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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Soft Skills Training For Rohingya And Host Community Youth In Cox’S Bazar, Bangladesh, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Abdullah Al Mahmud Shohag, Ishtiak Morshed, Sigma Ainul, Md. Irfan Hossain, Mohammad Muktadir Hossain, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Ubaidur Rob Feb 2024

Soft Skills Training For Rohingya And Host Community Youth In Cox’S Bazar, Bangladesh, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Abdullah Al Mahmud Shohag, Ishtiak Morshed, Sigma Ainul, Md. Irfan Hossain, Mohammad Muktadir Hossain, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Ubaidur Rob

Adolescents and Young People

The Population Council, in collaboration with Research, Training and Management International (RTMI) and Underprivileged Children’s Education Program (UCEP), pilot tested a soft skills training intervention in two Rohingya camps and a vocational training center in the host community in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh in 2022. As a follow-up to the pilot program, the Council along with its partners rolled out soft skills training in four Rohingya camps and a vocational training center in the host community in 2023. The purpose of this training was to improve the personal, social, and financial management skills of Rohingya youth, which would be of use …


Gendered Effects Of Covid-19 School Closures: Bangladesh Case Study, Eashita Haque, Natalie Wyss, Emily Eunyoung Cho, Karen Austrian Mar 2022

Gendered Effects Of Covid-19 School Closures: Bangladesh Case Study, Eashita Haque, Natalie Wyss, Emily Eunyoung Cho, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief summarizes a recent study on the impacts of COVID-19 school closures in rural communities in Bangladesh. It clarifies issues of remote learning access, management, and monitoring, as well as new strains on students’ time use. It also reveals general impacts on mental and physical health, economic status, as well as gendered effects including child marriage. Based on evaluations of mitigation measures, recommendations for comprehensive policies, provision of technical, financial, and social support, and improvements in education systems emerged.


Keeping Girls In Schools To Reduce Child Marriage In Rural Bangladesh: Endline Assessment, Sigma Ainul, Forhana Rahman Noor, Md. Irfan Hossain, Iqbal Ehsan, Mehnaz Manzur, Ubaidur Rob, Sajeda Amin Feb 2022

Keeping Girls In Schools To Reduce Child Marriage In Rural Bangladesh: Endline Assessment, Sigma Ainul, Forhana Rahman Noor, Md. Irfan Hossain, Iqbal Ehsan, Mehnaz Manzur, Ubaidur Rob, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report describes findings of changes over time attributable to the “Keeping Girls in Schools” study in Bangladesh that implemented skill-building activities for a two-year period in the districts of Chapainawabganj, Kushtia, and Sherpur. The project sought to bring about change in child marriage norms prevalent in the area by offering young girls a safe place to meet after school hours with mentors and teachers and to offer girls tutoring support and life-skills. The project was implemented by the Population Council with the cooperation of secondary schools in the community and was supported by UNICEF under the aegis of the …


Learning Loss Among Adolescent Girls During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Rural Bangladesh, Sajeda Amin, Md. Irfan Hossain, Sigma Ainul Nov 2021

Learning Loss Among Adolescent Girls During The Covid-19 Pandemic In Rural Bangladesh, Sajeda Amin, Md. Irfan Hossain, Sigma Ainul

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Poor learning remains a central challenge in Bangladesh despite considerable progress in advancing schooling access and reducing gender gaps in education. The learning crisis is feared to have been exacerbated during extended school closures and limited alternative opportunities for schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief summarizes findings on learning loss among adolescent girls during the pandemic in rural Bangladesh.


