Volume 5, Number 17
25 April 2005

The Pop Reporter is now available in both CD-ROM (past year) and print archives (past 6 months) formats. These items are intended for users in low-resource settings. For print or CD-ROM archives, contact rjacoby@jhuccp.org with your request and complete mailing address.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH

Influences of Sex-Related Information for STD Prevention
(Abstract)
This study explores the influence and needs of sex-related information from mass media and other resources. Friends or seniors are the most important source of information, and adolescents felt much peer pressure by such information while they learned STD prevention and contraception. The participants were aware of the inconsistencies and biases of information they get through the media. They thought women’s magazines seriously treated sex as a health issue concerning women, and provided useful information.

Factors Associated with Use of the Female Condom in Zimbabwe
(Research Article)
This article explores the factors associated with trying the female condom and using it consistently. Perceived ease of use and affordability of the product and prior use of the male condom were associated with men's and women's ever-use. Consistent use with marital partners was negatively associated with reporting multiple partners in the past year and positively associated with using the device for pregnancy prevention and previously using the male condom. Consistent use with regular nonmarital partners was associated with numerous variables, including perceived ease of use and low HIV risk perception.

Assessment of Private Sector Prospects for Reproductive Health and Family Planning Products and Services in Ukraine
(Report)
This report provides recommendations for activities and policies that can increase private sector engagement in the contraceptive field, identifies specific population groups not likely to be adequately served by the private sector, and suggests strategies to meet their needs while avoiding negative impact on the growing contraceptive market.

The Impact of Menstrual Side Effects on Contraceptive Discontinuation: Findings from a Longitudinal Study In Cairo, Egypt
(Research Article)
This study identified factors that predispose women to discontinue use of contraceptives because of changes in bleeding patterns during the mentrual cycle. Contraceptive discontinuation differed by method: Nearly 70% of injectable users had stopped using their chosen method after one year, compared with 34% of IUD users and 10% of implant users. Each additional day of bleeding was significantly associated with a 2% to 4% increase in discontinuation, depending on method type.

Confronting the 'Sugar Daddy' Stereotype: Age and Economic Asymmetries and Risky Sexual Behavior in Urban Kenya
(Research Article)
This article investigated "sugar daddy" partnerships (and age and economic asymmetries, more generally) to determine how common they are and whether they are related to unsafe sexual behavior in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although sugar daddy relationships are not as pervasive as generally assumed, age and economic asymmetries in nonmarital partnerships are relatively common. All these types of asymmetries are associated with nonuse of condoms.

Risk Perception and Condom Use Among Married Or Cohabiting Couples in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
(Research Article)
A household survey was conducted in an urban and a rural area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to assess condom use and attitudes toward condoms, knowledge of AIDS/HIV risk, and self-efficacy in preventing HIV infection. Although couples' knowledge of condoms and where to obtain them was very high, only 15% of men and 18% of women reported consistent or occasional use. The level of use was 8% and 11% among men and women, respectively, in rural, less educated couples, and 29% and 34% among men and women in urban, more educated couples. A woman's perceived risk of HIV infection from her partner was the most powerful predictor of condom use.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS

Philippines: Gov't Approves Condom Promotion Plan Targeting Poor
(News Article)
The government recently approved a $45 million dollar plan to popularize condom use in the largely Roman Catholic country in a bid to curb a growing birth rate and fight AIDS.

Sierra Leone: Female Circumcision Used As a Weapon of Political Campaign
(News Article)
There is as yet no law on FGM in Sierra Leone. In fact, there is no statute on children's rights. However, the fact that children played a major role in the decade-long civil war that ended three years ago, mainly as conscripted combatants, has jolted the authorities into action.

Vietnam: Draft Law to Force Disclosure to Spouses Comes Under Fire
(News Article)
A draft law that will force people living with HIV/AIDS to inform their spouses of their health status is under fire from community health workers who claim the proposed legislation is unrealistic and ignores present realities in Vietnam.

Bhutan: Early Marriage - A Problem
(News Article)
Traditional social practices, orthodox village traditions, and poor economic conditions are some of the reasons for the high rate of early marriage in rural Bhutan, according to health officials. This, in turn, leads to the high rate of maternal mortality and morbidity.

