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 34
23 August 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

The Acceptability of the Female and Male Condom: A Randomized Crossover Trial (research article)
The authors report results from a randomized crossover trial comparing the acceptability of the male and female condom among a group of female clinic patients and their male partners. Across a range of criteria, the female condom was less acceptable than the male condom to most women and their partners.

Multi-media Campaign Exposure Effects on Knowledge and Use of Condoms for STI and HIV/AIDS Prevention in Uganda (research abstract)
This study examined the influences of behavior change communication (BCC) campaigns on knowledge and use of condoms for prevention of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections in target areas of Uganda. Data were drawn from the 1997 and 1999 Delivery of Improved Services for Health evaluation surveys. Results indicated that BCC exposure was strongly associated with higher condom knowledge: women and men who reported being exposed to messages in the mass media were at least twice as likely as those with no exposure to know of condoms as a means to avoid HIV/AIDS.

Interrupting Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Transmission: The Role of Condoms and Microbicides (PubMed abstract)
The author discusses the current state of knowledge about the role of condoms and microbicides to protect against herpes simplex virus infection.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS

India: Police Clamp Down on Condom Campaign in Temple Towns (news article)
In an effort to create awareness about AIDS and increase their own safety levels, the sex workers at Thiruvannamalai have undertaken to distribute condoms. Their effort, however, has met with police beatings and atrocities.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY

Global AIDS Fund Says U.S. Turns Up Heat on Donors (news article)
The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria urged donors on Friday to pay up what they have pledged by the end of next month or risk seeing the United States cut short its contribution. The United States, the biggest contributor, has already paid $360 million this year but announced on Thursday it would not give a further $120 million it has promised unless other donors also fulfilled their pledges. Under U.S. law, Washington can only finance one third of the Geneva-based fund's budget, meaning the size of its contribution is dependant on other countries' donations.

India: Government Sits on World Bank Funds as AIDS Spreads (news article)
Critics of India's World Bank-funded National AIDS Control Organisation are finding a powerful ally in the country's Comptroller and Auditor General, which has taken the organization to task for poor utilization of millions of dollars worth of funds meant for containing the HIV epidemic.

Nigeria: Whither the National HIV/AIDS Policy? (commentary)
In this opinion piece from the Vanguard newspaper (Lagos), the writer examines the country's AIDS policy 1 year after it was signed into law.

Circumcision Arrests in Burkina (news article)
Police in the west African state of Burkina Faso have arrested 14 people for carrying out female genital mutilation (FGM) on young girls. They are accused of carrying out FGM, banned in Burkina Faso, on 16 girls between the ages of two and 10.

HIV/AIDS RESEARCH

Development of an AIDS Vaccine: Perspective from the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative (research article)
Although investment in HIV vaccines was initially small, support has increased greatly over the past decade. This Education and Debate article from the British Medical Journal describes the experience of vaccine development in South Africa.

Is Unsafe Sexual Behaviour Increasing among HIV-infected Individuals? (research abstract)
This study from the Swiss Cohort Study evaluated whether reported unsafe sexual behavior among HIV-infected individuals is changing over time. At least one sexual behavior questionnaire was obtained for 6,545 HIV-infected individuals. Researchers found no evidence of an increase in reported unsafe sex over time. Females, 15-30 year olds, those with HIV-positive partners, and those with occasional partners were more likely to report unsafe sex. There was no evidence of a response bias over time, but individuals were less willing to leave questions about their sexual behavior unanswered or ambiguous.

HIV/AIDS NEWS

UNAIDS Applauds Major New Bollywood Film on AIDS (press release)
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
India's entertainment industry is challenging the AIDS epidemic head-on. For the first time ever, a mainstream Bollywood Hindi film, Phir Milenge (We'll Meet Again), has placed AIDS at the heart of its story line. "When Bollywood, one of the world’s largest film industries with massive audiences, produces a film about AIDS, everyone has to sit up and take notice," said Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.

Zimbabwe: Tackling the Impact of Customs on AIDS (feature article)
Traditional practices of polygamy, virginity testing and 'kugara nhaka' (wife inheritance), inhibit women's control over their bodies and increase vulnerability to HIV infection, but activists are split on the best way to tackle the customs.

Low Rate of HIV Seen in U.S. Blood Donors (news article)
Related research abstract: Probability of Viremia with HBV, HCV, HIV, and HTLV among Tissue Donors in the United States
Less that 0.1% of blood and tissue donors in the United States had positive screening tests for HIV between 2000 and 2002, according to a new study. And the rate of hepatitis C virus was just over 1%.

Nearly One Fourth of S. African Soldiers Contract HIV/AIDS (news article)
Nearly one in every four South African servicemen has contracted HIV/AIDS, while the country's political parties urged the government to increase public spending and education to fight against the pandemic. The South African National Defense Force estimated the extent of HIV/AIDS among its soldiers stands at 23%.

