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The Pop Reporter®

Volume 4, Number 22
1 June 2004

"The Pop Reporter" (R) Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs INFO Project. 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.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH

Seroprevalence of Herpes Simplex Virus-2 in Suburban Primary Care Offices in the United States (research abstract)
Related news article: US: Study Shows Herpes is Common in Suburban Populations, with Denver Up to 20%
According to a recent study of 36 primary care physician offices in relatively affluent suburban areas of six US cities, one in four people (25.5%) tested positive for the virus that causes genital herpes, despite the fact that only 4% of all those tested reported a history of the condition. As the study shows, genital herpes infection rates were high even among suburban, educated, and mid to high income populations.

Scale-Free Networks and Sexually Transmitted Diseases: A Description of Observed Patterns of Sexual Contacts in Britain and Zimbabwe (research abstract)
A statistical analysis of sexual partner numbers from four datasets, three from Britain and one from Zimbabwe, reveals that sexual partner distributions can be described by power laws.

The Contraceptive Vaginal Ring (NuvaRing®) and Hemostasis: A Comparative Study (research abstract)
This open-label, nonrandomized study compared changes in hemostatic variables during NuvaRing® and oral levonorgestrel (LNG/EE) use for six cycles. For most procoagulation variables, there was no difference between NuvaRing and oral LNG/EE; only Factor VII levels increased in the NuvaRing group and decreased in the LNG/EE group. The majority of assessed variables show that anticoagulation and fibrinolytic activity was comparable between the NuvaRing and oral LNG/EE groups.

Approaches to the Control of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Developing Countries: Old Problems and Modern Challenges (research abstract)
This article, from the Tropical Medicine Series in the British Medical Journal, addresses approaches to treating STIs in developing countries and case management challenges.

Frequency-dependent Incidence in Models of Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Portrayal of Pair-based Transmission and Effects of Illness on Contact Behaviour (research abstract)
In this study, researchers explore the transmission process for STDs.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS

Brazil Faces Condom Shortage (news article)
The head of Brazil's AIDS program warns an impending shortage of condoms will have serious implications for Aids prevention in the country. All purchasing contracts at the Health Ministry have been suspended as part of a corruption investigation. The measure will affect condom distribution programs run throughout Brazil. The federal government distributes 22 million free condoms every month as part of its AIDS policy.

Pacific Countries Agree on Plan to Secure Reproductive Health Commodities (press release)
Health ministers from eight Pacific island nations meeting last week in Geneva on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly adopted a plan in cooperation with the UN Population Fund to expand the availability of reproductive health commodities.

Study Finds Condoms Contain Cancer-causing Substance (news article)
Most condoms contain a cancer-causing chemical and their manufacture should be subject to greater quality control, a German scientific research institute said last week. The carcinogen is thought to be present in a substance used to improve condom elasticity. When the rubber material comes in contact with human bodily fluids, it can release traces of N-Nitrosamine, the study said. Local government officials said condom users should not stop using rubber contraceptives based on results of the study because N-Nitrosamine does not present an immediate health danger. But Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment said that daily condom use exposed users to N-Nitrosamine levels up to three times higher than levels naturally present in food.

China: Venereal Disease Cases Decline in Guangzhou (news article)
More than 18,930 new venereal disease cases were reported in 2003 in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, one of the country's leading economic powerhouses, a drop of 9.58% from a year before. Syphilis, gonorrhea, pointed condyloma, and non-gonococcal urethritis cases declined remarkably in 2003, but HIV/AIDS infection cases were on a rise, according to the local venereal disease surveillance center. The ratio of male to female venereal disease patients was 1.58:1, and those aged between 20 to 29 accounted for the largest proportion of 47.69% of local venereal disease patients.

Italians are Offered "Do It Yourself" Paternity Testing Kits (news article)
An Italian businessman has triggered debate in Italy by advertising "do it yourself" paternity testing kits, with which men can check their children's DNA without telling their wives. The kit, which Aurelio Coppola has been advertising for £470 ($840) each since May, allows suspicious fathers to take a swab from their child's mouth, and their own, and send it to a laboratory for testing.