FDA Approves the Return of the Today(R) Sponge Female Contraceptive
(News Article)
After an 11-year hiatus, the Today(R) Sponge, once the most popular over-the-counter female contraceptive, has won re-approval for marketing from the Food and Drug Administration.

Most Condoms in India Used to Make Saris
(News Article)
Only a quarter of condoms made in India are used for sex; most of the others are used to make saris, toys, and bathroom slippers.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY

Korea Offers Incentives for Childbirth
(News Article)
The nation’s top welfare policymaker has promised to work out long-term measures to tackle the rapid aging of the population in preparation for the reunification of the two Koreas.

HIV/AIDS RESEARCH

Rapid Viral Load Suppression Following Generic Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in Southern Indian HIV-Infected Patients
(Abstract)
Researchers prospectively studied the initial results of 6 months of generic efavirenz-based therapy on the plasma viral load in 40 patients at YRG Centre for AIDS Research and Education, a tertiary HIV referral centre in southern India. The median baseline plasma viral load was 259,000 copies/ml, and at 6 months 95% of patients had plasma viral loads less than 400 copies/ml. The data support the use of generic non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based regimens in resource-limited settings.

Issues in the Management of HIV-Related Tuberculosis
(Abstract)
This article focuses on the ways in which HIV infection and the associated immunodeficiency affect the management of active tuberculosis. Controversies in the management of HIV-related tuberculosis can be grouped into issues about tuberculosis treatment itself and issues posed by the use of combination antiretroviral therapy. The author reviews these controversies and makes recommendations for the management of HIV-related tuberculosis.

Hormonal Contraceptive Use and the Effectiveness of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy
(Abstract)
The role of hormonal contraceptive use in the effectiveness of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was examined among participants in the Women's Interagency HIV Study. The authors did not find substantial evidence that use of hormonal contraceptives strongly affected responses to HAART.

Does 'CNN' (Condoms, Needles, Negotiation) Work Better than 'ABC' (Abstinence, Being Faithful and Condom Use) in Attacking the AIDS Epidemic?
(Research Article)
This article debates the use of the "ABC" (abstinence, being faithful, condom use) versus "CNN" (condoms, needles, negotiation) in the realities of the current HIV pandemic. The author argues that instead of debating CNN vs. ABC, those in the HIV field must recognize the complexity of sexual relations, which embrace every facet of life, including issues of culture, tradition, power, and status.

HIV/AIDS NEWS

Liberia: No Money to Finance AIDS Survey, No Treatment Outside Monrovia
(News Article)
Health officials know that AIDS is a serious problem in Liberia, but the government has no money to conduct a proper HIV prevalence survey, and specialist treatment for the disease is only available in the capital, Monrovia.

Pakistan on the Brink of Widespread HIV/AIDS Epidemic
(News Article)
UNAIDS warns that ‘Pakistan is on the brink of a widespread HIV/AIDS epidemic’ and exhorts World Vision and its partners to act now.

Mongolia's Government Reveals Covert Surveillance on HIV/AIDS Risk Groups
(News Article)
The Ministry of Health admitted recently that it has been undertaking covert investigations into hospital patients, prisoners, prostitutes, traders, and homeless people. The revelation follows the announcement of the ninth reported case of HIV/AIDS and a wave of measures and mixed messages released by the ministry in response.

India Rejects HIV Infection Claim
(News Article)
The Indian government has dismissed a claim by an AIDS expert that the country now has the most HIV-positive people in the world.

Pakistan: Hijra Community Seeks HIV Awareness
(Feature Article)
For members of Pakistan's eunuch-transvestite, or Hijra community, open discussion about HIV/AIDS prevention remains a closed book.

S.African Firms Turn Blind Eye to HIV/AIDS
(News Article)
Most mid-sized South African companies are turning a blind eye to HIV/AIDS despite forecasts the epidemic is set to ravage the country's workforce, a survey showed recently.