Midline Report: Accelerating Action To End Child Marriage In Bangladesh, Masuma Billah, Eashita Haque, Surojit Kundu, Md. Saddam Hossain, Momoe Makino, Sajeda Amin Sep 2020

Midline Report: Accelerating Action To End Child Marriage In Bangladesh, Masuma Billah, Eashita Haque, Surojit Kundu, Md. Saddam Hossain, Momoe Makino, Sajeda Amin

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report describes results from the midline survey of Accelerating Action to End Child Marriage in Bangladesh. The objective of the program is to identify effective and scalable approaches to end child marriage by empowering girls and communities. To bring about social norms change, the program experiments with alternative means of community engagement that can be offered in conjunction with skills-development opportunities for adolescent girls. The program is being assessed in a multi-arm cluster randomized trial. This report explores the impact on the prevalence of child marriage in two districts of Bangladesh as well as on a range of other …


Measuring Empowerment Among Adolescent Girls In The Context Of Intervention, Population Council Jul 2020

Measuring Empowerment Among Adolescent Girls In The Context Of Intervention, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Empowerment is an important goal in adolescent girl programming but remains elusive and unobserved from a quantitative measurement perspective. This brief describes a statistical exercise conducted to explore adolescent girl empowerment as a latent or underlying concept that, while not directly observed, may be illustrated through responses to questions on behaviors and attitudes asked in quantitative structured interviews. Data were used from a randomized controlled trial that demonstrated the impact in delaying girls’ age at marriage in rural Bangladeshi communities with a high prevalence of child marriage. The study collected extensive data on potential measures of voice, choice, and agency …


Keeping Girls In Schools To Reduce Child Marriage In Rural Bangladesh—Research Brief And Baseline Highlights, Sigma Ainul, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Md. Irfan Hossain, Forhana Rahman Noor, Iqbal Ehsan, Sajeda Amin, Ubaidur Rob Apr 2020

Keeping Girls In Schools To Reduce Child Marriage In Rural Bangladesh—Research Brief And Baseline Highlights, Sigma Ainul, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Md. Irfan Hossain, Forhana Rahman Noor, Iqbal Ehsan, Sajeda Amin, Ubaidur Rob

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Bangladesh has made considerable progress in improving access to education at all levels for the last two decades. Despite these impressive gains, Bangladesh continues to face challenges of student dropout at the secondary level. Girls drop out of school earlier than boys because of child marriage. Targeted policies and interventions designed to improve mainstream educational attainment and decrease child marriage may be the effective and sustainable way to address both issues. The Population Council implemented the project “Keeping Girls in Schools to Reduce Child Marriage in Rural Bangladesh.” An intervention research study, the project tests a life-skills and tutoring support …


The Community Health System In Bangladesh: An Overview, Frontline Health Project Mar 2020

The Community Health System In Bangladesh: An Overview, Frontline Health Project

Reproductive Health

This brief provides an overview of the community health system in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is divided into eight administrative divisions, 64 districts, and 545 subdistricts, known as upazilas. Each rural area within an upazila is divided into union parishads and mouzas, which are further divided into villages. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has an extensive health infrastructure that is pluralistic and follows the country’s administrative pattern. Union parishads are the smallest administrative unit in rural areas. At the lowest administrative level, traditional healers, nonqualified allopathic practitioners, and community health workers (CHWs) are typically the only providers available. This brief …


Keeping Girls In Schools To Reduce Child Marriage In Rural Bangladesh—Program Brief, Population Council Jan 2020

Keeping Girls In Schools To Reduce Child Marriage In Rural Bangladesh—Program Brief, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

For the last two decades, Bangladesh has made considerable progress in improving access to education at all levels. Despite these gains, the country continues to face challenges from student dropout at the secondary level. Girls drop out of school earlier than boys because of child marriage. Targeted policies and interventions designed to improve educational attainment and decrease child marriage may be an effective and sustainable way to address both issues. The Population Council implemented an intervention research study to test a life-skills and tutoring support model to reduce school dropout among secondary-school girls and enhance livelihood skills for unmarried girls …


Autonomy, Intimate Partner Violence, And Maternal Health-Seeking Behavior: Findings From Mixed-Methods Analysis In Bangladesh, Pooja Sripad, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Charity Ndwiga, Charlotte E. Warren Jan 2019

