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The Pop Reporter®

Volume 4, Number 46
15 November 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

Reproductive Health in Today's World: Franchising Reproductive Health Services (research abstract)
This article examines associations between franchise membership and family planning and reproductive health outcomes for both the member provider and the client. Results find franchising has a positive association with both general and family planning client volumes and the number of family planning brands available. Similar associations with franchise membership are not found for reproductive health service outcomes. In some settings, client satisfaction is higher at franchised than other types of health establishments, although the association between franchise membership and client outcomes varies across the settings.


Condom Use within Marriage and Consensual Unions in the Era of HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe (research article)
This paper examines condom use within stable unions like marriage and consensual unions among 1,936 individuals in Zimbabwe. The results show that only 38% of the respondents reported using condoms consistently or occasionally with regular partners.


Community Involvement in Reproductive Health: Findings from Research in Karnataka, India (report)
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This report describes the testing of a new model of a health committee in the Hunsur block of the Mysore District in Karnataka to help stimulate community participation in reproductive and child health activities at the village level.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS

Shot Shows Promise as Male Contraceptive (news article)
Related: news article: Reversible Immunocontraception in Male Monkeys Immunized with Eppin
The world of male contraception has been limited to condoms and vasectomies. But researchers now point to a new method that shows promise -- a shot that prompts an immune reaction to a protein produced in the male reproductive system. The method worked in experiments on male monkeys, most of which regained their fertility when the treatments were stopped, researchers report in the journal Science.


WHO Using Internet to Help Prostitutes (news article)
Related: resource material: Toolkit for Targeted HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care in Sex Work Settings
The UN health agency said it plans to use the Internet to help prostitutes in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. Launching its computer-based information campaign, the World Health Organization said that prostitutes - whether male, female or transsexual - are at high risk of HIV infection but rarely have access to treatment. They often also miss out on general medical care, WHO added.


India: Conservative Muslims Shut Doors on Two-child Norm (news article)
Dozens of Muslim children and women took to streets in Bhopal against a family planning proposal for the community, which according to a central census, is growing faster than majority Hindus. The rally here comes a day after a senior Muslim leader urged couples to adopt the two-child norm.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY

The Role of Reproductive Health Providers in Preventing HIV (news article)
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Related: news article: New Analysis Calls for Increased Integration of Reproductive Health and HIV Prevention Services
Providers of reproductive health services are in a strategic position to make significant contributions to closing the global HIV prevention gap, according to a new analysis published jointly by The Alan Guttmacher Institute and the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS with the collaboration of the United Nations Population Fund and the International Planned Parenthood Federation. The new analysis calls for greater attention to the benefits that would accrue from integrating HIV-related activities into the reproductive health service set.


A Political Economy Perspective on Achieving Contraceptive Self-reliance in Turkey (working paper)
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Using a political economy framework, this paper, from the POLICY project, examines those political aspects of the processes that led to the implementation of two central components of Turkey’s national self-reliance strategy: (1) obtaining annual budget allocations for contraceptives, and (2) targeting free services to the poor while requesting that nonpoor clients pay voluntary donations for their contraceptive commodities.


Out of the Shadows: Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GIPA) in Policy (working paper)
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This report seeks to address how people living with HIV/AIDS are meaningfully involved in policy formulation by exploring key issues related to the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS principle and its effects.


Sexuality Education in Schools: The International Experience and Implications for Nigeria (working paper)
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This paper reviews the international experience and its implications for Nigeria. Main findings include: (1) comprehensive sexuality education is effective in improving key youth reproductive health behaviors; (2) virtually everywhere, sexuality education is controversial and difficult to carry out on a national scale, especially while trying to maintain the quality of that education; (3) despite these problems, even conservative countries have made headway in incorporating high quality sexuality education in the schools.


Peru in Uproar Over Pill Plan (news article)
Peru's health minister has stirred a hornet's nest with a plan to make the morning-after pill available free at public health clinics in this predominantly Catholic country beginning next year.


The Policy Circle: A Framework for Analyzing the Components of Family Planning, Reproductive Health, Maternal Health, and HIV/AIDS Policies (working paper)
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This paper, from the POLICY project, provides a practical framework to analyze components of family planning, reproductive health, maternal health, and HIV/AIDS policies. The Policy Circle framework is presented and the six "Ps" of policy are described: Problem, People/Places, Process, Price Tag, Paper, and Programs/Performance.