Nigeria: FG Approves Work Place Policy on HIV/AIDS
(News Article)
The Federal Government yesterday gave reprieve to people Living with the dreaded virus HIV/AIDS, by approving a national policy that protects them from any form of discrimination and stigmatization in the country.

China: HIV/AIDS Villagers Get Health Treatment
(News Article)
A total of 114 provincial government officials and medical experts have gone to 38 villages in Central China's Henan Province that have been hit by HIV/AIDS.

US: Group Calls for New AIDS Response Team
(News Article)
The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies wants Washington to create an agency to fight AIDS in the world's most hard-hit areas.

Antigua Officials Moved to Action Following Caribbean Net News Report
(News Article)
Officials in Antigua and Barbuda are taking steps to further secure the personal information of AIDS patients in the workplace. According to a government policy statement, plans are in place to lend positive and non-discriminatory support to HIV/AIDS infected employees.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

Influence of Paternal Age on the Risk of Spontaneous Abortion
(Abstract)
This study examined the influence of paternal age on risk of spontaneous abortion. Conclusions show that the risk of spontaneous abortion increased with increasing paternal age, with a suggestion that the association is stronger for first trimester losses.

Age at First Birth, Health, and Mortality
(Abstract)
Related News Article: What is the Best Age to Start a Family? Now Experts Say it's 34
This study explores the social correlates and consequences of age at first birth that may influence health and survival many years later. It suggests that better health and survival come from delaying motherhood as long as possible, perhaps indefinitely. Analyses consistently find patterns more in keeping with the biosocial view in a US national sample of women ages 25 through 95. The fitted curves show high levels of current health problems among women who first gave birth in or shortly after puberty. Problems drop steadily the longer that first birth was delayed, up to about age 34, then rise increasingly steeply, particularly after about age 40.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS

Nepal: Government to Give Incentive to Cut Child Mortality
(News Article)
The government will provide facilities and incentives to both the recipients as well as the service providers to encourage people to adopt safe delivery of services to reduce maternal and child mortality rates.

Mozambique: Infant And Maternal Mortality Rates Declining
(News Article)
Mozambique's infant mortality rate is declining thanks to improved access to health care, particularly ante-natal care, and to integrated treatment of childhood diseases, Deputy Health Minister Aida Libombo claimed recently.

Zambian Gov't Launches New Program to Combat AIDS Related Child Labor
(News Article)
The Zambian government recently launched a new program aimed at combating HIV/AIDS induced child labor.

POPULATION NEWS

Philippines: CV Women Among Most Fertile in RP
(News Article)
Central Visayas is among the regions whose women have a high fertility rate. The 2003 survey results, which were just released recently, also revealed that in the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate, more than half of women in Central Visayas practice family planning.

WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Intimate Partner Abuse and the Reproductive Health of Sexually Active Female Adolescents
(Abstract)
The purpose of this study was to determine the associations between verbal and minor physical abuse by an intimate partner and reproductive health behavior. Physical abuse by an intimate partner is associated with pregnancy and current involvement in a verbally abusive relationship is associated with decreased condom use among sexually experienced female adolescents.

WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS

Afghanistan's Karzai Urges Islamists to Fight Violence Against Women
(News Article)
Afghan President Hamid Karzai recently urged Islamists to fight violence against women and to take a strong stand against girls being forced into marriage against their will.

YOUTH HEALTH RESEARCH

Older Boyfriends of Adolescent Girls: The Cause or a Sign of the Problem?
(Abstract)
There were two aims of this study: (a) to determine the causal relationship between adolescent girls’ early sexual activity and the presence of an older boyfriend, and (b) theoretically and empirically contextualize the relationship between these two variables within a model of adolescent problem behavior. Psychosocial characteristics of adolescent girls in predicted whether they would enter romantic relationships with older boyfriends. In turn, though, the presence of an older boyfriend increased problem behavior above and beyond the effects of the psychosocial risk factors.

Coercive Sexual Experiences and Subsequent Human Papillomavirus Infection and Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions in Adolescent and Young Adult Women
(Abstract)
The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between coercive sexual experiences and subsequent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and/or squamous intraepithelial lesion in adolescent and young adult women, and to determine whether risk behaviors mediate and sociodemographic factors moderate any observed associations. The number of sexual partners is an important mechanism through which adolescent and young adult women who report a coercive sexual experience acquire HPV.

Treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in Children Using Antiretroviral Drugs
(Abstract)
This article argues for a more aggressive approach to treating HIV-infected children with anti-retroviral drugs, particularly in resource-poor settings.

Scope of HIV Risk and Co-occurring Psychosocial Health Problems among Young Adults: Violence, Victimization, and Substance Use
(Abstract)
This study examines the co-occurrence of sexual risk with violence, victimization, risky substance use, and drug-related problems among young adults. Data were collected from 3,392 young adults drawn from California and Oregon as youth, as part of the RAND adolescent panel study. Nearly 80% of young adults exhibited some degree of sexual risk. Both moderate (56%) and high (22%) HIV risks were associated with multiple forms of drug use, drug-related problems, violence, and victimization. Males and females had similar relative risk profiles, but females reported higher rates of victimization in the form of partner abuse and sexual coercion.

Sexual Intercourse Precedes Partner Violence in Adolescent Romantic Relationships
(Abstract)
This study examined whether psychological or physical violence between adolescent romantic partners is associated with the sexual intercourse status of the couple. Violent victimization was more likely to occur in romantic relationships that included sexual intercourse. In relationships characterized by both sexual intercourse and violence, sexual intercourse was significantly more likely to precede violence rather than the reverse, regardless of type of violent act.

Promising to Wait: Virginity Pledges and Adolescent Sexual Behavior
(Abstract)
This study examined the association between formal and non-formal virginity pledges and the initiation of genital play, oral sex, and vaginal intercourse among adolescents. The findings indicate that making a private pledge or promise to oneself to wait to have sexual intercourse until one is older reduces the likelihood that adolescents will engage in sexual intercourse and oral sex. The effect persists even when controlling for socio-demographic variables. Making a formal pledge did not appear to have an effect on sexual behavior.

YOUTH HEALTH NEWS

Southern Africa: HIV/AIDS, Poverty Keeping Children from Schools, says UNICEF
(Feature Article)
HIV/AIDS and poverty are the stumbling blocks to achieving the target of gender parity in most Southern African classrooms by 2015, according to the UN Children's Fund.

Girls 'Missing Out on Schooling'
(News Article)
The United Nations children's organization says 115 million children worldwide are missing out on an education - and most of them are girls.

BOOKS/BOOK REVIEWS

AIDS in Asia: A Continent in Peril
(Book)
AIDS in Asia is marked by four significant facts: the enormous populations involved; poor leadership; Asia's role in the sex and drug trade; and economic conditions between states that lead to exploitation of the poorest countries in the region. At the crucial moment when the spread of AIDS in this region is beginning to gain worldwide recognition, distinguished expert Susan Hunter makes clear the catastrophic threat AIDS poses to Asia and the world, and draws on her experience in other countries to map out steps that must be taken to contain it.

SPECIAL REPORTS/PROFILES/RESOURCES

Strengthening Reproductive Health Service Quality in the Private Sector: Approaches, Tools, and Incentives
(Tool)
This CD-ROM was created after the PSP-One Quality Assurance Panel on 'Strengthening Reproductive Health Service Quality in the Private Sector: Approaches, Tools, and Incentives' in March 2005. The CD contains panelists’ PowerPoint presentations and accompanying materials. Additional information on the different tools and approaches described by panelists to improve care can be found by clicking on live links to organization’s Web sites in the Organizational Profiles section. The CD also contains audio-visuals from the day, including dynamic video presentations that synthesize highlights of the day. The PSP-One project is USAID’s flagship project to increase the private sector’s provision of quality reproductive and other health products and services in developing countries.

Global Monitoring Report 2005
(Report)
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
The Global Monitoring Report 2005 is the second in a series of annual reports assessing progress on the policy agenda for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and related outcomes. It is prepared jointly by the staff of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in close collaboration with partner agencies. This pdf file is 280 pages.

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Robert Jacoby, rjacoby@jhuccp.org
Editor, The Pop Reporter

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: The INFO Project

Volume 5, Number 1725 April 2005