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An Assessment Of The Alternative Rites Approach For Encouraging Abandonment Of Female Genital Mutilation In Kenya, Jane Chege, Ian Askew, Jennifer Liku Jan 2001

An Assessment Of The Alternative Rites Approach For Encouraging Abandonment Of Female Genital Mutilation In Kenya, Jane Chege, Ian Askew, Jennifer Liku

Reproductive Health

Maendeleo Ya Wanawake (MYWO), with technical assistance from the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), has been implementing an Alternative Rite of passage programme as part of its efforts to eradicate the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) in five districts in Kenya. This study addressed the factors that influence some families and individuals to adopt the Alternative Rite while others, exposed to the same messages discouraging FGM, decide not to. It also evaluated the effect of the training component of the Alternative Rite on the girls who participated.


An Assessment Of Youth Centres In South Africa, Annabel Erulkar, Mags Beksinska, Queen Cebekhulu Jan 2001

An Assessment Of Youth Centres In South Africa, Annabel Erulkar, Mags Beksinska, Queen Cebekhulu

Reproductive Health

Within South Africa there is much interest in expanding youth center programs, particularly in the nongovernmental sector, in part because of recognition that the HIV/AIDS crisis is disproportionately affecting young South Africans. This study was designed to give implementing agencies and donors a broad view of how the youth centers function, who they reach, and the quality of information and services. The assessment underscored the importance of monitoring the performance of programs and understanding who is being reached with what interventions. Youth centers that focus on providing recreational facilities attract a large number of clients, often boys who are repeat …


Special Studies Program Of The Pilot Health Project: West Bank And Gaza, Mahmoud Shaheen, Laila Nawar, Dale Huntington, Sahar Hegazi Jan 2001

Special Studies Program Of The Pilot Health Project: West Bank And Gaza, Mahmoud Shaheen, Laila Nawar, Dale Huntington, Sahar Hegazi

Reproductive Health

The Special Studies Program was implemented as part of the Pilot Health Project in the West Bank and Gaza to provide small grants to Palestinian researchers, research organizations, and advanced graduate students to conduct research that examines critical reproductive health topics related to maternal and child health care, including family planning. The research implemented under the Special Studies Program covered a range of topics including male involvement in reproductive health, clients' satisfaction with family planning programs, the relationship between early marriage and the delivery of premature infants, factors affecting compliance for iron supplementation, and diabetes mellitus during pregnancy. The research …


Introducing Emergency Contraception In Bangladesh: A Feasibility Study, M.E. Khan, Sharif M.I. Hossain Jan 2001

Introducing Emergency Contraception In Bangladesh: A Feasibility Study, M.E. Khan, Sharif M.I. Hossain

Reproductive Health

Approximately 28,000 maternal deaths occur every year in Bangladesh due to pregnancy and delivery-related complications, while many more women suffer major physical and psychological injuries. Available statistics indicate an increase in menstrual regulation (MR) and abortions, most performed by untrained practitioners under unhygienic conditions. Introducing emergency contraception (EC) in the national family planning (FP) program in Bangladesh could substantially reduce unwanted pregnancies and as result MR/abortions should also decrease. Because MR/abortions in Bangladesh significantly contribute to high maternal morbidity/mortality, introducing EC could be an important reproductive health intervention to provide couples with a back-up support to prevent unwanted pregnancy. EC …


Reproductive Tract Infections: A Guide For Programme Managers, Sarah Hawkes, Anjali Nayyar, Johannes Van Dam, Kevin R. O'Reilly, Bidia Deperthes, Dinesh Agarwal Jan 2001

Reproductive Tract Infections: A Guide For Programme Managers, Sarah Hawkes, Anjali Nayyar, Johannes Van Dam, Kevin R. O'Reilly, Bidia Deperthes, Dinesh Agarwal

Reproductive Health

Reproductive tract infections (RTIs) including sexually transmitted infections represent a silent worldwide pandemic that adversely impacts the reproductive health (RH) of women and men. Various community- and hospital-based studies in India have provided insights into the magnitude of the problem. The International Conference on Population and Development (1994) emphasized integration of RH services to meet the needs of men and women especially with prevention and management of RTIs/STIs. The emergence of HIV and the identification of STIs as a risk factor for the spread of HIV have further lent a sense of urgency for a programmatic response to address this …


Operations Research In Reproductive Health And Family Planning At The Cairo Demographic Center, Magdi A. Ibrahim, James R. Foreit, M.E. Khan Jan 2001

Operations Research In Reproductive Health And Family Planning At The Cairo Demographic Center, Magdi A. Ibrahim, James R. Foreit, M.E. Khan

Reproductive Health

This report evaluates the effectiveness of a two-year training program at the Cairo Demographic Center to increase the number of researchers using operations research (OR), and to help institutionalize the ability of the Center to offer training in operations research in reproductive health. It also provides feedback for OR curriculum development. The project trained researchers with program and policymaking responsibilities and provided participants with the experience of designing an OR project, and built participants’ skills in communicating research results to managers. Participant evaluations showed that, overall, the course met its objectives. The training that the students received in OR has …


Strengthening Social Science Research On Women's Health: Lessons Learned From A Capacity Building Programme, M.E. Khan, Bella C. Patel, John Townsend Jan 2001

Strengthening Social Science Research On Women's Health: Lessons Learned From A Capacity Building Programme, M.E. Khan, Bella C. Patel, John Townsend

