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The Pop Reporter®

Volume 6, Number 42
23 October 2006

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FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH RESEARCH

Uncovering and responding to needs for sexual and reproductive health care among poor urban female adolescents in Nicaragua
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Central America and the Caribbean)
Tropical Medicine and International Health. Online access October 16, 2006.
Meuwissen LE | Gorter AC | Segura Z | Kester ADM | Knottnerus JA
This study analyzed the feasibility of providing vouchers for free-of-charge access to reproductive health care in Managua, Nicaragua. The vouchers substantially increased the use of services, demonstrating that many adolescents are willing to use such services, if readily accessible. The voucher redemption made it possible to identify the nature of existing, but largely unmet, needs for sexual and reproductive health care.



Provider views on the acceptability of an IUD checklist screening tool
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global)
Contraception. 2006 Nov;74(5):382-388.
Wesson J | Gmach R | Gazi R | Ashraf A | Mendez JF | Olenja J | Nguer R | Janowitz B
Related Tool: Checklist for Screening Clients Who Want to Initiate Use of the Copper IUD
A field test in four countries examined the acceptability of a new IUD checklist for providers. Providers found the checklist easy to use and thought that it would enhance identification of eligible IUD users. Nevertheless, many providers relied on prior knowledge of IUD eligibility rather than the checklist recommendations. Providers only correctly determined eligibility for new categories of IUD use 69% of the time. The IUD checklist is a useful job tool for providers, but training and effective dissemination of the World Health Organization Medical Eligibility Criteria should precede its introduction to ensure that it is correctly used.



Community awareness of and attitudes towards long-acting and permanent contraception in Guinea
(Report; Sub-Saharan Africa)
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
The Acquire Project, New York, NY, 2006.
To increase access to and availability of contraception in Guinea, particularly of long-acting and permanent contraception, the ACQUIRE Project conducted a study to learn about community awareness of and attitudes toward long-acting and permanent methods (LAPMs) of contraception. Of particular interest was the intrauterine device (IUD), an extremely effective long and short-acting method that has a high satisfaction rate among users and is economical from a programmatic standpoint. Results from this study are being used to develop a communications strategy and messages for educating communities about family planning in general and the IUD in particular.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH NEWS

New devices and effective options in contraception
(Feature Article; Global)
17 Oct 2006
New York Times
Related Report: New Contraceptive Choices
Every year in the United States, six million women become pregnant, and half of these pregnancies are unplanned. More than three-fourths of teenage pregnancies and half of the pregnancies among women approaching menopause are unexpected. This article discusses new methods of contraception that could help to prevent some of these unplanned pregnancies.



Malawi: No family planning in national HIV/AIDS policies
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
17 Oct 2006
The Chronicle Newspaper
Malawi is among a few countries in Africa whose national HIV/AIDS policies have no family planning content, which in turn has failed to accrue benefits such as improved access to services and quality of care, increased utilization of services, enhanced resource maximization and reduced stigma and improved equity in the health sector. The link of sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS are part of a plan of action adopted in Maputo last month where Malawi's Health Minister Marjorie Ngaunje attended.



Africa: AU countries fail to agree on abortion
(News Article; North Africa | Sub-Saharan Africa)
17 Oct 2006
The Chronicle
African health ministers adopted a "Continental Policy Framework for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights" at their meeting Maputo, Mozambique, but failed to agree on how to tackle the issue of unsafe abortions as a united force and opted to take it up separately. However, they agreed that unsafe abortions are responsible for most maternal deaths in Africa, especially among young girls.

FAMILY PLANNING/REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH LAW AND POLICY

China: Better family planning
(News Article; Asia)
20 Oct 2006
Xinhua
The change in China family planning policy from inflicting fines on those rural couples with more than two children to rewarding those who have only one child or two girls has achieved preliminary success.

