will somehow resolve itself.

A recently completed multi-country, community-based study on stigma disentangles the causes and manifestations of stigma in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Zambia, recommends principals for stigma-reduction programs, and has led to the development of the first-ever set of tools designed specifically for program staff to use to reduce stigma (described in more detail below) (1). The study confirms that stigma is widespread within families, communities, and institutional settings such as healthcare. Fear of stigma constrains behavior from testing for and disclosure of HIV status to accessing care, treatment, and support.

The data detail how PLHAs experience stigma and discrimination in the forms of physical and social isolation (such as separation of eating utensils and decreased social interaction); gossip, rumor, name-calling, and voyeurism; loss of rights, status, and decision-making power in the household and community; and loss of access to resources, such as housing, and employment. PLHAs internalize the negative views of them and exhibit feelings of guilt, self-blame, inferiority, self-isolation, despair, loss of hope, and abandonment of life aspirations.

Across the three countries, researchers identified three common root causes of stigma. First, inadequate depth of knowledge about HIV and AIDS results in exaggerated fears of casual transmission in low-risk scenarios and underestimating the capabilities of PLHAs to contribute to their families and communities. Next, people often don’t recognize the stigmatizing nature of their actions, which, combined with poverty and fatigue from caregiving, produces unintentional stigma. Finally, and perhaps the most difficult to grapple with, social and religious values around the perceived sexually "immoral" ways in which HIV is transmitted are used to justify stigma.

The study points to five critical elements that programs aiming to tackle stigma need to address:

1. Create greater recognition of stigma and discrimination
2. Foster in-depth, applied knowledge about all aspects of HIV and AIDS through a participatory and interactive process
3. Provide safe spaces to discuss the values and beliefs about sex, morality, and death that underlie stigma
4. Find common language to talk about stigma
5. Ensure a central, contextually appropriate, and ethically responsible role for people with HIV and AIDS

Programs must address each of the three causes if they hope to tackle stigma. The stigma-reduction toolkit mentioned above provides people with concrete tools to do so (2). The toolkit is structured as a participatory, problem-based curriculum, centered around a series of interactive exercises. It culminates with an action planning module designed to plan an approach to challenge stigma. This initial iteration is designed for NGOs’ frontline staff, and family members affected by HIV/AIDS, and will be adapted for other groups.

In the past, the belief that stigma is so complex and context specific that it makes intervention too costly has provided funders, policymakers, and programs with an excuse not to tackle stigma. With the rapidly growing understanding of stigma, in particular its many common elements across diverse settings, and the availability of new tools to tackle stigma, there are no excuses for not tackling stigma head on. Twenty years into the HIV epidemic, it is clear that if we are to implement successful HIV programs, we must address stigma in all our efforts, whether it be by stand-alone programs to reduce stigma in a given community or by including stigma reduction in our HIV education, testing, or care and treatment programs.

Laura Nyblade is Public Health Demographer with the HIV/AIDS and Development team of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) and most recently lead author of "Disentangling HIV and AIDS Stigma in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Zambia."

Kerry MacQuarrie is Research Associate with the Reproductive Health and Nutrition team at ICRW.

References:

1. Nyblade L, Pande R, Mathur S, MacQuarrie K, Kidd R, Banteyerga H, Kidanu A, Kilonzo G, Mbwambo J, and Bond V. Disentangling HIV and AIDS Stigma in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia. International Center for Research on Women, Washington, DC, 2003. Accessed March 8, 2004 at http://www.icrw.org/docs/stigmareport093003.pdf.

2. Understanding and Challenging HIV Stigma: Toolkit for Action. The Change Project, AED, Washington, DC, 2003. Accessed March 8, 2004 at http://www.changeproject.org/technical/hivaids/stigma.html.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH

Lactational Amenorrhea as a Method of Family Planning in Egypt (research abstract)
In this paper, data was analyzed from the 1995 Egyptian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) to study breastfeeding practices, use of contraception, reproductive history, and sociodemographic factors for 5,504 mothers with children under 3 years. about 80% of Egyptian women breastfed for at least 6 months, and 40% breastfed for 15–18 months. Over half of breastfeeding mothers used no additional contraception. Thirty-six percent of mothers breastfeeding children younger than 6 months who reported using no additional contraception were exclusively breastfeeding and amenorrheic, but only 4% reported relying on breastfeeding for family planning. In focus group discussions with breastfeeding mothers, the researchers found that participants showed strong recognition of the contraceptive effects of breastfeeding but differed widely in their understanding of lactational infecundability and knowledge of LAM as a method. The researchers suggest that LAM would be widely acceptable to Egyptian women but that an educational program about the method is needed.