Autonomy, Intimate Partner Violence, And Maternal Health-Seeking Behavior: Findings From Mixed-Methods Analysis In Bangladesh, Pooja Sripad, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Charity Ndwiga, Charlotte E. Warren

Reproductive Health

Gendered norms and discriminatory practices often limit women’s decision-making power, which over time can lead to social norms that systematically subordinate women. Aspects of empowerment were explored in a global evaluation of Demographic and Health Survey data that measured how gendered social norms influenced maternal health-seeking behaviors. Analysis specifically explored associations of women’s autonomy and acceptability of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) on antenatal care (ANC) use and facility delivery in 63 low- and middle-income countries. Service utilization is positively associated with increased autonomy and negatively associated with increased acceptability of IPVAW, but variability exists across countries and regions. …


Implementing Components Of The Primary Health Care Pre-Eclampsia/Eclampsia Model In Bangladesh: A Cost Analysis, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Pooja Sripad, Sara Chace Dwyer Jan 2019

Implementing Components Of The Primary Health Care Pre-Eclampsia/Eclampsia Model In Bangladesh: A Cost Analysis, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Pooja Sripad, Sara Chace Dwyer

Reproductive Health

Between 2016 and 2018, the Population Council, in collaboration with the Directorate General of Family Planning and Obstetrical and Gynecological Society of Bangladesh, implemented an intervention to confront pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (PE/E). This was part of the Ending Eclampsia project, a five-year USAID investment that implemented aspects of the Primary Health Care (PHC) PE/E Model in Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Pakistan. The intervention in Bangladesh comprised two components of the PHC for PE/E Model: 1) Task sharing to detect and manage PE/E (MgSO4 and referral) with PHC providers (Family Welfare Visitors, Sub-Assistant Community Medical Officers, and Nurse-Midwives), and 2) Introducing antihypertensive drug provision …


Assessing The Effect Of A Primary Health Care Intervention For Improving Pre-Eclampsia And Eclampsia Knowledge And Practice In Bangladesh, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Shongkour Roy, Kanij Sultana, Charlotte E. Warren Jan 2019

Assessing The Effect Of A Primary Health Care Intervention For Improving Pre-Eclampsia And Eclampsia Knowledge And Practice In Bangladesh, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Shongkour Roy, Kanij Sultana, Charlotte E. Warren

Reproductive Health

In resource-poor countries such as Bangladesh, proven life-saving commodities for pregnant women have not been optimally examined, such as magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) to manage severe pre-eclampsia/eclampsia, use of anti-hypertensives to manage high blood pressure during pregnancy, aspirin prophylaxis for pregnant women at high risk of PE/E, as well as task shifting to lower health-worker cadres, and community involvement. There has been no systematic review of research and programming on PE/E prevention, early detection, and treatment in Bangladesh. With support from USAID, the Ending Eclampsia project has been expanding access to proven, underutilized interventions and commodities for PE/E prevention, early detection, …


Feasibility And Acceptability Of Community Health Extension Workers To Identify And Treat Hypertension Associated With Pregnancy: Implementation Research Report, Emmanuel Nwala, Udochisom Anaba, Pooja Sripad, Salisu Mohammed Ishaku, Charlotte E. Warren Jan 2019

Feasibility And Acceptability Of Community Health Extension Workers To Identify And Treat Hypertension Associated With Pregnancy: Implementation Research Report, Emmanuel Nwala, Udochisom Anaba, Pooja Sripad, Salisu Mohammed Ishaku, Charlotte E. Warren

Reproductive Health

Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, experienced by 10 percent of women globally, are major contributors to maternal and newborn mortality, morbidity, and disability. Task shifting essential health services to mitigate insufficient human resources is recommended to strengthen and expand the health workforce and rapidly increase access to quality services. Nigeria’s task-shifting policy recommends that community health extension workers administer a loading dose of magnesium sulphate for severe pre-eclampsia or eclampsia prior to referral to a higher-level facility. This study tested the feasibility and acceptability of community health extension workers at primary health care facilities in Ebonyi state in detecting and managing …


