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The Pop Reporter®

Volume 4, Number 36
7 September 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

Perceptions of Health Students of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital to Gender Based Issues related to Reproductive Health (research abstract)
This study was conducted among health students (n=330) of the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba. All the male respondents compared to 93% of the female respondents believed that a woman has human rights. More females (34.6%) than males (18.2%) and more students from the paramedical fields (45.8%) felt it was right for a woman to seek contraception without permission if necessary. A significantly greater number of females than males and more students of nursing and other courses agreed to the woman's right to refuse sex if she did not want it.

Promoting Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Nigeria through Change in Medical School Curriculum (research abstract)
This article describes the processes leading to the adoption of the Nigerian medical schools' sexual and reproductive health and rights curriculum. The exercise culminated in the identification of internal and external stakeholders and needs of the Nigerian medical schools in teaching reproductive health. The participation of lecturers (bottom-up approach) brought about a sense of ownership of the document and promoted the broad consultation and participation of all participants. The authors note that it also identified capacity building and the need for evaluation as a basis for further review.

Ensuring Contraceptive Security Within New Development Assistance Mechanisms (report)
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This paper presents findings from a study to examine the impact that two new mechanisms in development
assistance – sector-wide approaches (SWAps) and poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs) – may have on contraceptive security. PHRplus conducted a study of three countries (Ghana, Zambia, Bangladesh) and examined in more detail the design and implementation of these mechanisms. The study sought to determine 1) whether contraceptive security issues, such as the availability of commodities, strengthened logistics systems, and quality counseling services, were explicitly addressed in the government strategies; and if so, to what extent they were included, 2) whether donor funding levels changed due to the new arrangements and 3) what plans, if any, exist within the sector-wide approaches and/or poverty reduction strategy papers to finance reproductive health commodities.

Sexual Risk Reduction in a Cohort of Injecting Drug Users in Bangkok, Thailand (research abstract)
This study assessed whether long-term participation in interventions to reduce sexual risk behavior was associated with reduced sexual risk behavior.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS

At Three Cents a Unit, Condoms Often Rare as Hen's Teeth (news article)
Countdown 2015: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for All, a conference that wrapped up in London Thursday, was awash with statistics on a range of matters. One statistic had particular resonance, however; namely, that men in sub-Saharan Africa only have access to an average of three condoms a year.

UK: Public Want 'Sex Disease' Action (news article)
Eight out of 10 people would like measures to change people's behavior to cut rates of STIs, a BBC poll suggests. Most thought the government should intervene to discourage sex among under-16s. But more than a third thought their sex lives were their own business and would only want information on STIs.

India: Condom Vending Machines Installed (news article)
To spread awareness of the implications of engaging in unprotected sex and to ensure the easy availability of condoms and other contraceptives, 16 vending machines (Health Care Dispensers) have been installed at 16 strategic locations within Imphal and other district headquarters.

Uganda: Government Needs 120 Million Condoms (news article)
Related news article: Uganda: Condom Use Hits 19 Million
The government needs 80 to 120 million condoms per year to meet increasing demand, a Ministry of Health official said while presenting a paper at an HIV/AIDS workshop in Kampala. Ms. Vastha Kibirige, the coordinator of the condom consignment, said the 60 million condoms, which the government imported last year, were not enough.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY

US Policies Contribute to Spread of HIV, Childbirth and Abortion Related Deaths Among Women, Conference Attendees Say (news article)
US policies concerning international sex education and reproductive health are contributing to childbirth- and abortion-related deaths as well as the spread of HIV among women around the world, attendees of the Countdown 2015 conference in London said on Thursday on the final day of the meeting, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Latin America: Contrasts in Sexual and Reproductive Health Policies (feature article)
This feature article compares the sexual and reproductive health policies in Columbia and Bolivia. The Colombian constitution, rewritten in 1991, establishes that family planning is a human right. However, memories of population control policies imposed from abroad are still alive in Bolivia, a country of 8.5 million. In the 1960s, frequent reports of forced sterilization of campesino (peasant) and indigenous women, practised by volunteers working with the U.S. Peace Corps, gave rise to an alliance between the Church and the labour unions, based on "anti-imperialist" sentiments.