Unmet Need for Contraception in Kuwait: Issues for Health Care Providers (research abstract)
In this paper, researchers from Kuwait University present findings from a nationally representive household survey of 1,502 Kuwaiti women. They found that 9.7% of currently married women had an unmet need for contraception. A significantly larger percentage of the unmet need group disapproved of contraception, and believed that Islam forbids family planning, compared to current users (30% and 15%, respectively). The authors conclude that the contraceptive needs of about 90% of all non-pregnant currently married women who wanted to delay or limit children were being met adequately despite the absence of a formal family planning program.

Do Mexico City Pharmacy Workers Screen Women for Health Risks When They Sell Oral Contraceptive Pills Over-the-Counter? (research abstract)
After selecting a 10% random sample of all pharmacies in Mexico City (n=108), researchers surveyed the first available pharmacy worker to learn more about pharmacy workers' screening practices when selling oral contraceptives (OCs) over-the-counter to women. They found that while nearly all of the pharmacy workers surveyed had sold OCs without a prescription, only 31% reported asking women any questions before selling pills. Among those who asked questions, the most commonly asked questions were about other medications a woman was taking, about blood pressure, and about alcohol intake. Pharmacy workers did not ask these questions consistently to all clients.

Female Sterilization, AIDS, and Medical Culture in São Paulo and Porto Alegre, Brazil (research abstract)
The full text of this article is available only in Portugeuse. The paper explores the factors associated with reproductive choices by HIV-positive pregnant women in two settings in Brazil and how health care providers and the local medical culture can affect these choices. Data came from a study conducted in prenatal care services in two cities, São Paulo and Porto Alegre. The authors used two data collection strategies: collection of information from 427 patient records of HIV-positive women who had received prenatal care, and in-depth interviews with 60 women. While most women in both cities requested tubal ligation after delivery, a much higher proportion of women in Sao Paulo were actually sterilized, as compared to a tiny proportion of women in Porto Alegre. The local medical culture regarding sterilization and organization of prenatal care emerged as important factors for understanding the differences between the two cities.

Randomized Trial to Compare Perioperative Outcomes of Filshie Clip vs. Pomeroy Technique for Postpartum and Intraoperative Cesarean Tubal Sterilization: A Pilot Study (research abstract)
This paper reports on a randomized trial to compare Filshie clip and Pomeroy techniques for postpartum and intrapartum cesarean sterilizations (n=32) in a United States teaching hospital with respect to surgeon preference and perioperative outcomes. For most postpartum sterilizations, the mean duration of the procedure was almost 7 minutes faster for the Filshie clip technique; perioperative outcomes were equivalent. Application of the Filshie clip was rated easier than Pomeroy suture application and, overall, the Filshie clip sterilization procedure was rated less difficult. Seventy percent of surgeons preferred the Filshie clip technique and would choose it if only one postpartum sterilization method was available.

Clinical Outcomes of Early Postplacental Insertion of Intrauterine Contraceptive Devices (research abstract)
Researchers from the Zekai Tahir Burak Women Health Education and Research Hospital in Ankara, Turkey assessed the efficacy, safety, and advantages and disadvantages of early postplacental intrauterine device (IUD) insertion (n=235). Among IUD acceptors, 74% had vaginal deliveries and 26% had cesarean deliveries. Continuation rates were relatively high, 87.6% and 76.3%, at 6 and 12 months, respectively, after postplacental insertion of IUD. The 1-year cumulative expulsion rate with the TCu 380A device was 12.3%, which may be regarded as a standard expulsion rate.