Assessing The Feasibility Of Primary Health Care Provider Prescription Of Anti-Hypertensive Medication To Pregnant Women In Bangladesh, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Kanij Sultana, Shongkour Roy, Pooja Sripad, Charlotte E. Warren Jan 2019

Assessing The Feasibility Of Primary Health Care Provider Prescription Of Anti-Hypertensive Medication To Pregnant Women In Bangladesh, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Kanij Sultana, Shongkour Roy, Pooja Sripad, Charlotte E. Warren

Reproductive Health

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDPs)—which are major contributors of maternal and newborn mortality, morbidity, and disability—are preventable. About 24 percent of maternal deaths in Bangladesh each year are due to pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (PE/E). A known cause of death in women with PE/E is cerebrovascular accident, which occurs due to rapidly increasing blood pressure (BP). Elevated BP associated with pregnancy should be detected and appropriately managed before onset of convulsions (eclampsia) and other life-threatening complications. For women presenting with severe PE/E, magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) is the recommended drug for convulsion management. Anti-hypertensive medicines are also recommended for control of high …


Exploring The Acculturation Preferences Of Bangladeshi-Muslim Second-Generation American Immigrants In New York City., Jakir Hossain Jan 2019

Exploring The Acculturation Preferences Of Bangladeshi-Muslim Second-Generation American Immigrants In New York City., Jakir Hossain

Senior Projects Fall 2019

The purpose of this study is to apply previous frameworks of acculturation to evaluate the acculturation preferences of the Bangladeshi-Muslim second-generation American immigrant population in New York City. This thesis attempts to understand the acculturation preferences of the aforementioned population by analyzing how they view their Bangladeshi ethnic identity and their Islamic religious identity in relation to their American immigrant upbringing. To do this, participants have been organized into acculturation preference tracks based on John Berry’s acculturation preference model. This thesis will then explore possible explanations for why differences between these acculturation preferences exist and why certain individuals found themselves …


Hypertensive Disorders In Pregnancy: Assessing Postnatal Quality Of Care And Outcomes For Women And Their Infants In Bangladesh, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Kanij Sultana, Salma Rouf, Rabeya Akter, Shongkour Roy, Sumaiya Anwar, Karen Kirk, Charlotte E. Warren Jan 2019

Hypertensive Disorders In Pregnancy: Assessing Postnatal Quality Of Care And Outcomes For Women And Their Infants In Bangladesh, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Kanij Sultana, Salma Rouf, Rabeya Akter, Shongkour Roy, Sumaiya Anwar, Karen Kirk, Charlotte E. Warren

Reproductive Health

Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDPs) are the second leading cause of maternal mortality in Bangladesh, responsible for 24 percent of maternal deaths. Various factors, such as lack of health-care provider capacities for detecting, preventing, and managing pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (PE/E), late referrals, late (or lack of) antenatal care (ANC), and poor awareness of PE/E, are factors in most of these deaths. While some information was available on the prenatal and postnatal periods, an evidence gap existed in information after delivery through the first year postnatal, and beyond. In this prospective cohort study, the Ending Eclampsia project recruited married women ages …


Accelerating Action To End Child Marriage In Bangladesh—Project Brief, Population Council Jan 2019

Accelerating Action To End Child Marriage In Bangladesh—Project Brief, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Bangladesh ranks among the five countries with the highest rate of child marriage in the world. Community norms and values are among the underlying factors that support the practice of child marriage in Bangladesh. The Population Council is partnering with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs to delay marriage as part of the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Program to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage. This program is being implemented to generate evidence on reduction of child marriage through an adolescent skills-building program. The project works to empower girls with life-skills and livelihood and gender-awareness trainings, as well as engaging communities …


Expanding Access To Family Planning For Married Adolescent Girls In The Urban Slums Of Dhaka, Fauzia Akhter Huda, Nancy Termini Lachance Jan 2018