China Bans Blood Trade to Tackle HIV (news article)
China has made it illegal to buy and sell blood, the state-run Xinhua news agency has reported. Amid fears that China faces a huge HIV epidemic, this is the country's first law targeting the disease. Discriminating against victims of infectious diseases has also been outlawed.

Concern Over New Law Extends Beyond Zimbabwe's Borders (news article)
A proposed new law that's set to curtail the activities of NGOs in Zimbabwe has grabbed the attention of many among Southern Africa's human rights defenders. Expected to become law before the end of the year, the NGO bill 2004 makes it mandatory for all charities, NGOs, and community-based associations to register under a government-controlled authority. Many fear this will allow the Zimbabwe government to deny accreditation to organizations likely to question its human rights record. The proposed legislation chillingly resembles a draconian law that has all but destroyed critical journalism, resulting in the media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, placing Zimbabwe next only to Iraq and Cuba for its hostile media environment in 2003.

HIV/AIDS RESEARCH

Marital Status and Risk of HIV Infection in South Africa (research abstract)
This study determined the HIV prevalence among married people and identified potential risk factors for HIV infection related to marital status in South Africa. Researchers selected a multistage probability sample involving 6,090 male and female respondents, aged 15 years or older. The sample was representative of the South African population by age, race, province, and type of living area. HIV prevalence among married people was 10.5% compared with 15.7% among unmarried people. The risk of HIV infection did not differ significantly between married and unmarried people when age, sex, socio-economic status, race, type of locality, and diagnosis of a STI were included in the logistical regression model. However, the risk of HIV infection remained significantly high among unmarried compared with married people when only sex behavior factors were controlled for in the model.

Using HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing Data for Monitoring the Uganda HIV Epidemic, 1992-2000 (research abstract)
The authors assessed trends in the prevalence of HIV infection among voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) clients in Uganda and found that, among 201,741 clients, adjusted prevalence of HIV infection declined from 23% in 1992 to 13% in 2000 (men, 17%-9%; women, 31%-18%).

Estimating the Cost of Providing Home-based Care for HIV/AIDS in Rwanda (report)
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This study found that facility-based care has higher estimated costs per client than community-based care, with monthly costs per client ranging from approximately $31.20 to $36.01 per month, the cost of community-based care ranged from $12.75 to $24.53 per month. Up to 50% of program costs are attributed to food assistance, highlighting the poverty faced by many households. Staff and per diem costs account for 12% to 37% of total costs. Drugs and medical supplies costs account for small percentage of total costs, averaging only 2% of total costs. Both types of program rely on volunteer assistance, and staff attrition is a concern.

Initial Experience of a Public Sector Antiretroviral Treatment Programme for HIV-infected Children and Their Infected Parents (research abstract)
This paper describes the initial experience of treating HIV-infected children and their infected parents with antiretroviral therapy.

Extending Antiretroviral Therapy to Resource-poor Settings: Implications for Drug Resistance (research abstract)
The author argues that treatment programs will be most successful at preventing the spread of drug resistance if they provide healthcare infrastructures to maximize the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy through the use of potent and convenient combination regimens that achieve durable suppression of HIV-1 replication.

HIV/AIDS NEWS

Tanzania: Free Drugs for HIV/AIDS Patients (news article)
Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa announced that the government would start distributing anti-retroviral drugs free to HIV/AIDS patients beginning in October. According to Mkapa, the US$87.9-million grant from the Global Fund for Aids, Tuberculosis, and Malaria will be used in five main areas, including capacity building in voluntary counselling and testing, in 45 out of 121 Tanzanian districts. The target is to have at least five HIV counselling and testing centers for every 100,000 people vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.

India: AIDS Study in AP Reveals Alarming Statistics (news article)
A study conducted in five coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh has found nearly 1,500 families where an entire generation has succumbed to the dreaded AIDS virus.

India: Sailors' Wives Take Crash Course to Spread Awareness of AIDS (feature article)
Faced with a higher rate of HIV infection than the Army, the Indian Navy has evolved an innovative method of spreading AIDS awareness among its sailors by roping in their wives as health workers. If a 15-minute "coffee morning" for officers' wives was turned into a health corner, then crash courses for sailors' wives have made them lady health workers.