HIV/AIDS RESEARCH

Rates and causes of child mortality in an area of high HIV prevalence in rural South Africa
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Sub-Saharan Africa)
Tropical Medicine and International Health. Online access October 11, 2006.
Garrib A | Jaffar S | Knight S | Bradshaw D | Bennish ML
This research examined child mortality rates in a rural area of South Africa with high HIV prevalence. Mortality ratios were 59.6 deaths per 1000 live births for infants and 97.1 for children under 5 years of age. HIV/AIDS was attributed to 41% of deaths in the under-5 age group, with a mortality rate of 8.6 per 1000 person-years. In rural South Africa, infant and child mortality levels are high, with HIV/AIDS estimated as the single largest cause of death. Interventions to reduce child mortality are required urgently.



Micronutrient interventions and HIV infection: A review of current evidence
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global)
Tropical Medicine and International Health . Online access October 16, 2006.
Friis H
This paper reviews the current evidence on the role of micronutrient supplementation in HIV transmission and progression. The importance of micronutrients in the prevention and treatment of childhood infections is well known, and evidence is emerging that micronutrient interventions may also affect HIV transmission and progression. Interventions to improve micronutrient intake and status could contribute to a reduction in the magnitude and impact of the global HIV epidemic. However, more research is needed before specific recommendations can be made.



Extending HIV care in resource-limited settings
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Global)
Current HIV/AIDS Reports. 2006 Dec;3(4):172-176.
Wools-Kaloustian K | Kimaiyo S
This paper reviews published data on rural antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs in lower income countries to identify the necessary components of such a program. A major obstacle faced by many lower income countries is the establishment of treatment programs in rural areas where there is a scarcity of trained health care providers and infrastructure. All programs document the need for expanded physical infrastructure, laboratory development, recruitment/training of additional health care providers, and/or the introduction of new technologies in order to effectively support the needs of ART roll-out.

HIV/AIDS NEWS

AIDS spreading beyond high risk groups in China
(News Article; Asia)
17 Oct 2006
Reuters Alertnet
AIDS in China has spread beyond high risk groups such as injecting drug users, prostitutes, and homosexuals, and the country was becoming "like Africa" in how the virus is transmitted, a senior health official says. "There are 190 new HIV infections every day ... and one percent of all pregnant women in China are infected," said Hao Yang, deputy director general of the bureau of diseases prevention and control at the Ministry of Health.



Hopkins joins Ugandan researchers to study pediatric AIDS vaccine
(Press Release; Sub-Saharan Africa)
14 Oct 2006
Eurukalert
Scientists at Makerere University, in Uganda, along with scientists from Johns Hopkins and other institutions worldwide, have begun the first clinical safety trial in Africa of a vaccine to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV through breastfeeding.



HIV a danger even when drugs work
(News Article; Global)
13 Oct 2006
Toronto Sun
Women with HIV who are being treated successfully with highly active antiretroviral therapy and are otherwise healthy remain at risk of transmitting the disease even when the virus cannot be detected in their blood.



South Africa: Faith makes a difference in AIDS care
(Feature Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
19 Oct 2006
Reuters AlertNet
When Rev. John Thomas brought churchgoers together to serve people living with HIV/AIDS seven years ago, donations came from individual pocketbooks. Their work created a buzz, and by 2001 donations were pouring in from individual congregations around the world. But few orthodox donor agencies took note, reflecting an ambivalence –- and sometimes scepticism -– towards faith-based organizations.



Female AIDS deaths quadruple in South Africa
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
14 Oct 2006
People's Daily Online
Female deaths due to HIV/AIDS had quadrupled in the period from 1997 to 2004, said Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). Speaking at the Gauteng AIDS summit in Boksburg, west of Johannesburg, Hester Phillips of Stats SA said the very sharp increase in death rate due to HIV and related diseases is of great concern.