Sweden Offers New Service: Dial-a-condom (news article)
A Swedish aid organization will roll out a new line of defence to the country's emergency services next week: the condom ambulance. Starting next Friday, amorous couples will be able to call a telephone number, and a white van featuring a large red condom with wings as a logo will deliver a packet of 10 prophylactics.

The Philippines: Family Planning Studies, Info Kit Launched (news article)
A compilation of studies and other information on family planning counseling was launched recently by the Philippine Evidence-Based Reproductive Medicine Network for health care providers in the country. The Critically Appraised Topics Kit contains the best evidence on family planning methods. It has 25 topics related to pregnancy and different methods of contraception.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY

China AIDS Visit 'Stage-managed' (news article)
A prominent Chinese AIDS activist says he has been placed under house arrest to stop him meeting the US ambassador. Hu Jia said it came ahead of a visit by a US delegation led by ambassador Clark Randt to villages in central China that have been badly hit by AIDS. Tens of thousands there were infected after selling blood to the government. Several Chinese political activists say that they too have been detained in the run-up to the 15th anniversary on 4 June of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

Abstinence-Only: Does It Work? (commentary)
This article from The New York Times takes on the abstinence-only policy advocated for teenage sex education in the US.

HIV/AIDS RESEARCH

From Directly Observed Therapy to Accompagnateurs: Enhancing AIDS Treatment Outcomes in Haiti and in Boston (research abstract)
This paper describes a pilot project in rural Haiti, which introduced DOT-HAART (directly observed therapy with highly active antiretroviral therapy) for the care of patients with advanced acquired immune deficiency syndrome. The authors write that their models of care can be applied to other poverty-stricken populations in resource-poor settings.

Late Postnatal Transmission of HIV-1 in Breast-Fed Children: An Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis (research abstract)
This meta-analysis, conducted by The Breastfeeding and HIV International Transmission Study Group, individual patient data was analyzed to determine the contribution of late postnatal transmission to the overall risk of mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and the timing and determinants of late postnatal transmission. The authors found that late postnatal transmission contributes substantially to overall mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1. The risk of late postnatal transmission is generally constant throughout breast-feeding, and late postnatal transmission is associated with a lower maternal CD4+ cell count and male sex.

Behavioral Impact, Acceptability, and HIV Incidence Among Homosexual Men With Access to Postexposure Chemoprophylaxis for HIV (research abstract)
Related news article: HIV Preventive Treatment Does Not Up Risky Sex
Treating gay men who think they may have been exposed to HIV -- a strategy known as postexposure chemoprophylaxis (PEP) -- does not increase high-risk behavior, according to research conducted in Brazil. The study involved 200 gay men. Sixty-eight participants took PEP, consisting of the anti-HIV drugs lamivudine and zidovudine in a fixed-dose combination tablet, after high-risk activity, the authors report. Eighty-six did not take PEP despite high-risk behavior at least once during the study, and 46 denied high-risk behavior during the study. The average number of partners was the same in the 6 months before the study and in the 6 months before the final study visit for the subjects who took PEP and those who did not, the results show. On average, high-risk sexual activities declined over time for both groups.

Knowledge About Vaccines and Willingness to Participate in Preventive HIV Vaccine Trials: A Population-Based Study, Rakai, Uganda (research abstract)
This study assessed knowledge and beliefs regarding vaccines and willingness to participate in HIV vaccine trials.

HIV/AIDS NEWS

Outrage as SA 'Lacks' AIDS Drugs (news article)
South Africa's decision to stop its roll-out of anti-AIDS drugs has been condemned by activists. The radical Treatment Action Campaign accused the authorities of putting people's lives at risk. The health department is advising hospitals not to enroll new children on the program in case there are not enough drugs for them to continue.