Swaziland: Teen Bride Takes AIDS Test (news article)
Swazi King Mswati III, Africa's last absolute monarch, has picked a 16-year-old girl as his new wife, bringing to 12 the number of official spouses, sources in the royal household said on Sunday. A source confirmed a report in the Times newspaper that said the teenager was a Miss Teen Swaziland finalist who took part in the annual reed dance last week when bare-breasted young women, who are supposed to be virgins, dance for the king.

Mozambique: Widows Stripped of Their Rights by AIDS (feature article)
The plight of women widowed by the AIDS epidemic is chronicled in this feature article.

China: Henan to Determine True Extent of AIDS Epidemic (news article)
Henan, the Chinese province worst hit by AIDS, has initiated a wide-ranging survey of blood-buying medical stations in an effort to determine the extent of the epidemic, state press reports.

Kenya: Disease "A Weapon to Wipe Out Blacks" (news article)
The Assistant Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources, in a public forum, claimed that HIV/AIDS was a biological weapon manufactured by the developed world to wipe out the black race from developing countries.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Men Towards Breastfeeding Women in Mongomo, Guinea Equatorial (research abstract)
Researchers designed a prospective study of 262 randomly selected men using a semi-structured questionnaire to evaluate how men's knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) affect successful lactation and breastfeeding in Mongomo. Most (93%) of the respondents had experienced nursing a baby previously with their spouses. This general awareness is further exemplified by 66% of respondents who felt that breastfeeding should be continued for 1 to 2 years, exclusively for 4 months (70%), and on-demand (50%) irrespective of age, level of education, and marital status. The researchers found that younger, married men with a minimum of secondary education are more willing to allow their wives or live-in lovers to exclusively breastfeed for 4 months, engage in sexual relationship with their spouses during lactation, or permit the use of family planning services when compared with older married men with little or no education.

PMTCT from Research to Reality — Results from a Routine Service (research abstract)
Of the 8,221 deliveries over a 13-month period at Coronation Women and Children's Hospital situated in Johannesburg, 1,234 (15%) occurred in women known to be HIV infected. HIV transmission rates of 8.7% at 6 weeks and 8.9% at 3 months of age in the study population verifies the high rate of nevirapine administration and the ability of women to formula-feed their babies and abstain from breast-feeding. The authors report that more than one-third of infants never return for follow-up and more than 70% are lost to follow-up by 4 months of age.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS

Ten Years' Hard Labour (feature article)
This feature article from The Economist takes stock of the state of maternal health 10 years after the International Conference on Population and Development.

Africa: How Breast Feeding by Multiple Women Increases HIV Risk (news article)
Breastfeeding of infants by multiple women may be contributing to the spread of HIV in Africa even when the child's mother is not HIV-positive, according to research carried out in Gabon by German and Dutch researchers. According to the researchers, children being breastfed by multiple women including the biological mother, are at risk and the practice is distinct from wet nursing (feeding by a substitute for a mother who cannot breastfeed). Breastfeeding is taking place by carers or other family members because mothers are unable to feed on demand owing to work or the need to buy food.

MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Depot Testosterone with Etonogestrel Implants Result in Induction of Azoospermia in All Men for Long-term Contraception (research abstract)
Researchers in the UK determined that the combination of three etonogestrel implants with depot testosterone resulted in rapid and consistent suppression of spermatogenesis. This can be maintained for up to 1 year and may be a suitable approach for a long-acting male hormonal contraceptive.

The Internet and HIV Study: Design and Methods (research article)
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The objectives of this study were to: (i) measure the extent to which gay men living in London seek sexual partners on the Internet; (ii) compare the characteristics of London gay men who do and do not seek sex on the Internet; (iii) examine whether sex with Internet-partners is less safe than with other sexual partners; (iv) compare use of the Internet with other venues where men meet sexual partners; (v) establish whether gay men use the Internet to actively seek partners for unprotected anal intercourse; (vi) determine the potential for using the Internet for HIV prevention.