U.S. says blood safety new Africa AIDS challenge
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
18 Oct 2006
Reuters AlertNet
Unsafe blood transfusions and contaminated syringes should be a new focus in the fight against AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, which has the world's highest HIV infection rates, said Mark Dybul, the U.S. Global AIDS coordinator. He also said evidence suggested that sexual transmission of HIV, the virus which causes AIDS, was stabilizing in sub-Saharan Africa thanks to education programs.



Africa: Number of AIDS orphans rising
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
19 Oct 2006
News 24
More than 18 million children in Africa will be orphaned by AIDS by the end of the decade if no efforts are made to fight the pandemic among the continent's young population, said the United Nations.



Bono launches US Red campaign for AIDS in Africa
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
17 Oct 2006
Mail and Guardian Online
Irish rock star Bono went on a shopping spree and appeared on the influential Oprah Winfrey TV chat show to launch his latest campaign to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

Knowing a medical doctor is associated with reduced mortality among sick children consulting a paediatric ward in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Sub-Saharan Africa)
Tropical Medicine and International Health. Online access October 11, 2006.
Sodemann M | Biai S | Jakobsen MS | Aaby P
This study examined equity in access to public health services in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. The study followed 1572 children with a first consultation. Of these, 8.2% died within 30 days. Acquaintance with a physician reduced 30-day mortality risk by 48%. The effect was strongest among post-neonatal children. Socioeconomic status and school education were not associated with 30-day mortality when acquaintance with a medical doctor was taken into account. Favoritism may be a significant factor for quality of care and child mortality in developing countries.



Maternal health during pregnancy and perinatal mortality in Bangladesh: Evidence from a large-scale community-based clinical trial
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Asia)
Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology. 2006 Nov;20(6):482-490.
Al Mamun A | Padmadas SS | Khatun M
This study investigated the levels of perinatal mortality and its associated maternal health factors during pregnancy in Bangladesh. The stillbirth rate was 39.1 per 1000 births and the perinatal mortality rate (up to 3 days after birth) was 54.3 per 1000 births. The risk of perinatal mortality was 2.7 times more likely for women with hypertensive disorders, 5.0 times as high for women who had antepartum haemorrhage, and 2.6 times as high for women who had higher hemoglobin levels in pregnancy when compared with their counterparts. This study point towards the urgent need for monitoring complications in high-risk pregnancies.



Early childbearing in Honduras: A continuing challenge
(Report; Central America and the Caribbean)
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
New York City, NY, Alan Guttmacher Institute, 2006
Early childbearing is recognized worldwide to have a profound impact on the well-being and reproductive health of young women, as well as the overall pace and direction of a country’s development. Early childbearing can derail a young woman’s educational prospects, reduce her long-term social and economic autonomy, and endanger both her health and that of her newborn. In Honduras, one of Central America’s poorest countries, reducing high levels of adolescent childbearing is therefore critical to improving the lives of women and their families and society
in general.

MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH NEWS

UNICEF promotes exclusive breastfeeding to save children's lives in Indonesia
(Press Release; Asia)
17 Oct 2006
UNICEF
The Indonesian Government estimates that some 30,000 young children could be saved if their mothers exclusively breastfed them for six months, then continued breastfeeding with supplemental foods until the age of two. Unfortunately, according to the Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey from 2002 and 2003, only 14 per cent of infants in Indonesia are exclusively breastfed for their first five months of life. To promote exclusive breastfeeding, UNICEF and the government have launched a campaign with Indonesia’s First Lady Ani Bambang Yudhoyono taking this lifesaving message directly to the public, via community and religious leaders as well as the media.



Philippines: Where milk feeding bottles get thrown into the waste bin
(Feature Article; Asia)
18 Oct 2006
MindaNews
The Davao Medical Center, the largest government hospital outside the Philippine General Hospital in Manila, disposes of milk feeding bottles as part of a breastfeeding program. The breastfeeding program stemmed from then President Corazon Aquino's Executive Order 51 in 1986, now known as the Milk Code of the Philippines. It was implemented in the early 1990's at the DMC.