Mozambique Struggles to Rollout AIDS Drugs (news article)
Mozambique is unable to launch a nationwide distribution of free life-prolonging anti-retroviral AIDS drugs because of serious shortages of staff and equipment, Health Minister Francisco Songane said last week.

South Africa: Anti-AIDS 'Toolkit' Launched (news article)
A South African business group set up to fight AIDS launched a "toolkit" to help companies handle the pandemic among workers. The kit contains posters, brochures, and a video and information on people living with HIV and AIDS.

Friendly Mouth Bacteria Could Block HIV (news article)
Bacteria naturally present in our mouths could stop newborn babies from contracting HIV via their mother's milk. Although the treatment has not yet been tested in animals or people, the US researchers developing the treatment expect few side effects because the bugs are harmless. They also hope it will work on future variants of the HIV virus because it does not rely on the bacteria recognising viral coat proteins which are known to mutate frequently.

South Africa in Fresh Dispute with Global AIDS Fund (news article)
A new dispute has broken out between South Africa and the world's chief AIDS funding organization, which accuses Pretoria of delaying disbursement of millions of dollars in HIV/AIDS assistance.

WHO to Give 29,000 Ghanaians Free Anti-AIDS Drugs (news article)
The World Health Organization said Thursday it wanted to put about half of Ghana's AIDS sufferers on free life-prolonging drugs by the end of next year. Napoleon Graham, WHO project officer in Ghana's capital Accra, said the program was part of the WHO's "3 by 5 Initiative," a bid to supply anti-retrovirals to 3 million people in developing countries by 2005.

Botswana: Sexual Questions Irk Gaborone Councillors (news article)
Gaborone city councillors were not amused when they were told that an HIV/AIDS survey would collect data on the sexual behaviour of all leaders in the country including politicians. Judith Shongwe, a senior government statistician working with NACA irked councillors at a full Council meeting when she said the second HIV/AIDS Impact Survey will ask questions which under normal circumstances could be regarded as offending.

China Set to Compete in AIDS Drug Market (news article)
China, which began making AIDS medicine less than 2 years ago, has become a major exporter of cheap raw material for AIDS drugs and is gearing up to export finished drugs to Third World countries. The move could see the country - fast becoming the world's factory for almost every product imaginable - driving down the worldwide price for the medicine. But international experts caution that quality must be assured.

China: Condoms Distributed on Long-distance Buses to Prevent AIDS Spread (news article)
Starting last week, condoms are offered for free to passengers on more than 70 buses shuttling on Highway 318 between west China's Sichuan Province and the Tibet Autonomous Region. As part of the HIV/AIDS prevention program between China and Britain, the free condoms mark China's new step to control the disease among the migrant population, said an official with the program.

Abbott Defends AIDS Drug Price Rise to Panel (news article)
Abbott Laboratories Inc. defended its 400% price increase for an AIDS drug, telling a US government panel last Tuesday that licenses to allow cheaper copies before its patent expiration were unnecessary. AIDS activists and other critics said the company was selling the drug, Norvir, at an unreasonable price after benefiting from a federal grant early in its development.

Australian HIV Cases Have Increased 22% Over Two Years (news article)
New data released by Australia's NSW Health has revealed that HIV notifications increased by 6% from 2002 to 2003. This follows a 15% increase from 2001 to 2002, representing a 22% increase over 2 years.

Afghanistan Has First Official AIDS Deaths (news article)
The deaths of an Afghan man and two of his children have marked the first official fatalities from the AIDS virus in deeply conservative Afghanistan, a health ministry official says.

New HIV+ Dating Site Launched in South Africa (news article)
A new Cape Town-based Web site has been launched to offer social and dating services to HIV-positive South Africans. The site, the Positive Connection, will offer dating services with free sign up and a paid monthly subscription for those who wish to contact people listed in the directory.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

Developing a Supervision Instrument for Postabortion Care in Guatemala, Bolivia and Mexico (report)
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
The main objective of this project was to develop and test a supervision instrument and corresponding guidelines to collect information about postabortion care (PAC) services and to provide constructive feedback to service providers and program managers. The instrument and guidelines were designed to be used by technical supervisors to monitor performance and engage providers in continuous quality improvement of PAC services.