Reproductive Health

The International Conference on Population and Development in 1994 led to an upsurge in interest in implementing reproductive health (RH) programs worldwide. The urgency to act has led to the development of disparate activities in several developing countries including India. While programs have been growing in numbers, their quality is in question. A fundamental problem has been lack of capacity at all levels of the health service system to respond to the paradigm shift articulated by the advocates of the reproductive health and rights agenda. To redesign programs, considerable research must be undertaken to understand the health needs and sociocultural …


Increasing Coverage Of Reproductive Health Issues In The Indonesian Print Media, Wanda Firmansyah, Sahar Hegazi, Siti Rokhmawati Darwisyah, Lila Amaliah Jan 2001

Increasing Coverage Of Reproductive Health Issues In The Indonesian Print Media, Wanda Firmansyah, Sahar Hegazi, Siti Rokhmawati Darwisyah, Lila Amaliah

Reproductive Health

With the reform movement in Indonesia, the FRONTIERS project recognized the new opportunities for influencing public debate and informing public opinion on reproductive health issues and undertook a project for disseminating the results of contemporary research on reproductive health. The project had three main objectives: 1) to increase print media coverage of critical reproductive health issues by enhancing journalists’ role as responsible communication agents; 2) to contribute to public debate on emerging reproductive health issues in order to influence policy development and guide program management; and 3) to increase public awareness of key health issues, with a particular focus on …


Diverse Realities: Understanding Sexually Transmitted Infections And Hiv In India, Sarah Hawkes, K.G. Santhya Jan 2001

Diverse Realities: Understanding Sexually Transmitted Infections And Hiv In India, Sarah Hawkes, K.G. Santhya

Reproductive Health

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, currently have high salience on the health care agendas of many countries, including India. Strategies for their control are ideally based on a number of well-recognised principles. These include: assessments of the burden of disease; the availability of interventions at policy and programme levels, to influence behaviour change and technical ‘solutions’; and the calculated cost-effectiveness of these interventions. In the case of India, data to inform these principles are often lacking in the case of STI control. In this paper we have reviewed the evidence base for STI control in the Indian context. The …


Bénin: Target Men To Increase Use Of Health Services, Frontiers In Reproductive Health Jan 2001

Bénin: Target Men To Increase Use Of Health Services, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

After initiating health sector reforms in 1994, the Bénin government established the Integrated Family Health Project, known as PROSAF. Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, PROSAF operates in the Borgou region, which is mostly rural and has the country’s most severe health problems. PROSAF managers wanted to understand why local people were not using health services, despite their poor health. As noted in this brief, managers requested that the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) study the way households and communities make decisions on health care. In a study conducted in 2000 with support from the Population …


Integrating Adolescent Livelihood Activities Within A Reproductive Health Program For Urban Slum Dwellers In India, Dale Huntington, Mary Philip Sebastian, Nirmala Sevlam, Barbara Mensch, Sahar Hegazi Jan 2001

Integrating Adolescent Livelihood Activities Within A Reproductive Health Program For Urban Slum Dwellers In India, Dale Huntington, Mary Philip Sebastian, Nirmala Sevlam, Barbara Mensch, Sahar Hegazi

Reproductive Health

The Population Council's Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program and the Policy and Research Division are collaborating with CARE India to conduct an operations research study to examine the feasibility and impact of adding livelihood counseling and training, savings activities, and follow-up support to the ongoing reproductive health program for adolescents. The short-term objective is to foster the development of alternative socialization processes for adolescent girls that encourage positive sexual and reproductive health behaviors. As noted in this project update, the study will produce a replicable model for CARE India and other agencies to use in adding livelihood activities to adolescent …


Kenya Update: Frontiers Adolescent Reproductive Health Project, Frontiers In Reproductive Health Jan 2001

Kenya Update: Frontiers Adolescent Reproductive Health Project, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

The Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project (KARHP) was launched in October 1999 in Busia and Vihiga districts as a three-year operations research study to determine the feasibility, cost, and effectiveness of implementing systematic interventions that address the reproductive health (RH) needs of adolescents aged 10–19 years. This USAID-funded project is part of the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program’s global operations research. PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health) is implementing the project, in collaboration with the Ministries of Health, Education, and Home Affairs, Heritage, and Sports. The objective of the study is to establish the effectiveness of interventions …


Extending Operations Research To Social Marketing Programs, Teresa De Vargas Jan 2001

Extending Operations Research To Social Marketing Programs, Teresa De Vargas

Reproductive Health

CEMOPLAF of Quito, Ecuador sells reproductive health products to pharmacies and other outlets to contribute to its sustainability. However, the nonprofit agency lacked basic information regarding the program’s profitability, niche, and quality. Operations research was conducted to provide this information, including a financial analysis of the marketing program and two market research studies. Each study included a capacity-building component so that CEMOPLAF could conduct similar research in the future without technical assistance. A regional conference attended by nongovernmental organizations provided an opportunity to share sustainability tools and lessons learned.


Influencing Reproductive Health Policy And Programs In The Philippines: Implementing An Advocacy Model For Utilization Of Operations Research, Saniata Masulit, Marilou P. Costello, Sahar Hegazi Jan 2001

Influencing Reproductive Health Policy And Programs In The Philippines: Implementing An Advocacy Model For Utilization Of Operations Research, Saniata Masulit, Marilou P. Costello, Sahar Hegazi

Reproductive Health

This project tested a model of operations research (OR) dissemination and utilization targeting program managers in Mindanao, the second largest island of the Philippines. The model combines capacity-building with the use of innovative advocacy approaches to disseminate OR results, by creating a network of policy champions who will advocate the use of OR findings through a variety of strategies after they have been provided with information on the advocacy issue and their presentation skills enhanced. The project demonstrated that this type of network could lead to significant program changes, but also revealed that there is no single strategy or approach …