Expanding Access To Family Planning For Married Adolescent Girls In The Urban Slums Of Dhaka, Fauzia Akhter Huda, Nancy Termini Lachance

Reproductive Health

Early pregnancy is associated with adverse health, social, and economic consequences for girls, and Bangladesh has an adolescent fertility rate that is among the highest in the region. Poor, slum-dwelling girls are especially vulnerable. This policy brief outlines a project that icddr,b, a STEP UP project partner, initiated to test three innovative strategies aiming to support the unmet family planning needs of these girls. This brief concludes with government-level policy and program recommendations based on the evidence of this project for leveraging existing government health programs to better serve the needs of married adolescent girls and reduce their risks of …


Accelerating Action To End Child Marriage In Bangladesh, Sajeda Amin, Jyotirmoy Saha, Masuma Billah, Nargis Sultana, Eashita Haque, Surojit Kundu Jan 2018

Accelerating Action To End Child Marriage In Bangladesh, Sajeda Amin, Jyotirmoy Saha, Masuma Billah, Nargis Sultana, Eashita Haque, Surojit Kundu

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Despite considerable social and economic progress in Bangladesh, child marriage remains the norm. The Population Council is partnering with UNFPA and the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs to empower girls with gender, life, and livelihood skills, and to engage communities to address fundamental normative drivers of child marriage. The objective of the baseline study is to generate a set of indicators against which change can be measured, and to provide specific information about the status of adolescents in the study area in ways that can guide intervention strategies and inform programs and policies. Baseline findings will provide a benchmark …


Marriage And Sexual And Reproductive Health Of Rohingya Adolescents And Youth In Bangladesh: A Qualitative Study, Sigma Ainul, Iqbal Ehsan, Eashita Haque, Sajeda Amin, Ubaidur Rob, Andrea J. Melnikas, Joseph Falcone Jan 2018

Marriage And Sexual And Reproductive Health Of Rohingya Adolescents And Youth In Bangladesh: A Qualitative Study, Sigma Ainul, Iqbal Ehsan, Eashita Haque, Sajeda Amin, Ubaidur Rob, Andrea J. Melnikas, Joseph Falcone

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This qualitative study focuses specifically on displaced Rohingya adolescents and youth (ages 14–24) and explores how the crisis has impacted their sexual and reproductive health (SRH), marriage practices, safety and security, and related attitudes and aspirations. This research aims to identify approaches to improve adolescents’ knowledge of SRH issues and their access to and uptake of services, and to identify gaps in programming knowledge and practice. Findings from this formative research and recommended actions will help the Government of Bangladesh, donors, and other relevant stakeholders to mobilize resources and deliver SRH services in a more organized and efficient way and …


Knowledge Of Pre-Eclampsia And Eclampsia In Bangladesh, Kanij Sultana, Amy Dempsey Jan 2017

Knowledge Of Pre-Eclampsia And Eclampsia In Bangladesh, Kanij Sultana, Amy Dempsey

Reproductive Health

In Bangladesh between 1,000 and 1,200 women die every year from pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (PE/E), contributing to 20 percent of maternal deaths. It is the country’s second leading direct cause of maternal mortality. In addition to the burden of maternal mortality, when a mother dies her baby is at increased risk of dying during the first year of life. To fully understand community perceptions of PE/E, the Population Council conducted a landscape analysis in 12 upazilas in four districts. This brief presents those research findings, and concludes that stronger awareness of the importance of early antenatal care and of seeking …


Adolescent Friendly Health Corners (Afhcs) In Selected Government Health Facilities In Bangladesh: An Early Qualitative Assessment, Sigma Ainul, Iqbal Ehsan, Tasmiah Tanjeen, Laura Reichenbach Jan 2017

Adolescent Friendly Health Corners (Afhcs) In Selected Government Health Facilities In Bangladesh: An Early Qualitative Assessment, Sigma Ainul, Iqbal Ehsan, Tasmiah Tanjeen, Laura Reichenbach