Infant mortality rate increasing in Macedonia
(News Article; Europe)
19 Oct 2006
Makfax
Infant mortality in Macedonia is on the rise, said Skopje's daily Dnevnik, citing extracts of a report from UNICEF. Macedonia, despite the lower material poverty compared to other countries in the region, ranks near bottom among Southeast European countries according to survival rate for newborn babies, better only than Albania and Romania.



Uganda: Govt in new drive to reduce infant mortality
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
17 Oct 2006
The Daily Monitor
The Ugandan government has launched a health reform program aimed at halving the high infant and maternal mortality rate in the country. The Minister for Health, Dr Stephen Malinga, said 506 out of 100,000 expectant women die during delivery while the fatality of newborn babies stands at 100 out of every 1,000 births.



Ghana launches polio campaign
(News Article; Sub-Saharan Africa)
18 Oct 2006
African News Dimension
Vice President Aliu Mahama called on countries bordering Ghana to intensify their fight against diseases notorious for infant mortality such as poliomyelitis (polio), measles, and malaria to boost national efforts to eradicate the scourge. In Ghana, statistics show that within the last two decades, deaths due to vaccine preventable diseases have fallen below that of non-communicable diseases mainly due to the effectiveness of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI).

MEN'S HEALTH NEWS

The Philippines: T’Boli tribesmen get vasectomies
(News Article; Asia)
19 Oct 2006
Inq7.net
Vasectomy is now in vogue among male members of the T'boli tribe in South Cotabato, Philippines. According to records of the Provincial Health Office, 239 T'boli men underwent vasectomies from January to October this year. The municipal health office of T'boli, a town with a population of about 60,000, first introduced vasectomy to local residents in 2002 as part of its family planning and population control program.

POPULATION RESEARCH

Our precious coasts: Marine pollution, climate change and the resilence of coastal ecosystems
(Report; Asia)
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to access this document)
United Nations Environment Programme, Arendal, Norway, 2006.
Related News Article: Population growth threatens East Asian coasts
Growing populations and booming economies are threatening fragile coastal areas in East Asia, and the region's coral reefs could face total collapse within 20 years.



Serve the Essentials: Part 1
(News Article; Asia)
New Dehli, India, Oxfam International, 2006.
Related News Article: Oxfam: Political will lacking to provide essential services
An Oxfam report, "Serve the Essentials," highlights the lack of access to education, health, water and sanitation in South Asia. It calls on all South Asian governments to step up their financial and political commitments to provide these essential services. (Document available in two parts: part 1 of 2)



Serve the Essentials: Part 2
(Report; Asia)
New Dehli, India, Oxfam International, 2006.
An Oxfam report, "Serve the Essentials," highlights the lack of access to education, health, water and sanitation in South Asia. It calls on all South Asian governments to step up their financial and political commitments to provide these essential services. (Document available in two parts: part 2 of 2)

POPULATION NEWS

Bangladesh: $460m WB loan for health programme
(News Article; Asia)
15 Oct 2006
The New Nation
The government of Bangladesh and the World Bank signed an agreement to provide US$ 460 million of Development Partners Grant Fund for the country’s Health Nutrition and Population Sector Program (HNPSP). The program will focus on accelerating the achievements of the health related Millenium Development Goals as well as the government’s poverty reduction strategies and population policy objectives.



Cuba's past and future populations
(Feature Article; Central America and the Caribbean)
17 Oct 2006
The Mature Market
Cuba is in the middle of a demographic transition. Its population is aging as the total fertility rate drops, which is placing a large burden on Cuba's well developed social welfare system. This article summarizes the demographic shifts in Cuba throughout its history and projects what the future will look like for Cubans.



Uganda: High population growth rate good
(Editorial; Sub-Saharan Africa)
16 Oct 2006
New Vision
Uganda's high population growth rate is a good thing, according to Minister for Planning Omwony Ojok. "It is the position of government that our population growth is a good thing. The increased population means a potential for a bigger market and the capacity to defend our nation,” Ojok said.