Reproductive Rights of Women and Men in Light of New Legislation on Voluntary Sterilization in Brazil (research abstract)
This paper, with full text available only in Portuguese, analyzed the impacts and possible changes that the implementation of a new Brazilian family planning law has on reproductive practices, especially voluntary sterilization. The methodological approach was based on a 6-month follow-up survey taken monthly, applied to a sample of 159 individuals in six contextually different state capitals. Besides verifying whether the health sector is complying with the criteria set by the law, researchers analyzed the waiting time between the request for sterilization and the surgery itself. They also conducted interviews with health professionals, shedding light on the procedures adopted in the practice of sterilization. For various reasons, the law has produced little change in the usual practice of sterilization, besides failing to satisfy individual reproductive rights.

Number of Children Associated with Obesity in Middle-aged Women and Men: Results from the Health and Retirement Study (PubMed abstract)
Related news article: Big Families Mean Big Waistlines for Mom and Dad
US researchers have found that middle-aged parents with larger families were more likely to be obese than parents of smaller families, and the risk of obesity increased incrementally with every additional child.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS

UK: 40% of Pregnancies 'Unplanned' (news article)
A new survey of 3,000 mothers, commissioned by evriwoman.co.uk, found that 4 in 10 pregnancies in the UK is unplanned and that almost half of these women were using contraception. Of these women, 62% blamed problems with the Pill, 19% said it was due to a split condom, and 3% were too carried away to use contraception. One in five women said they regretted the pregnancy.

Tanzania is 'Running Out of Condoms' (news article)
Tanzania's National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) has called for increased donor assistance to replenish stocks of condoms, saying a looming shortage could adversely affect campaigns against HIV and AIDS.

Pakistan Begins New Reproductive Health Push (feature article)
This feature article concerns Pakistan's new plan to focus on rural health care and reproductive information, which could help the country in its struggle with some of South Asia's highest rates of maternal and infant mortality.

US: Seattle Study Offers Non-prescribed Birth Control (news article)
Pharmacies in Seattle have started to offer birth control pills to women without a doctor's prescription as part of a study to see if the practice can be adopted nationwide, health officials said last week. Although many countries now offer hormonal contraceptives without an initial visit to the doctor for a prescription, the United States still requires that women who want to get on the pill see a physician. Women aged 18 to 45 can walk into any one of eight pharmacies in the Seattle area to participate in the study, which is being conducted by the University of Washington School of Pharmacy and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Jordan: National Reproduction Plan Launched (news article)
The Higher Population Council on Wednesday launched a national reproduction plan aimed at involving the public and private sectors in family planning. The plan has been described as an important qualitative step in Jordan's socio-economic development process, striking a balance between population and available resources.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY

US Firms Try to Block Cheap AIDS Drugs (news article)
Campaigners claim that the US, under pressure from its giant pharmaceutical companies, is trying to undermine the use in poor countries of cheap, copycat AIDS drugs, made by "pirate", generic companies but validated by the World Health Organisation. The US department of health and human services has now convened a conference in Botswana at the end of the month that will question the WHO's approval process for generic drugs, known as "pre-qualification".

Daughters-only Families Enjoy Extra Help in China (news article)
A new "care for girls" project in the suburbs of the capital of South China's Guangdong Province, families that have only daughters, but no more than two, will enjoy special medical and education care.

Birth Control a Non-starter in Philippines Election Campaign (news article)
In the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines, birth control is a subject the main presidential contenders have chosen to quietly ignore.

Ugandan Women Get Divorce Rights (news article)
Women in Uganda can now divorce their husbands for cheating on them, a constitutional court has ruled. Uganda's Divorce Act only allowed men to divorce on the grounds of adultery. Wives also had to prove further grounds for complaint like desertion or violent assault before being granted a divorce. Female lawyers successfully argued that the act was inconsistent with the constitution that says men and women are equal.

Chile Defies Church and Legalises Divorce (news article)
The lower house of Congress in Chile approved a bill to legalize divorce last week. Until then, Chile was the only country in the Americas, and one of the few left in the world, to forbid divorce. Chileans will still have to wait 6 months for the law to come into effect and allow them to get a divorce.