Reproductive Health

With high rates of early marriage, especially among girls, a significant proportion of adolescents in Bangladesh need sexual and reproductive health services (SRH), including contraceptive information. To address this gap and ensure that adolescents throughout the country, including unmarried adolescents, have access to SRH services through public health facilities, the Maternal and Child Health Services Unit of the Directorate General of Family Planning, with financial and technical assistance from development partners, has begun establishing Adolescent Friendly Health Corners (AFHCs) at selected government facilities at district and union levels. The Evidence Project/Population Council was asked to assess the implementation of the …


Adolescents In Bangladesh: A Situation Analysis Of Programmatic Approaches To Sexual And Reproductive Health Education And Services, Sigma Ainul, Ashish Bajracharya, Laura Reichenbach, Kate Gilles Jan 2017

Adolescents In Bangladesh: A Situation Analysis Of Programmatic Approaches To Sexual And Reproductive Health Education And Services, Sigma Ainul, Ashish Bajracharya, Laura Reichenbach, Kate Gilles

Reproductive Health

The health of Bangladesh’s 29.5 million adolescents, who make up nearly one-fifth of the country’s total population, is critical to the country’s future, but issues surrounding adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) remain taboo. ASRH initiatives have been implemented by both the Government of Bangladesh and nongovernmental organizations, but with limited coordination, documentation, or evaluation, making it difficult to know what worked well and what did not. This report presents findings from a comprehensive review and situation analysis of ASRH programming in Bangladesh, carried out by the Evidence Project/Population Council, with financial support from USAID/Bangladesh, as part of a larger …


Knowledge And Practices For Pre-Eclampsia And Eclampsia Care In Bangladesh, Kanij Sultana, Amy Dempsey Jan 2017

Knowledge And Practices For Pre-Eclampsia And Eclampsia Care In Bangladesh, Kanij Sultana, Amy Dempsey

Reproductive Health

The Bangladesh Maternal Mortality Survey revealed that pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (PE/E) is the second most common direct cause of maternal deaths—between 1,000 and 1,200 maternal deaths (20 percent) each year. Early detection and treatment during antenatal care visits are instrumental in reducing deaths from PE/E. In Bangladesh, however, primary healthcare providers have limited knowledge of the condition, and in many cases are unaware of how to detect, manage, and treat it. This research brief presents the findings of a landscape analysis that was conducted to better understand service providers’ maternal health knowledge, attitudes, and practices, particularly around PE/E.


A Systematic Review Of The Treatment And Management Of Pre-Eclampsia And Eclampsia In Bangladesh, Karen Kirk, Amy Dempsey Jan 2017

A Systematic Review Of The Treatment And Management Of Pre-Eclampsia And Eclampsia In Bangladesh, Karen Kirk, Amy Dempsey

Reproductive Health

By 2015, at the conclusion of the Millennium Development Goals, Bangladesh had achieved a reduction in maternal deaths, however, despite the progress, there are still between 5,000 and 6,000 maternal deaths every year, with 20 percent the result of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (PE/E). To fully understand the key challenges, gaps, and interventions related to the prevention and treatment of PE/E at the national level, Ending Eclampsia conducted a systematic review of papers in Bangladesh published between 2000 and 2015 specifically looking at issues around the quality of care, gaps in the evidence, and barriers to accessing PE/E services. The main …


Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of The Herhealth Model For Improving Sexual And Reproductive Health And Rights Knowledge And Access Of Female Garment Factory Workers In Bangladesh, Md. Irfan Hossain, Abdullah Al Mahmud Shohag, Ashish Bajracharya, Ubaidur Rob, Laura Reichenbach Jan 2017

Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of The Herhealth Model For Improving Sexual And Reproductive Health And Rights Knowledge And Access Of Female Garment Factory Workers In Bangladesh, Md. Irfan Hossain, Abdullah Al Mahmud Shohag, Ashish Bajracharya, Ubaidur Rob, Laura Reichenbach