Vision for Bangladesh
(Feature Article; Asia)
15 Oct 2006
The Daily Star
Professor Muhammad Yunus is, in the words of ex-US President Bill Clinton, "a man who long ago should have won the Nobel Prize," an honor he finally won for a life-time of service to the poor and the marginalised through his innovative microfinance program. This article is a reprint of an edited version of Professor Yunus's address from The Daily Star 15th Anniversary celebration of February 4, 2006.



Australia: Fertility rate at 10-year high
(News Article; Oceania)
18 Oct 2006
News.com.au
Perhaps spurred on by the baby bonus, Australian women are giving birth at a 10-year record rate, according to new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The national fertility rate stands at its highest level since 1995. A total of 259,800 new babies were registered in 2005, an increase of 5500 over 2004.

WOMEN'S HEALTH RESEARCH

Tackling HIV and AIDS with faith-based communities: Learning from attitudes on gender relations and sexual rights within local evangelical churches in Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, and South Africa
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Sub-Saharan Africa)
Gender and Development. 2006 Nov;14(3):363-374.
Marshall M | Taylor N
Recognising that unequal gender relations are a driving force behind the AIDS pandemic, this article explores the position of local evangelical churches in Africa with respect to gender relations and sex, and the implications for HIV/AIDS. The findings indicate that the churches were largely silent on the issue of gender and sex, or were reinforcing traditional values which contribute to HIV infection. In these countries, churches seem to have failed to provide leadership to young women facing pressure to be sexually active.



Chilean women's preferences regarding mode of delivery: Which do they prefer and why?
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; South America)
British Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. 2006 Nov;113(11):1253-1258.
Angeja ACE | Washington AE | Vargas JE | Gomez R | Rojas I | Caughey AB
The purpose of this study was to determine pregnant Chilean women's preferences towards mode of delivery. The majority of women (77.8%) preferred vaginal delivery, 9.4% preferred caesarean section, and 12.8% had no preference. Overall, women preferring caesarean birth were slightly older than other groups (31.6 years, versus 28.4 years for women who preferred vaginal and 27.3 years for women who had no preference). On a scale of 1–7, women preferring caesarean birth rated vaginal birth as more painful, while women preferring vaginal birth rated it as less painful.

WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS

United Kingdom: Asylum for circumcision-fear teen
(News Article; Europe | Sub-Saharan Africa)
18 Oct 2006
BBC
A teenager who fears being subjected to female circumcision if returned to Sierra Leone has been granted asylum in the UK. Five Law Lords overturned decisions by an Immigration Appeal Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, who ruled asylum laws did not apply to Zainab Fornah, aged 18. The Refugee Convention says successful asylum seekers must come from a social group fearing persecution. The Law Lords ruled female members of tribes where female genital mutilation was almost universal were such a group.



Female medical teams in Pakistan reach more women and save more lives than before the earthquake
(Feature Article; Asia)
14 Oct 2006
UNFPA
Last year UNFPA was one of many aid groups that responded to the earthquake in Pakistan. UNFPA moved quickly to establish and equip emergency medical facilities in two of the most severely damaged districts -– Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and Mansehra in North West Frontier Province -– with a focus on enabling pregnant women to deliver safely. More women in the two districts are using prenatal services, skilled delivery assistance, child health care, and family planning than before the earthquake.



Women's health an obstacle to reducing poverty
(Feature Article; Global)
17 Oct 2006
VOA News
As the international community marks World Poverty Day, health experts say that one of the keys to reducing poverty is improving maternal health care for women. The problem is particularly serious in Africa where an estimated 700 women die each day of complications from pregnancy or childbirth.