HIV/AIDS RESEARCH

Monitoring the Response to Antiretroviral Therapy in Resource-Poor Settings: The Malawi Model (research abstract)
Malawi has developed National ARV Treatment Guidelines, which emphasize a structured and standardized approach for all aspects of ARV delivery, including monitoring and evaluation. This paper assesses the impact of treatment, the registration and monitoring systems and how the cohort analyses are carried out. Data are presented for the first quarterly cohort and the combined cohorts. Such analyses may be useful for districts and Ministries of Health in assessing ARV delivery, although the burden of work involved in calculating the numbers may become large once ARV delivery systems have been established for several years.


Conflict and HIV: A Framework for Risk Assessment to Prevent HIV in Conflict-Affected Settings in Africa (research article)
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In sub-Saharan Africa, HIV/AIDS and violent conflict interact to shape population health and development in dramatic ways. Conflict is generally understood to accelerate HIV transmission, but this view is simplistic and disregards complex interrelationships between factors that can inhibit and accelerate the spread of HIV in conflict and post conflict settings, respectively. This paper provides a framework for understanding these factors and discusses their implications for policy formulation and program planning in conflict-affected settings.


Assessing the Efficiency of HIV Prevention around the World: Methods of the PANCEA Project (research abstract)
The purpose of this study was to develop data collection methods suitable to obtain data to assess the costs, cost-efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of eight types of HIV prevention programs in five countries: Uganda, South Africa, India, Mexico, and Russia. Preliminary data suggest that the unit cost of HIV prevention programs may be both higher and more variable than previous studies suggest. Results show a mix of standard data collection methods can provide comprehensive services and cost data, which may carry valuable information for the allocation of HIV prevention resources.


Migration and AIDS in Mexico: An Overview Based on Recent Evidence (research abstract)
This study provides an overview of the relation between migration to the United States and AIDS cases in Mexico. In terms of their sexual practices, migrants in the past year had more sexual partners, tended to use a condom in their most recent relation in greater proportion, and had greater use of injected medicines and drugs. Two bi-national programs undertake epidemiological surveillance activities, while several initiatives have used innovative formats to provide prevention information to migrants.


Correlates of HIV Vaccine Trial Participation: An Indian Perspective (research abstract)
Concerns, knowledge gaps, and willingness to participate in future HIV vaccine trials were studied among 349 patients attending three STI clinics and one reproductive tract infections clinic in India. Overall willingness to volunteer for HIV vaccine trials was 48%. Factors associated with increased willingness to participate in these trials were awareness of current HIV vaccine efforts, realization of importance of vaccine for self, concern about adverse events and altruism.

HIV/AIDS NEWS

India's Ranbaxy Pulls All AIDS Drugs from WHO List (news article)
A major maker of generic AIDS medicines voluntarily removed all its antiretrovirals from the World Health Organization's list of approved drugs, a move that could potentially affect tens of thousands of AIDS patients in poor countries who have only recently entered treatment.


South Africa: Child Welfare System Leaves Many AIDS Orphans Stranded (news article)
With an increasing number of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS seeking foster care, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is placing enormous pressure on South Africa's child welfare system.


Ghana: Leaders Urged to go for Voluntary HIV Tests (news article)
An HIV/AIDS expert called on leaders spearheading the crusade against the AIDS epidemic to take the lead in going in for voluntary counselling and testing for the HIV/AIDS virus to encourage others to follow suit.


Singapore Facing Alarming AIDS Epidemic: MOH (news article)
Related: news article: Singapore Will Not Promote Condom Use Publicly to Fight AIDS: Report
Related: news article: Singapore Reports More New AIDS Cases in First Ten Months
The Health Ministry has warned that Singapore is facing an alarming AIDS epidemic. Still, Singapore will not go on a publicity blitz to promote condom use out of respect for residents who hold conservative views on sexual behavior, a minister said.


Russia: HIV Cases Jump by 10% (news article)
The number of people infected with the virus that causes AIDS has risen by more than 10% since January, the country's top AIDS expert said, underscoring the deadly disease's gathering threat to the country.


Uganda: Farmers to Distribute Condoms (news article)
Farmers in the Uganda have volunteered to distribute condoms among rural farming communities to curb HIV/AIDS in the country.


Thailand: AIDS Making a Comeback among Young People (news article)
The rate of HIV infection is rising among young people in the eastern border province of Sri Sa Ket, bucking nationwide trends among older age groups.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

Maternal Body Composition, HIV Infection and Other Predictors of Gestation Length and Birth Size in Zimbabwe (research abstract)
This study assesses the effects of maternal HIV infection, nutritional status and obstetric history, and season of birth on gestation length and birth size. The study population was 1669 antenatal care attendees in Harare, Zimbabwe. Results show that gestation length and birth weight decline with increasing maternal HIV load. In addition, season of birth, gravidity, maternal height and body fat mass, and infant sex are predictors of birth weight.