Effects of Ejaculatory Frequency and Season on Variations in Semen Quality (research abstract)
Related news article: Sperm Levels Drop with Frequent Ejaculation
The more a man ejaculates each week, the lower his sperm levels fall, new research shows. However, this ejaculatory frequency only partly explains why a man's sperm count varies widely each time it's checked. The findings are based on a study of 27 healthy men who provided monthly semen samples and responded to questionnaires regarding ejaculatory frequency, duration of abstinence, and episodes of fever. The subjects were followed for 16 months. No seasonal variations in sperm levels, movement, or shape were seen. However, ejaculation frequency was higher in spring months than in the winter months.

MEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Men - Final Frontier for Education on Sex and Family Planning? (news article)
It's not difficult to understand why women remain the primary focus of sexual and reproductive health policy. Family planning initiatives have traditionally been included in programs that deal with the health of mothers and children. In an environment where the funding for such initiatives is often scarce, there are fears that introducing additional programmes for men would place an unbearable strain on resources. Certain research has indicated that men are more open to discussions about family planning than popular beliefs would suggest. But there's no denying that efforts to extend sexual health programs to men must also do battle with deeply rooted beliefs about male sexuality that link it to conquest, dominance, and multiple partnerships.

POPULATION RESEARCH

Why is Life Expectancy Longer for Women Than It is for Men? (feature article)
In this short feature from Scientific American, a researcher in the demography department of the University of Montreal explains why men dying sooner than women makes sense biologically.

POPULATION NEWS

China Faces Future as Land of Boys (feature article)
This feature article from The Christian Science Monitor addresses the "boy bias" inherent in Chinese society and what future this holds for the country.

WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

The Socio-Demographic Characteristics and the Level of Awareness of the Prevention of Carcinoma of the Cervix Among Commercial Sex Workers in Lagos, Nigeria (research abstract)
This study identifies the sociodemographic characteristics of commercial sex workers (CSW) in Ayilara,a low income semi-urban area of Lagos state, Nigeria. Respondents (n=105) voluntarily accepted to participate in the study. Researchers report that 3 of 5 CSW were single, while 1 in 5 were separated; and 74 (70.5%) had averaged 1 to 3 sexual partners per day. Most of the respondents had previous history of STIs (83.7%).

Women's Reasons for Not Participating in Follow Up Visits Before Starting Short Course Antiretroviral Prophylaxis for Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV: Qualitative Interview Study (research article)
Poor communication between health workers and HIV positive pregnant women in Africa may increase the risk of mother to child transmission of the virus. The authors interviewed 27 HIV positive women in Côte d'Ivoire who refused prophylaxis, and they found that dissatisfaction with the delivery of HIV tests and results, fears of stigma, lack of faith in treatment and in test results, or personal reasons were the most common barriers to treatment. A better understanding of women's needs and concerns may improve uptake of prevention, say the authors.

Association of Trichomonas Vaginalis with Sociodemographic Factors and Other STDs among Female Inmates in Lisbon (research abstract)
This paper reports a study of 211 female inmates in a prison in Lisbon, Portugal, to establish possible associations between Trichomonas vaginalis infection, sociodemographic factors, and other STDs.

WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS

More Funding Needed to Back Strong Commitment to Reproductive Health and Women's Rights, UNFPA Executive Director Tells NGO Global Meeting (press release)
Developing countries are making real gains in promoting reproductive health and women's rights, but they are hampered by inadequate support from rich nations and serious problems persist, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund said today. She was speaking at Countdown 2015, a global round table meeting organized by non-governmental organizations to mark the 10th anniversary of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo.

YOUTH HEALTH RESEARCH

Watching Sex on Television Predicts Adolescent Initiation of Sexual Behavior (research abstract)
Related news article: Link Between Watching TV and Teen Sex
Children who watched a lot of TV with sexual content were about twice as likely to start having intercourse during the subsequent year as those with little exposure to televised sex, researchers have found. High exposure to TV sex among those age 12 to 17 also was linked with a lower but still substantially increased risk of starting non-intercourse behavior, including passionate kissing and oral sex, the researchers found. Even shows that only refer to sex but don't depict it had the effect, they found.