Factors Influencing Acceptability of Voluntary Counselling and HIV-testing among Pregnant Women in Northern Tanzania (research abstract)
The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with pregnant women's expressed willingness to accept voluntary counselling and HIV-testing (VCT). A cross-sectional interview survey of 500 pregnant women was conducted in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. Constructs derived from the Health Belief Model explained 41.7% of women's willingness to accept VCT. The authors note that the women's acceptance of VCT seems to depend upon their perceiving that VCT and alternative feeding strategies provide clear benefits, primarily for the child. Whether a positive attitude to VCT and alternative feeding strategies are transformed into actual behavior depends on a set of complicated decisions in which several potential psychological consequences are assessed.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS

MNH Program Participates in Kick-Off of Postpartum Hemorrhage Initiative (resource material)
The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) launched their Joint Statement on the Prevention of Postpartum Hemorrhage on 23 April 2004 at ICM's Americas Regional Conference in Trinidad and Tobago. The Joint Statement, developed with the support of USAID's Postpartum Hemorrhage Initiative, is part of the organizations' effort to call attention to the high number of women who die as a result of postpartum hemorrhage and to accelerate efforts to reverse this global emergency.

Afgahnistan: Birth Shadowed by Death (feature article)
This feature article relates the perils women face in giving birth in Afgahnistan.

Mother's Milk May Prevent Sepsis in Extremely Low-birth-weight Infants (news article)
New study findings show that human milk protects extremely low-birth-weight infants from developing sepsis, an overwhelming infection and a leading cause of illness and death in these tiny babies. In fact, the more human milk given as a percentage of nutritional intake, the lower the risk of sepsis during the hospital stay. The study was presented on May 1, 2004, at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies in San Francisco, California.

MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Clients of Female Sex Workers in Lima, Peru: A Bridge Population for Sexually Transmitted Disease/HIV Transmission? (research abstract)
Clients of female sex workers in Lima, Peru report high rates of condom use with commercial sex and have a low prevalence of gonorrhea and chlamydia.

Restoration of Fertility in Vasectomized Men Using Percutaneous Vasal or Epididymal Sperm Aspiration (research abstract)
Researchers studied restoring fertility of vasectomized men using percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA) and percutaneous vasal sperm aspiration (PVSA) via intrauterine insemination (IUI). Of 28 vasectomy reversal subjects, 16 cycles of IUI using vasal sperm by percutaneous aspiration were performed in 16 subjects and 6 pregnancies were achieved. IUIs with epididymal sperm by percutaneous aspiration were carried out in 12 subjects with epididymal obstruction due to vasovasostomy for vasectomy reversal, and 2 pregnancies were achieved using caudal and epididymal sperm by percutaneous aspiration, respectively.

Who Pays for Sex and Why? An Analysis of Social and Motivational Factors Associated with Male Clients of Sex Workers (research abstract)
In this study, the authors studied the reported reasons men ever paid for sex. They surveyed 612 men who were attending a commercial event in Victoria, Australia and found that 143 (23.4%) had paid for sex at least once. They found four measures that significantly differentiated clients from nonclients: clients were significantly older, less likely to have been educated beyond high school, less likely to report having a regular partner in the past 6 months, and more likely to report that their most recent sexual encounter was with a casual partner.

MEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Breast Cancer on Rise in US Men, Study Finds (news article)
Male breast cancer is on the rise in the United States -- bad news for men and their doctors, who do not even know to look for it. Although the disease remains extremely rare -- just 1,600 cases are predicted for 2004 -- the 25% increase in 25 years is worrying.