HIV/AIDS RESEARCH

A Model HIV/AIDS Risk Reduction Programme in the Philippines: A Comprehensive Community-based Approach through Participatory Action Research (research abstract)
Researchers conducted a 3-year, longitudinal, quasi-experimental study using participatory action research (PAR) to determine the feasibility and efficiency of an expanded STI HIV/AIDS prevention program among diverse high-risk male heterosexual populations in the southern Philippines. A total of 3,389 participants (about 200 males from each of 18 study groups) were recruited, and 221 were trained as peer counselors to develop educational materials and reinforce safe sexual practices among their peers. Condom usage (36.10% to 38.70% to 46.31%), attitudes towards condoms (21.67% to 24.55% to 25.15%) and knowledge about HIV/STI transmission (41.87% to 42.19% to 33.31%) increased significantly from baseline to post-test and 6-month follow up. The reported STI incidence also decreased significantly (7.4% to 4.6% to 2.4%, respectively). Changes differed significantly between the intervention and control group at post-test and follow up. The authors write that these findings illustrate the appropriateness of using PAR methodology in promoting and sustaining positive behavior change.

Prevention of HIV Infection among Migrant Population Groups in Northeast Brazil (research article)
This research focused on different configurations, beliefs, representations, and forms of social organization of behavior thought to be associated with a migrant population's capacity to efficiently follow AIDS prevention measures.

Prevalence of HIV Infection and Other Blood-borne Infections in Incarcerated and Non-incarcerated Injection Drug Users (IDUs) in Mashhad, Iran (research abstract)
The authors estimate the prevalence of HIV infection and other blood-borne infections in incarcerated and non-incarcerated IDUs, to compare them with those of volunteer blood donors, and to compare the demographic and risk behavior profiles of HIV+ and HIV- incarcerated IDUs. The study population consisted of a convenience sample of 101 incarcerated IDUs and 222 IDUs in a voluntary drug treatment center. Of the 101 incarcerated IDUs, 7 (7%) were found to be HIV+. None of the IDUs in the drug treatment center were found to be HIV+. HIV+ IDUs were more likely to report sharing of syringes or needles (100%) compared to HIV- IDUs (44.7%). In addition, among the 101 incarcerated IDUs tested, the seroprevalence of HCV, HBV (HBs-Ag), and HTLV1 was 60%, 3% and 52%, respectively.

HIV/AIDS NEWS

African Hunters Infected by AIDS-like Virus (news article)
African ape hunters are being infected by the same class of viruses that causes AIDS, scientists say, raising fears of a possible epidemic of a new disease in the future.

Swaziland: World's Highest Rate of HIV Infection (news article)
A senior UN official on Friday confirmed that Swaziland now has the world's highest rate of HIV infection, at 38.6%.

Taxi Drivers Becoming Agents of Change in AIDS-Ridden Rwanda (news article)
This feature article relates how transporters and taxi drivers from Rwanda are learning how to fight HIV/AIDS from their counterparts in neighbouring Uganda.

China: Most Guangdong HIV/AIDS Patients are Young (news article)
Guangdong ranks fourth in China in the number of HIV/AIDS carriers and patients, according to a report by the provincial public health department. Authorities had reported 5,051 HIV/AIDS carriers, including 190 AIDS patients, by the end of last year from 19 cities across the province. HIV carriers aged from 16 to 35 took up 80% of the total.

S. Africans Spend Most Non-work Time at Funerals (news article)
A new survey finds that South Africans spend more time at funerals than other activities outside work; 30.1% of those surveyed had attended a funeral in the past month.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

A Tale of Two Continents: A Multilevel Comparison of the Determinants of Child Nutritional Status from Selected African and Indian Regions (research abstract)
This paper compares individual and household predictors of underweight among young children in sub-Saharan Africa and India. Findings demonstrate the importance of individual and household level predictors such as age, the size of child at birth, prolonged breast-feeding, recent diarrhoea episodes, and maternal education. In some regions, socio-economic characteristics of the household result in significant differences in the household or community level variance.

Breastfeeding Experiences in a Group of Women: The Limits of "the Body for the Child" and "the Body for Oneself" (research abstract)
The full text of this article is available only in Portuguese. The focus of this study was to understand the meanings ascribed by a group of women from Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo State, to their experiences with breastfeeding in relation to the sensations and manifestations in their own bodies as well as those they perceive in their children.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS

The Birth of Hope: Afghan Midwives Teach Expectant Mothers to Replace Superstition with Sanitation (feature article)
This feature article from the Christian Science Monitor relates how a new generation of Afghan midwives are teaching expectant mothers to replace superstition with sanitation.