Abdominal Massage: Another Cause of Maternal Mortality (PubMed abstract)
This study highlights the consequences associated with the practice of abdominal massage in pregnancy and labor. 14.79% patients who presented as obstetric emergencies in pregnancy and labor at a teaching hospital in Nigeria had abdominal massage. Maternal mortality rate was 4.76% while the perinatal mortality rate was 14.29%. Twenty four of the patients were literate though 15 of them only had primary education. The study finds that abdominal massage has added to maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity in this region. Ignorance, illiteracy and poverty have sustained this practice, while underdevelopment, inaccessibility and ill-equipped medical facilities have kept this traditional practice flourishing even amongst the educated group.


Towards a Better Understanding of Exclusive Breastfeeding in the Era of HIV/AIDS: A Study of Prevalence and Factors Associated with Exclusive Breastfeeding from Birth, in Rakai, Uganda (research abstract)
The authors conducted a cross-sectional study to find the prevalence and factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) from delivery among mothers of infants 0–6 months of age in a rural Ugandan community with a high HIV/AIDS burden. They found a prevalence of EBF of 35.1%. Factors positively associated with EBF from birth were delivery from a health unit and mother having a normal vaginal delivery. Factors showing negative association were male gender of the child and age of child over 3 months.


Level of Awareness of the Baby Friendly Initiative among Home Economics Teachers in Nigeria (research abstract)
The authors, from the Department of Pediatrics, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria, relate their experience in assessing the level of awareness of the Baby Friendly Initiative among Home Economics teachers in Nigeria.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS

High Infant Death Rates in Philippines due to Frequent Pregnancies (news article)
Infant mortality rates in the Philippines are among the highest in Southeast Asia because of frequent pregnancies, a recent government survey shows.

MEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Integration of Reproductive Health Services for Men in Health and Family Welfare Centers in Bangladesh (research article)
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Over the last 30 years, the Bangladesh national family planning program has mainly concentrated its promotional efforts on encouraging women to adopt family planning. This study examines the ability and effects of incorporating men into reproductive health services. Key findings show that use of reproductive health services increase with an increase in men's awareness and the inclusion of men in RH services does not discourage women's use of the same clinical facilities.

MEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Rare Sexually Transmitted Disease on Rise in Netherlands (news article)
A rare sexually transmitted disease that may ease the spread of HIV has broken out in the Netherlands, the National Institute for Public Health said recently.

POPULATION RESEARCH

Implementation of a National Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) Program in Uganda (research article)
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In an effort to reduce childhood morbidity and mortality, Uganda was one of the first countries in Africa to implement the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) as a national program, with heavy support from many donors and organizations. The program was begun in 1995, and IMCI is now part of health services in all 56 districts. In this paper the authors describe the steps taken to plan and implement the program and look at how the national program has changed the care for sick children in 10 districts. They examine the lessons from its creation that would be useful for other countries planning or beginning the implementation of a national IMCI program.


Ethnicity and Marriage Patterns in Mozambique (research article)
This article assesses the effect of 'culture' (ethnicity) on marriage patterns (age at marriage, polygyny and marital dissolution) in Mozambique. The findings are consistent with culture-associated differentials. After controlling for the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of women, the differences remain, with the matrilineal ethnic groups (Macua and Lomwe/Chuwabo) having an earlier age at marriage, lower prevalence of polygyny and higher marital dissolution than the patrilineal ethnic groups (Tsonga and Sena/Ndau).

POPULATION NEWS

UN Slams Philippines Lack of Plan for Population (news article)
The United Nations has shown concern that the Arroyo government’s Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan does not include a national policy to manage the country’s population growth.

WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Complications of the Intrauterine Device in Nulliparous and Parous Women (research abstract)
This paper examines the complications and symptoms of the intrauterine device in general practice, particularly in nulliparous women. 461 women were included, 129 nulliparous and 332 parous women. Nulliparous women did not show more complications than parous women. One third of the IUDs were removed within the first year after insertion, but there was no significant excess of IUD removal among nulliparous women compared with parous women, making copper and levonorgestrel-releasing IUDs safe and highly effective for both groups.


Violence Against Women in Ghana: A Look at Women's Perceptions and Review of Policy and Social Responses (research abstract)
This study examines violence against women in Ghana and how it affects and is perceived by them. It looks at violence as experienced by Ghanaian women of varying ages, socio-economic status and professional standing. Domestic violence is approached from a multidimensional perspective by examining the multiple facets of violence against women: sexual, socio-economic, cultural, pseudo-religious and mental torture. Women's perceptions of their rights, responsibilities, duties and abuses or violations are evaluated using open-ended qualitative questions in two major cities in Ghana: Accra and Kumasi.

WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Pakistan: Oxfam to Launch Campaign Against Honor Killing (news article)
The international NGO Oxfam is preparing to launch a massive drive against killings in the name of family honor in Pakistan.


Vaccines May Nearly End Cervical Cancer (news article)
A cervical cancer vaccine tested at the Medical College of Georgia is highly effective, a new study says, and could eliminate most of the half-million cases of the cancer worldwide each year, half of them fatal. If approved in a few years, as expected, the vaccine likely would be recommended for girls ages 10 to 12 in the United States and elsewhere.


UK: Shock at Scale of Domestic Violence (news article)
One in three people treated in casualty departments in Wales for assault injuries is the victim of domestic violence, shocking new research has revealed. The research, carried out by the University of Glamorgan also found that a quarter of the victims of domestic violence who were treated at Prince Charles Hospital, in Merthyr Tydfil, were male. But similar work carried out in Israel suggests this is just the tip of the iceberg as equal numbers of men as women are assaulted within the home.


Djibouti: FGM Still a Major Challenge (news article)
Female genital mutilation, still common in Djibouti, is said to be a major contributor to maternal mortality in the country.

YOUTH HEALTH RESEARCH

Determining an Effective and Replicable Communication-based Mechanism for Improving Young Couples' Access To and Use of Reproductive Health Information and Services in Nepal: Operations Rsearch Study (report)
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This operations research study sought to determine an effective and replicable communication-based model for increasing the involvement of community-based groups in improving access to and use of reproductive health services and information by young married couples, ages 24 and under.


Respiratory Manifestations in HIV-Infected Children Pre- and Post-HAART in Abidjan, The Ivory Coast (research review)
This review describes respiratory manifestations of pediatric HIV infection before and after the beginning of HAART in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Ninety-eight children were recruited before HAART and treated during the follow-up. Before initiation of HAART, respiratory manifestations represented 32.4% of morbidity events compared to 40.9% after the initiation of HAART. During HAART treatment, the incidence of respiratory infections decreased dramatically but, respiratory events still represented 40% of all events occurring following the start of HAART therapy.


Young People Speak Out – Meeting Our Rights to HIV Prevention and Care: Access for All (report)
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This report, prepared by UNICEF for the XV International AIDS Conference held in Bangkok July 2004, is based on a series of consultations with young people affected by the HIV/AIDS crisis, including those living with the disease. It voices the concerns of youth across the globe, incorporating their views on "access" to HIV prevention, care and support services, their opinions on programmes, policies and the affect of the disease on their communities, as well as their visions and recommendations on how young people can be more closely involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS through peer education and other ways.

YOUTH HEALTH NEWS

Youth Summit, Sri Lanka, November 8-12, 2004 (news article)
This UNFPA website provides news reports, photo galleries, documents, and video clips from the Youth Summit in Sri Lanka, November 8-12.


China: Pens and a Condom, Please: Students (news article)
Nearly half of the supermarkets at Shanghai's universities are now selling condoms, as part of the effort to help prevent unwanted pregnancies and STDs.


UK Teenagers to Get Safe-Sex Messages on Phones (news article)
British teenagers will be able to get text messages about contraception and safe sex as part of a campaign to reduce the high number of unwanted pregnancies and STIs, a charity announced.


South Africa: School has 30 Pregnant Girls (news article)
The pregnancy of schoolgirls is hitting South African schools hard, with one secondary school in Johannesburg having 30 cases of pregnancy among its pupils.

BOOKS/BOOK REVIEWS

AIDS in Asia (book)
This volume discusses the many advances in HIV research, new initiatives and their promise for application in the Asian region. It highlights the critical need for national commitment and adequate resources, and for addressing the underlying HIV-risk related behaviors and vulnerabilities. The contributors also examine the concept of comprehensive care - from home and from the community to the institutional level - as well as providing up to date information on HIV drug and vaccine development.

SPECIAL REPORTS/PROFILES/RESOURCES

Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use (Second Edition - 2004) (resource material)
The Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use is one of WHO's two evidence-based guidelines on contraceptive use. The document provides guidance on the safe and effective use of a wide range of contraceptive methods, and is the companion guideline to WHO's Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use. The document is intended to be used by policy-makers, programme managers, and the scientific community, and aims to support national programmes in the preparation of service delivery guidelines.


Advocacy Package – Prevention of HIV/AIDS Among Young People (resource material)
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This recently released package was designed for program managers to more efficiently and effectively understand, plan, implement, and evaluate "evidence-based advocacy" strategies. It gives special focus on the unique vulnerabilities of young people to the epidemic, their unmet needs in access to quality information and services, as well as the challenges often imposed by cultural-religious resistance to adolescent reproductive and sexual health programs.

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