POPULATION RESEARCH

Too Few Good Men: The Security Implications of Russian Demographics (research article)
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
This paper assesses the security implications of the decline of Russia's population, particularly its male population. In 2001, Russian female life expectancy at birth was 72.3 years, while that for males was only 59 years. This difference--more than 13 years--is one of the largest in the world. Male life expectancy in Russia in 2001 was lower than that in Bangladesh (61.9), Egypt (65.3), Guetemala (63.6), Indonesia (64.4), the Philippines (64.2), and Vietnam (66.9), among others. The authors consider these issues relative to Russia's military (ie, security) needs.

Low Fertility and Population Ageing: Causes, Consequences, and Policy Options (report)
This study assesses which policies can prevent or mitigate the adverse consequences of current low fertility and population ageing. A framework highlights the interrelationships among government policies, macro-level conditions and household-level demographic behaviour. Guided by this framework, the research literature was reviewed; European demographic data were examined; and case studies of five countries were conducted.

POPULATION NEWS

The Most Populous Nation Faces a Population Crisis (feature article)
Barring a radical shift in social policy, China is on course to age faster than any major country in history, as its median age soars from about 32 today to at least 44 in 2040. This article from The New York Times considers the implications of this demographic trend for the country.

Australia: Maternity Bonus no Incentive to Multiply (news article)
The Federal Government's $3000 maternity payment would have to be at least 10 times more generous before it could begin to have any effect on fertility rates, says a leading British family researcher.

A Bona Fide Baby Boom for the Baltics (news article)
according to Minister of Population Affairs Paul-Eerik Rummo, Estonia's parental compensation program, which went into force in January, has become so popular that virtually everybody wants in "on the action." In the beginning of 2004 the pension department offices saw lines of people eager to determine their right for parental compensation. The law, in force since January 2004, made the compensation available for parents with children younger than 11 months. As a result, from January to April 2004, about 40,000 people, mostly women, have received parental compensation for various periods.

China: Checking Imbalance in Gender Ratio (news article)
One finding of China's fifth national census, conducted in 2000, has upset demographers. That is the imbalance in ratio between female and male newborns. At 100 girls to 117 boys on national average, the ratio is far beyond the normal ratio of 100 females to 104-107 males.

'Everywhere, Even in Africa, the World is Running Out of Children' (commentary)
In this essay, Phillip Longman, a Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation in Washington, DC, addresses two new problems he sees the world's population facing: population ageing and decline.

Korea: Unemployment, Late Marriages Blamed for Low Childbirth (news article)
According to a report by a researcher at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, the recent decline in fertility is more related to the rise in the average age for first marriages and an increase in celibacy, rather than lower childbirths by married females.

WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Protection and Participation: An Interactive Programme Introducing the Female Condom to Migrant Sex Workers in Cambodia (research abstract)
This paper details an intervention study introducing the female condom to Vietnamese sex workers in Cambodia.

Media Interventions to Increase Cervical Screening Uptake in South Africa: An Evaluation Study of Effectiveness (research abstract)
The authors evaluated the effectiveness of two media interventions--a photo-comic and a radio-drama--in increasing cervical screening uptake. The trial was set in Khayelitsha, a peri-urban squatter community near Cape Town, South Africa. A random sample consisted of 658 women between the ages of 35 and 65 years. Seven percent (18 of 269) of women who received the intervention photo-comic reported cervical screening during the 6 months follow-up, compared with 6% (25 of 389) of controls (P=0.89). Women who recalled hearing the radio-drama were more likely to report attending screening (9 of 53, 17%) than those who did not (19 of 429, 4%).

A Cost-effective Approach to the Development of Printed Materials: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Three Strategies (research abstract)
This study measured the effectiveness of a Pap Test Reminder Service delivered by three different methods: the application of characteristics identified in the literature, behavioral strategies, and marketing strategies.

Low Prevalence of Cervical Infections in Women with Vaginal Discharge in West Africa: Implications for Syndromic Management (research abstract)
This study measures prevalence and risk factors for cervical infections among a large sample of women consulting for vaginal discharge in west Africa and evaluates its syndromic management through a two visit algorithm.