YOUTH HEALTH RESEARCH

Adolescent HIV prevalence, sexual risk, and willingness to participate in HIV vaccine trials
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Sub-Saharan Africa)
Journal of Adolescent Health. 2006 Nov;39(5):642-648.
Jaspan HB | Berwick JR | Myer L | Mathews C | Flisher AJ | Wood R | Bekker LG
This research determined human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence, sexual risk behaviors, and attitudes toward HIV vaccine trials among 11-19 year-olds in a peri-urban community near Cape Town, South Africa. The HIV prevalence of the group was 10.6% and the majority of adolescents (79%) were willing to participate in an HIV vaccine trial. The prevalence of HIV and risk behavior among adolescents in this community is high. HIV vaccines are required that target preadolescents and will be facilitated by their willingness to participate.



Substance use and sexual risk behavior among South African eighth grade students
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Sub-Saharan Africa)
Journal of Adolescent Health. 2006 Nov;39(5):761-763.
Palen LA | Smith EA | Flisher AJ | Caldwell LL | Mpofu E
This study examined the covariation of substance use and various sexual behaviors in 2204 students from one area of South Africa. There was an association between lifetime substance use and both sexual activity and certain sexual risk behaviors. At the most recent sexual encounter, there was an association between substance use and being unfamiliar with one's sexual partner, but no association between substance use and condom use.



Risky sexual behaviors, alcohol use, and drug use: A comparison of Eastern and Western European adolescents
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Europe)
Journal of Adolescent Health. 2006 Nov;39(5):753.e1-753.e11.
Vazsonyi AT | Trejos-Castillo E | Huang L
This study examined how cultural context affects self-control, family processes and health-compromising behaviors in two Eastern European and two Western European adolescent samples. Low self-control was positively associated with all three measures of health-compromising behaviors, especially in alcohol and drug use. Observed differences in the link between low self-control and risky sexual behaviors provides some evidence of distinct norms and values among Eastern European youth in comparison with Western European adolescents related to these behaviors.



Can the internet be used effectively to provide sex education to young people in China?
(Abstract; subscription needed for full text; Asia)
Journal of Adolescent Health. 2006 Nov;39(5):720-728.
Lou CH | Zhao Q | Gao ES | Shah IH
This study assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of sex education conducted through the Internet. The interventions consisted of offering sexual and reproductive health knowledge to university students through a special website, online videos, bulletin board system and expert mailbox. Knowledge of each specific aspect of reproductive health was higher in the intervention group as compared with those who did not receive the intervention. The program increased students' reproductive health knowledge effectively and changed their attitudes toward sex-related issues in terms of being more favorable to providing services to unmarried young people.

YOUTH HEALTH NEWS

Jamaica: Is it time to 'promote' sex in schools?
(Editorial; Central America and the Caribbean)
17 Oct 2006
The Jamaica Observer
Since 1997 the Jamaican public has been at odds over the issues of sex education and the distribution of contraceptives in schools. Most parents and teachers still believe that the distribution of contraceptives will promote sexual activity among young people. The editors of TEENage argue here that sex-education and contraceptives are needed in schools.



Vietnam: German project approaches sex education from a different angle
(News Article; Asia)
19 Oct 2006
Viet Nam News
A German bank-funded project on reproductive health care initiated in six provinces and cities in Vietnam has helped high school students and youth improve their awareness of issues including abortion, birth control, and premarital sex. "I am better equipped and confident after learning about reproductive health," said Vu Kim Dung, a former student of the Ha Noi’s Xuan Dinh High School.

Calendar of Events

See All Events

February 12, 2006
Getting Research Published: Publication strategies for doctors, scientists and drug companies
A 10-week online course that covers the ethics, conventions and unwritten rules of publishing in peer-reviewed journals and at conferences. For everyone who wants to understand and manage the publication process, and in particular, anyone who develops publication plans and strategies.
Event Location: Online


June 10, 2007 - June 15, 2007
19th World Conference on Health Promotion & Health Education
Theme: Health Promotion Comes of Age: Research, Policy & Practice for the 21st Century. The deadline for submission of abstracts is midnight, Friday, 24th November 2006.
E-Mail: summit@iuhpeconference.orgEvent Location: Vancouver, BC Canada

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