Tajikistan: Boosting HIV/AIDS Awareness among Soldiers (feature article)
This feature article relates how efforts to raise the awareness of thousands of Tajik military personnel over the risks of HIV/AIDS and other STDs are continuing under a joint program by the Tajik Ministry of Defence and the US government.

On Front Line of AIDS in Russia (feature article)
The human cost of Russia's epidemic, which so far counts an estimated 1 million cases of HIV, is growing fast in cities like Tver, 100 miles northwest of Moscow. A wildly overgrown and grungy industrial city of about half a million that sits along the St. Petersburg-Moscow drug-trafficking route, Tver witnessed one of the earliest outbreaks of heroin and opium addiction in Russia - and some of its cases of HIV/AIDS among users who shared needles. As a result, Tver provides a glimpse into the future of Russia's AIDS crisis - in particular, how HIV has leapt beyond tight circles of drug users. The city also demonstrates how some communities are beginning to respond by reaching out to a broader audience.

Coordinating Body Develops Nigeria's Response to HIV/AIDS (interview)
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, has created a body to coordinate the national response to HIV/AIDS. Professor Babatunde Osotimehin, who serves as chairman of the National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA), works with Nigeria's Ministry of Health, other government agencies, NGOs and international organizations to develop a comprehensive strategy. In this interview he speaks about the immense challenges facing Nigeria, as well as NACA's mission to overcome them.

Nigeria to Spend $248M to Fight HIV (news article)
Africa's most populous nation plans to spend $248 million on AIDS drugs for 200,000 HIV-infected Nigerians by the end of 2005. Aside from procuring the antiretroviral drugs, the money will also be used to diagnose and monitore the 200,000 HIV sufferers who will receive the drugs in Nigeria, where 5% or 6 million of the 126 million-strong population is estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS.

Zambia: Government Announces Local AIDS Drug Production (news article)
Local manufacture of anti-AIDS drugs has started in Zambia with assistance from Cuba, the Health Minister announced.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

Randomised Controlled Trial of Pelvic Floor Muscle Training during Pregnancy (news article)
Related news article: Pelvic Exercises Aid Childbirth
Doing pelvic floor muscle exercises while pregnant seems to aid women during labor, according to new Norwegian research. The results, published in the British Medical Journal, contradict a common belief that strong pelvic floor muscles may obstruct labor. The study included 301 pregnant women who had not given birth before. Half the women did intensive pelvic floor muscle training exercises between the 20th and 36th week of pregnancy. The other women in the control group did no special training.

Mother-to-Child Transmission of Human Herpesvirus 8 in South Africa (research abstract)
Researchers conducted a case-control study of mother-child pairs in rural South Africa, focusing on potential routes of mother-to-child transmission of HHV-8. They found the seroprevalence rate of HIV to be 28% (705/2520) among mothers and 22% (155/705) among children of HIV-infected mothers.

Acceptance of HIV Testing Among Pregnant Women in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania (research abstract)
This study assessed correlates of acceptance of testing for HIV infection in the antenatal setting in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. Between August 13, 2001 and November 27, 2002, 14,235 pregnant women were offered screening for HIV as part of routine prenatal care. ). Of the these, 10,991 (77.2%) accepted. The authors found that site of recruitment was significantly associated with screening acceptance. In addition, age, education, marital status, and partner's occupation were significant predictors of testing acceptance.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS

Ghana: Absence of Gynaecologist Causing High Maternal Mortality (news article)
The director of human resource development Division of the ministry of health has attributed the lack of permanent obstetric/gynaecology specialist in the Volta, upper east and upper west regions, as one of the major factors for the high maternal mortality in those three regions.

In Fight Against Child Mortality UNICEF Chief Urges Doctors to Address Root Causes (news article)
With nearly 11 million children dying before the age of five every year, most from preventable causes, the world's pediatricians must champion action that reaches beyond traditional health initiatives to underlying factors such as poverty, discrimination, and minority marginalization, according to the United Nations' top children's advocate.

MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Male Hormonal Contraception: Suppression of Spermatogenesis by Injectable Testosterone Undecanoate Alone or With Levonorgestrel Implants in Chinese Men (research abstract)
Researchers from Shanghai, China and Seattle, Washington studied 62 healthy Chinese men by using various combinations of contraceptive injections and implants.

MEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Men Do Listen (feature article)
This feature article from the Minda News, The Philippines, relates activites and challenges of a local NGO aimed at educating fishermen about reproductive health.