Acceptability of COL-1492, a Vaginal Gel, among Sex Workers in One Asian and Three African Cities (research abstract)
This study evaluates the acceptability of COL-1492, a vaginal gel containing 52.5 mg nonoxynol-9, in an HIV prevention trial. Sex workers participating in a phase II/III triple blind, randomised trial in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, and Thailand were interviewed on the gel's acceptability at monthly scheduled clinic visits. Women indicated not liking their gel in 1.8% of the visits; 98.1% of the women found the gel easy to apply; 30.1% said that it affected sexual intercourse. Most participants found their assigned gel acceptable and the vast majority of reported effects on intercourse were favorable.

Ethnic Chinese Women's Perceptions about Condoms, Withdrawal and Rhythm Methods of Birth Control (research abstract)
This study was conducted to gain a better understanding of ethnic Chinese women's perceptions and experiences of using barrier and rhythm methods of contraception in order to improve contraceptive counseling. Forty ethnic Chinese women interviewed had used condoms (none with spermicide), 20 had used rhythm, and 17 withdrawal, usually a combination of two or three of these methods. Many women noted that these methods are under male control and talked about the difficulty negotiating their use with partners. The majority of women using rhythm were unable to correctly identify "safe periods."

Identifying the Psychosocial Correlates of Condom Use by Female Sex Workers in Hong Kong (research abstract)
This study examined factors affecting condom use by Hong Kong female sex workers when they have sex with their clients and steady partners.

A Qualitative Exploration of Female Sex Work in Tijuana, Mexico (research abstract)
The purpose of this study was to explore work history, context of sex work, sexual risk practices, client characteristics, attitudes toward condoms, and potential barriers to condom use in a sample of female sex workers in Tijuana, Mexico.

WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Revised Screening Guidelines Require Re-education of Women, Physicians (news article)
An expert in cervical cancer screening from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is calling for better public understanding of recent clinical guidelines addressing how and how often to screen for cervical cancer.

YOUTH HEALTH RESEARCH

Challenges to Conducting HIV Preventative Vaccine Trials With Adolescents (research abstract)
This article addresses relevant background information, identifies the issues surrounding HIV vaccine trials with adolescents, discusses what progress has been made, and addresses plans and implications for the implementation of these trials.

Is Condom Use Habit Forming?: Condom Use at Sexual Debut and Subsequent Condom Use (research abstract)
A study of sexually active adolescents using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health found condom use at sexual debut increases the likelihood of subsequent condom use.

Psychosexual Development among HIV-Positive Adolescents in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (research abstract)
This paper describes the psychosexual development of HIV-positive adolescents in the Yopougon Child Programme, launched in Abidjan in October 2000.

Some Factors in Condom Use amongst First-year Nigerian University Students and Black and White South Africans (PubMed abstract)
In this study, a questionnaire was administered to 213 sexually active first-year Nigerian university students and 150 Black and 150 White South African adults. Nigerian students gave 90% correct answers on 6 of the 10 items of a measure of condom knowledge. The most common mistakes with respect to condom use were ignorance about putting a condom on just before ejaculation (37%), the use of an oil-based lubricant with a condom (29%), and when to take off a condom (28%).

Changing Concepts of Health and Illness among Children of Primary School Age in Western Kenya (research abstract)
This paper examines changes in children's concepts of health and illness following an action-oriented health education intervention in Bondo district of Western Kenya.

Self-Assessment of Circumcision Status by Adolescents (research abstract)
The purpose of this 2002 study in Houston, Texas, was to determine whether adolescent males could make correct self-reports of circumcision status. During physical examinations, adolescents were asked whether they were circumcised. The authors then examined the adolescents’ genitalia. Circumcision status was recorded as complete (glans penis fully exposed), partial (glans partly covered), or uncircumcised (glans completely covered). The mean age of the 1,508 subjects was 15 (standard deviation, 1.63) years; 64% were Black, 29% Hispanic, and 7% White. Forty-nine percent had full, 1% partial, and 50% no circumcision. Of the 738 fully circumcised subjects, 512 (69%) considered themselves circumcised, 54 (7%) considered themselves uncircumcised, and 172 (23%) did not know. Of the 751 uncircumcised youth, 491 (65%) described themselves as uncircumcised, 27 (4%) reported being circumcised, and 233 (31%) did not know. The sensitivity of self-report among those who thought they knew their status was 90.5%, and the specificity was 94.8%; 27% did not know their status.