Ghana: Deaths Recorded During Adolescent Childbirth (news article)
Seventeen adolescents died during child birth last year, according to new research presented at a two-day workshop in Kumasi. The 17 included 172 maternal deaths recorded for the same period, while 20 adolescents (11.6%) out of the same figure died in 2002.

MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Sexuality and STD/AIDS Prevention: Social Representations by Rural Men in a County in the Zona da Mata Region in Pernambuco, Brazil (research abstract)
The full text of this article is available only in Portuguese. The paper analyzes the concepts displayed by rural men in the Zona da Mata region in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil, concerning their sexual practices and STD/AIDS prevention.

'You Are a Man Because You Have Children': Experiences, Reproductive Health Knowledge and Treatment-seeking Behaviour among Men Suffering from Couple Infertility in South Africa (research abstract)
This study explores reproductive health knowledge, health-seeking behavior, and experiences related to involuntary childlessness in men suffering from couple infertility.

POPULATION RESEARCH

Effects of Education and Other Socioeconomic Factors on Middle Age Mortality in Rural Bangladesh (research abstract)
In this historical cohort study (n=14,803 married women aged 45 or over and their husbands), researchers found that mortality was lower in women with formal or Koranic education compared with those with none. After adjusting for her own education, the husband’s level of education or occupation did not have an independent effect on a woman’s survival. Men who had attended formal education had lower mortality than those without any education, but men whose wives had been educated had an additional survival advantage independent of their own education and occupation.

Fertility Behaviour of Recent Immigrants to Israel: A Comparative Analysis of Immigrants from Ethiopia and the Former Soviet Union (research article)
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
This paper describes and compares the fertility behavior of two large groups of immigrants from the former
Soviet Union (FSU) and from Ethiopia to Israel in the last 20 years. The changes in fertility behavior undergone in the same society and at the same time by two very different groups are examined. The findings reveal that the fertility behavior of immigrants is indeed changing. The fertility of FSU immigrants is increasing and that of the Ethiopian immigrants decreasing, with accompanying changes in the proximate determinants of fertility. Although the fertility of immigrants is becoming more similar to that of the receiving society, the methods employed to achieve the fertility change are not necessarily similar, and, in some cases, diverge from the norms of the receiving society.

WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Violence against Woman: Clients of Emergency Care Units in Salvador (research abstract)
The full text of this article is available only in Portuguese. The paper discusses research on violence against women treated at an emergency care hospital in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. A total of 701 interviews were conducted in a cluster sample of women ages 15 to 49 years, of whom 321 reported some episode of physical, sexual, and/or psychological violence. Although violence against the women in this sample was not associated with social/demographic characteristics, most cases of violence occurred in the domestic environment. Among women reporting physical violence, there were more cases of mental and behavioral disorders, problems resulting from external causes, genitourinary tract diseases, and ill-defined causes. The article concludes that health services need professionals who are prepared to treat these women, who often come to emergency care units to relieve their pain and suffering but fail to find a concrete response to their real needs.

WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Scientists Find New Breast Cancer (news article)
Swiss scientists have reportedly discovered a new type of breast tumor that might respond to drugs similar to those used to treat prostate cancer. They presented their findings last week during the European Breast Cancer Conference in Hamburg, Germany.

YOUTH HEALTH RESEARCH

Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Gender: A Cross-sectional Study with Adolescents in Rio de Janeiro (research abstract)
The full text of this article is available only in Portuguese. Researchers report a study in which they interviewed 356 adolescent patients at the Adolescent Health Research Center in Rio de Janeiro State University to identify possible STD risk factors. Young men reported more partners and early sexual initiation. Females used condoms less frequently and were more subject to sexual abuse. The authors write that their results confirm a model sustained by traditional gender values that demarcate the male and female spheres, with male supremacy. They conclude that to achieve more effective STD control, it is necessary to expand the discussion on culturally constructed patterns of masculinity and femininity.