POPULATION RESEARCH

2004 World Population Data Sheet (resource material)
Related news article: World Faces Population Explosion in Poor Countries
Related news article: Most of World Population Growth to Occur in Developing Nations Despite HIV, High Infant Mortality
The 2004 World Population Data Sheet, published by the Population Reference Bureau, has the most up-to-date demographic data and estimates for all the countries and major regions of the world. The rundown provides a look at regional and national contrasts in age structure, population growth, life expectancy, income, and other determinants that mark today's deep demographic divisions.

POPULATION NEWS

India Population 'to be Biggest' (news article)
India is set to overtake China as the world's most populous nation by 2050, while some countries will shrink by nearly 40%, according to new research. The Population Reference Bureau says the next half century will see wild swings in population sizes.

Drop in Population Forecast for Many Developed Nations (news article)
Many of the world's largest industrialized nations will lose population between now and 2050 as low birthrates, struggling economies, and curbs on immigration stifle growth. The annual study by the Population Reference Bureau found that, although the world's population will increase nearly 50% by midcentury, Japan will lose 20% of its population in the next 45 years, while Russia, Germany, and Italy also will see declines.

India: Alarming Fall in Sex Ratio (news article)
The juvenile sex ratio of boys and girls between zero and six years of age has hit an all time low in Tamil Nadu. There should be 952 girls for every 1,000 boys. But according to the natural pattern of sex distribution, in the last two years this has touched as low as 727 in certain rural pockets of the state.

China Faces Elderly Dilemma (news article)
China, the world's most populous country, is now crowned with another title: one of the world's most rapidly aging nations. According to statistics from the National Population and Family Planning Commission, the country's top population policy-maker, residents who are 65 or older already accounted for 7.1% of the overall population at the end of 2001.

WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Are Routine Breast and Pelvic Examinations Necessary for Women Starting Combined Oral Contraception? (research abstract)
In many countries, the authors write, breast and pelvic examinations are routinely undertaken annually for all women using hormonal contraception. But, they say, breast and pelvic examination have low detection rates for abnormality and may yield clinically irrelevant results, causing anxiety and inconvenience to the patient for no obvious gain. They conclude that there is no good evidence to support routine breast or pelvic examination either for women starting hormonal contraception or for monitoring long-term use.

Challenges of a Pandemic: HIV/AIDS-related Problems Affecting Kenyan Widows (research abstract)
This paper reports the findings of a qualitative study using focus group discussions and in-depth interviews about the challenges faced by widows as they confront the direct and indirect impacts of HIV/AIDS in Nyanza, Kenya.

WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Pakistan: Activists Call for Reform of State-run Shelters for Women (news article)
Human rights activists have called for drastic reforms in the existing structure of the state-run women's shelters across the country.

Genital Mutilation, Girl-Child's Nightmare (feature article)
The author of this feature article writes on some of the social implications of this traditional practice.

Nigeria: NCWS Canvasses for Women's Free Medical Care (news article)
Concerned about the alarming statistics of maternal mortality, the National Council of Women's Societies (NCWS) has called for the provision of free and accessible maternal health services for all women of reproductive age. In a communique issued by NCWS and signed by its National President, they resolved to sponsor relevant health and social bills that support women's reproductive health rights. The umbrella organization for all women groups in the country also pledged to promote sexual education for women for the effective control of their sexual health and reproductive health rights.

YOUTH HEALTH RESEARCH

Severity, Affect, Family and Environment (SAFE) Approach to Evaluate Chronic Pelvic Pain in Adolescent Girls (PubMed abstract)
The objective of this study, from the Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India, was to determine the prevalence of pelvic pain in adolescent girls and to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the Severity, Affect, Family and Environment ("SAFE") approach in evaluating chronic pelvic pain in adolescent girls.

Evaluations of Health Promoting Schools: A Review of Nine Studies (research abstract)
This article, from the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa, reviews evaluations of health promoting schools and draws useful evaluation methodology lessons.

YOUTH HEALTH NEWS

Jamaica: Partner Violence High among Young People (news article)
A new study showing that teenage boys and girls have endured forced sex, physical assaults, threats and other forms of verbal and physical abuse from romantic partners their own age has prompted researchers to advocate that health officials teach children and adolescents about avoiding domestic and partner violence. The researchers say education must begin with children under 10 years old. The study date were presented last week at the Fifth International Conference on Adolescent Health and Welfare and the World Youth Forum, being held at the University of the West Indies in Kingston.

Sexually Active Friends and Dating Practices Can Signal Increase in a Teen's Substance Abuse Risk (press release)
Related report: National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse IX: Teen Dating Practices and Sexual Activity
The more sexually active friends a teen has and the more time a teen spends with a boyfriend or girlfriend, the greater the risk that teen will smoke, drink, get drunk or use illegal drugs, according to the National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse IX: Teen Dating Practices and Sexual Activity, an annual back-to-school survey conducted by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

---

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

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.