Developing Complex Interventions for Rigorous Evaluation: A Case Study from Rural Zimbabwe (research abstract)
In this paper, the authors describe the way in which a feasibility study helped redesign and shape a complex intervention targeting adolescent sexual health in rural Zimbabwe.

Representing Young People's Sexuality in the 'Youth' Media (research abstract)
This paper reports findings from a content analysis of the main messages about sexuality in media outlets consumed by young people. It examines how sexuality is represented and the level of sexual health information provided in some UK magazines and TV programs targeted at young people.

YOUTH HEALTH NEWS

Young Asians Ignorant of AIDS Risks (news article)
Many young people in the Asia Pacific region remain alarmingly ignorant about the risks posed by HIV-AIDS, while others continue to have unsafe sex after being warned of the dangers, UNICEF reported in a statement. "Only 33% of children aged from 9-17 years old claim to know 'a lot' or 'something' about HIV-AIDS," the statement said. Awareness fell as low as 12% in Laos and 1% in East Timor.

UK: Pupils Given Morning After Pill (news article)
Pupils at high schools across Worcestershire are to be offered the morning after pill. Children will be able to get the emergency contraceptive from specialist health workers without the knowledge of their parents. The program is being introduced as part of the Teenage Pregnancy and Parenting strategy.

Japan: Experts Put New Spin on Sex Education (news article)
Japanese health experts and officials are revising sex education in schools so they focus more on individual teaching yet accept traditional Asian values - pragmatic changes that they hope will make the subject more interesting and relevant to young people.

Mozambique: First Hospital for HIV-Positive Children (news article)
Mozambique's first hospital for HIV-positive children opened this week in the capital, Maputo, amid estimates that more than 30,000 children are born HIV-positive each year.

Nigeria: New Campaign Based on Abstinence Attitudes (news article)
PSI and its affiliate Society for Family Health are launching an abstinence campaign in Nigeria with the help of faith-based organizations and based on extensive new research examining youth attitudes toward sexuality.

Fiji: Intergrate Sex Issues in Education (news article)
Calls have been made for sexuality and reproductive health to be integrated in the formal school curriculum. The regional adolescent reproductive health adviser at the South Pacific Commission said it was a critical element to be included in the curriculum.

New Zealand: Sex Ed Has Little Effect on Teens (news article)
Mandatory sex education was introduced into New Zealand schools in 2001, but educators and youth workers say the country has a muddled approach to teaching students about the birds and the bees.

Maldives: Confidential HIV Testing Welcomed by Youth (news article)
Many young people have welcomed the government's arrangement for confidential counseling and testing for HIV, the Department of Public Health (DPH) has said. The DPH said that over the past 3 weeks, since the service was introduced on May 1 at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Male and the Health Center in Villingili Island, many people have signed up for testing and counseling, most of them youth.

SPECIAL REPORTS/PROFILES/RESOURCES

Interventions for Improving Newborn Health and Survival (resource material)
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
This program brief from the Maternal and Child Health Program contains recommendations on birth interval, immunizing against tetanus, and prevention and treatment of malaria, syphilis, and other infections.

Guidelines for Medico-legal Care for Victims of Sexual Violence (resource material)
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
The aim of these guidelines, developed by the World Health Organization, is to improve professional health services for all individuals (women, men, and children) who have been victims of sexual violence by providing health care workers with the knowledge and skills that are necessary for the management of victims of sexual violence; standards for the provision of both health care and forensic services to victims of sexual violence; and guidance on the establishment of health and forensic services for victims of sexual violence.

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