Reproductive Health

The Population Council, under its USAID-funded Evidence Project, partnered with Bangladesh’s Business for Social Responsibility program to conduct operational research to evaluate the effectiveness of the HERhealth model for improving female factory workers’ health, and to find ways to optimize program inputs and processes to support future scale-up of the intervention. This report presents findings from a pre- and post-intervention quantitative study of female factory workers from 10 factories; a qualitative study with factory managers, service providers, and implementing partners; and self-administered retention assessments of the Peer Health Educators from six factories in Dhaka, Gazipur, and Narayanganj districts. Findings from …


Policies For Pre-Eclampsia And Eclampsia Prevention And Management In Bangladesh, Kanij Sultana, Amy Dempsey Jan 2017

Policies For Pre-Eclampsia And Eclampsia Prevention And Management In Bangladesh, Kanij Sultana, Amy Dempsey

Reproductive Health

Bangladesh experiences between 5,000 and 6,000 maternal deaths each year. Of those deaths, 20 percent are from pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (PE/E), the second most common direct cause of maternal mortality in the country. In Bangladesh, best practices to prevent PE/E using aspirin and calcium and managing it through task sharing and use of magnesium sulphate and anti-hypertensive drugs have not been optimally examined. To appreciate the enormity of the problem, the Population Council conducted a landscape analysis in 12 upazilas in four districts. The study was cross sectional, and data collection activities included in-depth interviews (IDIs) with policymakers, development partners, …


Results From Systematic Literature Review On Pe/E In Bangladesh, Karen Kirk, Amy Dempsey Jan 2017

Results From Systematic Literature Review On Pe/E In Bangladesh, Karen Kirk, Amy Dempsey

Reproductive Health

By 2015, at the conclusion of the Millennium Development Goals, Bangladesh had achieved a reduction in maternal death from 550 per 100,000 live births in 1990, to 170 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2015. Despite this progress, there are still between 5,000 and 6,000 maternal deaths every year in Bangladesh, where 20 percent are the result of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (PE/E). This systematic review of peer-reviewed literature published between January 2000 and July 2016 identified interventions adopted to manage PE/E throughout Bangladesh. Specifically, it looked at issues around quality of care, gaps in the evidence, and barriers to …


Life-Saving Medicines And Equipment In Facilities In Bangladesh, Kanij Sultana, Amy Dempsey Jan 2017

Life-Saving Medicines And Equipment In Facilities In Bangladesh, Kanij Sultana, Amy Dempsey

Reproductive Health

This research brief is a part of a larger landscaping analysis by Population Council, with support from USAID and the MacArthur Foundation. In Bangladesh, in 12 upazilas in four districts, it assessed the capacity of primary health facilities to manage pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (PE/E). This brief shares findings from 134 facilities on required infrastructure for providing maternal and newborn health (MNH) services, human resources, facility readiness, and MNH commodities and supplies. Facility readiness is vital to providing quality services to antenatal care (ANC) patients, especially to women with PE/E. Without functioning equipment, ANC/PNC registers, essential medicines, electricity, and running water, …


Bangladesh: Using Strong Evidence And Strategic Collaboration To Increase Access To Menstrual Regulation With Medication, Nancy Termini Lachance, Sharif M.I. Hossain Jan 2017

Bangladesh: Using Strong Evidence And Strategic Collaboration To Increase Access To Menstrual Regulation With Medication, Nancy Termini Lachance, Sharif M.I. Hossain

Reproductive Health

Through close cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of Bangladesh, and other partners, STEP UP generated strong evidence and cultivated ongoing collaboration that contributed to policy changes and program expansions to increase access to menstrual regulation with medication (MRM). Study results demonstrate that MRM is acceptable and effective in Bangladesh, and has thus been legalized and folded into the national FP program and scaled up nationwide. However, ongoing observation and studies are still needed to understand whether the efficacy and acceptability of MRM remains the case when services are delivered at scale on a national level. Furthermore, …