Adolescence and Reproduction in Brazil: The Heterogeneity of Social Profiles (research abstract)
The full text of this article is available only in Portuguese. This study estimates the prevalence of adolescent pregnancy (AP) in three Brazilian cities and examines the profiles of pregnant girls and their partners in relation to pregnancy outcomes. Data for a retrospective assessment of AP were collected using an interview-based household survey applied to a stratified sample of males and females aged 18-24. A total of 4,634 individuals were interviewed (85.2% of the eligible individuals), and 21.4% of males and 29.5% of females aged 20-24 reported AP, but few such pregnancies had taken place before age 15 (0.6% and 1.6%). Pregnancy between adolescent partners was reported by 55.1% of males and 27.9% of females; 79.8% of the latter became pregnant while involved in a stable relationship with an older partner. AP levels varied inversely to schooling and income levels. More females (72.2%) than males (34.5%) carried their first AP to completion, and more cases of induced abortion were reported by male partners in pregnancies (41.3%) than by females (15.3%). With the birth of the first child, 25% of women interrupted their studies temporarily and 17.3% definitively. However, 42.1% of primiparous mothers were already outside school before pregnancy.

Teenage Contraception and Pregnancy from the Perspective of Young Low-income Fathers in a Slum Area in Rio de Janeiro (research abstract)
The full text of this article is available only in Portuguese. The paper focuses on how teenage fatherhood affects the life histories of young low-income males. Field work included individual interviews of young fathers living in a shantytown in Rio de Janeiro city. The authors argue that an approach from the male standpoint affords access to other levels in a web of meanings and relations that refer back to the logic of contraception, the formation of couples, and active fatherhood. The argument also highlights the links between type of relationship and partnership, use and non-use of contraceptive methods, and the meanings of fatherhood for young low-income males. It highlights that entering actively into fatherhood helps boys consolidate their image as "mature", "responsible", "adult" men.

Young People - We Care! A Book of Ideas to Help Young People Supporting Each Other in Their Communities in Zimbabwe (book)
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
This book, from John Snow International, is designed to encourage and help groups of young people support either younger children or their peers who are living in communities and households affected by AIDS. It can also be used by home-based care organizations that want to involve young people in their home-based care activities. It is intended for use by any group of young people aged 15 to 20 years.

Youth InfoNet 4 - February 2004 (resource material)
This issue of Youth InfoNet contains program resources, including summaries of tools, curricula, program reports, unpublished research findings, and other items useful for youth programming, and research articles, including summaries of peer-reviewed research papers published in the last month on developing country research.

Interactive Video Behavioral Intervention to Reduce Adolescent Females' STD Risk: A Randomized Controlled Trial (research abstract)
This study evaluated the impact of a theoretically based, stand-alone interactive video intervention on 300 US urban adolescent girls' (a) knowledge about STDs, (b) self-reported sexual risk behavior, and (c) STD acquisition. The video intervention was compared to two controls, representing high-quality informational interventions, one using the same content in book form, the other using commercially available brochures. Following randomization, the interventions were administered at baseline, with booster sessions at 1, 3, and 6 months. Self-reports revealed that those assigned to the interactive video were significantly more likely to be abstinent in the first 3 months following initial exposure to the intervention, and experienced fewer condom failures in the following 3 months, compared to controls. Six months after enrollment, participants in the video condition were significantly less likely to report having been diagnosed with an STD.

YOUTH HEALTH NEWS

China: Condoms on Campus? Some are Delighted, Some Frown (news article)
The Guangdong Family Planning Commission has decided to select eight universities in the province to install condom machines for students on a trial basis, but the move has caused a stir. Some college administrations oppose the move, saying students should not have sexual experiences while in college; other administrations welcome the idea as a responsible step in curbing the spread of STDs and HIV/AIDS.

24% of UK 16 to 17 Year Old Girls Take the Contraceptive Pill (news article)
Figures suggest that 24% of girls aged 16 and 17 take the contraceptive pill in the UK. Four years ago the figure stood at 17%.

---

Problems and comments can be addressed to rjacoby@jhuccp.org. Archives available at http://www.infoforhealth.org/popreporter/. Subscribe at http://prds.infoforhealth.org/signup.php. Modify your account at http://prds.infoforhealth.org/modify.php. Have an item to contribute for consideration in The Pop Reporter? E-mail the URL and description to rjacoby@jhuccp.org. Forward this message to a friend who could benefit from INFO project activities! Sincerely, Robert Jacoby, rjacoby@jhuccp.org Editor, The Pop Reporter Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Disclaimer: The information provided on this web site is not official U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Government or The Johns Hopkins University.