Prevalence and Risk Behaviors for Chlamydial Infection in a Population-Based Study of Female Adolescents in Brazil (research abstract)
This study identifies demographic, behavioral, and clinical factors for STIs and determines the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection (CT) among female adolescents (n=464) in Vitoria, Brazil. The prevalence of CT was 8.9% overall. Among sexually active women, CT and gonorrhea prevalence were 12.2% and 1.9%, respectively. Previously diagnosed STI was reported by 12.8%. Women who reported regular condom use and having condoms at home were significantly less likely to have CT; having never purchased condoms was significantly associated with a positive CT result.

Risk Perceptions, Condom Use, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among Adolescent Females According to Social Network Position (research abstract)
Related news article: Risk of Sexually Transmitted Diseases May Be Reduced by Parent Supervision
Researchers from The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, and the University of California School of Medicine in San Francisco found that parental involvement could reduce a teen's risk of contracting STDs.

YOUTH HEALTH NEWS

No Condoms at Schools, Say African Educators (news article)
While schools are under pressure to distribute condoms at schools, not one of the 12 African countries represented at a high-level meeting in Durban is doing so, and most education officials felt this would be inappropriate. Officials were unanimous that sexual abstinence should be the key HIV message at schools, but a number felt that schools should nonetheless help sexually active secondary-school students to get access to condoms.

India: Marriage Through the Eyes of Rural Youth (news article)
Issues such as dowry, child marriage, and the freedom to choose one's spouse were among the many highlighted by youth from rural areas at an exhibition called "Marriage, marriage, marriage" held at the India Habitat Centre. Using poems, sketches, and short stories as their media of expression, youth from rural areas dealt with societal problems facing the institution of marrige.

Pakistan: Focus on Runaway Children (feature article)
This feature article addresses the social problem of runaway children in Pakistan, the extent of the problem, special health needs of this group, and how official interest in the issue of runaway children peaked in late 1999 after someone wrote in to national newspapers claiming he had murdered 100 street children and then dissolved their bodies in acid.

Brazil to Give Gay Teenagers Sex Education (news article)
Brazil is set to launch its first-ever sex education campaign targeted at gay adolescents, in a bid to curb the rise of HIV amongst gay men.

SPECIAL REPORTS/PROFILES/RESOURCES

Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use - Third edition - 2004 (resource material)
The latest edition of the World Health Organization's important publication, Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, is now available online. This document aims to improve access to quality care in family planning by providing recommendations on medical eligibility criteria for selection and use of contraceptive methods. The document is intended to be used by policy-makers, program managers, and the scientific community, and aims to assist the preparation of guidelines for service delivery of contraceptives. The document contains guidance on 22 different family planning methods. Recommendations contained in the guideline are based on the latest clinical and epidemiological data and developed through consensus at an International Expert Working Group meeting. This third edition updates the second edition Improving Access to Quality Care in Family Planning: Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, published in 2000. A summary of changes from the last edition is available on page 15 of the "Executive Summary and Overview" and is also online.

Does Earmarking Donor Funding Make it More or Less Likely That Developing Countries Will Allocate their Resources Towards Programmes that Yield the Greatest Health Benefits? (research article)
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
It should not be assumed that earmarked donor funding automatically increases the allocation of developing-country resources towards programmes that yield the greatest health benefits. Sometimes it does, sometimes it does not - how the funding is designed can influence this. This is true particularly in the longer term, once the earmarked funding has ended. Even in the short term, total funding does not necessarily increase because of fungibility (i.e. recipient governments adjust their spending to offset donor funding preferences). The author explores some problems with earmarked funding.

Health e Communication: New Online Resource for Health Communication Practitioners (resource material)
Health e Communication was developed by the Health Communication Partnership and The Communication Initiative. It is based on the advice and comments of a world wide group of health communication practitioners who provided essential input during its pilot phase. Health e Communication provides an online resource for health communication practitioners designed to grow and evolve as case studies, planning models, research and evaluation documents, and lectures and speeches are submitted and peer reviewed. It is an open process that asks people to submit the resources they find most useful; assess the resources others have submitted; share ideas on what works and why; and generate an evolving collective perspective around; resources, approaches, and trends in Health Communication.

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