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Women's Health

Reproductive Health

HIV and AIDS

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Associations Between Fgm/C And Hiv In Ethiopia, The Gambia, Kenya, And Sierra Leone: A Limited Analysis Of Demographic And Health Survey Data, Yetunde A. Noah Pinheiro, Zhuzhi Moore, David Gathara Jan 2019

Associations Between Fgm/C And Hiv In Ethiopia, The Gambia, Kenya, And Sierra Leone: A Limited Analysis Of Demographic And Health Survey Data, Yetunde A. Noah Pinheiro, Zhuzhi Moore, David Gathara

Reproductive Health

Studies investigating the association between male circumcision and HIV have demonstrated the protective effect of male circumcision. In some settings, FGM/C and male circumcision are considered “equivalent” procedures. This working paper presents findings of a study that investigates the effect of FGM/C on the likelihood of HIV infection for women in practicing communities in Ethiopia, Gambia, Kenya, and Sierra Leone.


Understanding Married Women's Vulnerability To Hiv Infection In Egypt: An Exploratory Study, Doaa Oraby, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab Jan 2016

Understanding Married Women's Vulnerability To Hiv Infection In Egypt: An Exploratory Study, Doaa Oraby, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab

Reproductive Health

This study examines the behavioral, sociocultural, economic, programmatic, and legal factors that aggravate Egyptian women’s vulnerabilities to HIV/AIDS. The study concludes that in low-prevalence settings like Egypt, targeted interventions are the most strategic and cost-effective: for example, HIV awareness-raising with a special focus on the preventive role of consistent, correct condom use, and creating a cadre of peers that could provide psychosocial support and HIV counseling to migrant workers. Furthermore, premarital and antenatal care programs should include HIV awareness-raising and provider-initiated counseling and testing after screening of women to identify those at risk for HIV infection. Concurrently, efforts should be …


Contraceptive Use And Fertility Intentions Among Women Living With Hiv In Kenya And Swaziland, Integra Initiative Jan 2015

Contraceptive Use And Fertility Intentions Among Women Living With Hiv In Kenya And Swaziland, Integra Initiative

Reproductive Health

At the end of 2013, an estimated 35 million people were living with HIV, and sub-Saharan Africa was disproportionately affected. With major efforts directed at expanding access to life-saving antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa, many people are living longer with HIV, leading productive and sexually active lives. Unintended pregnancies and the potential of vertical transmission are some of the challenges faced by women living with HIV. Understanding the fertility preferences and reproductive decisions of these women is vital for informing efforts to enable them to achieve these desires effectively and safely. The “Steps to Integration” series provides a guide on …


Cost And Technical Efficiency Of Integrated Hiv And Srh Services In Kenya And Swaziland, Integra Initiative Jan 2015

Cost And Technical Efficiency Of Integrated Hiv And Srh Services In Kenya And Swaziland, Integra Initiative

Reproductive Health

Policymakers and researchers have long hypothesized the potential benefits of integrating HIV prevention, treatment, and care with sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in settings with generalized HIV epidemics. In addition to improving health and social outcomes, integration of services holds the promise of increasing efficiency of service delivery and maximizing health care resources. Economic theory suggests several potential efficiency advantages at the service and programmatic levels. However, evidence on the unit cost and efficiency gains associated with integration remains scarce. The “Steps to Integration” series provides a guide on how to integrate HIV and SRH services based on findings …


The Effect Of Integrating Hiv Services On Quality Of Postnatal Care, Integra Initiative Jan 2015

The Effect Of Integrating Hiv Services On Quality Of Postnatal Care, Integra Initiative

Reproductive Health

Addressing the postnatal needs of new mothers is a neglected area of care throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Unintended pregnancies during the first 12 months following delivery, and vertical transmission of HIV during labor and delivery, are some of the challenges faced by women during the extended postpartum period. Many women want to delay or avoid another pregnancy, but are not using a modern contraceptive method. Few developing countries ensure that mothers and newborns are assessed early and monitored during the initial six-week period as recommended by WHO, which contributes to discontinuity of services received during pregnancy and delivery and limits linkages …


Peer Mentoring: An Effective Strategy For Integrating Hiv And Srh Services, Integra Initiative Jan 2015

Peer Mentoring: An Effective Strategy For Integrating Hiv And Srh Services, Integra Initiative

Reproductive Health

Mentoring is an innovative approach to improving provider skills without compromising service delivery by harnessing the potential of existing providers. In Kenya, a peer-mentorship approach was designed and tested to improve service providers’ skills, knowledge, and capacity to provide high-quality integrated HIV and SRH services. A central component was to understand providers’ opinions on mentoring, so as to build a practical and sustainable mentorship model. The “Steps to Integration” series provides a guide on how to integrate HIV and SRH services based on findings from the Integra Initiative, managed by the International Planned Parenthood Federation in partnership with the London …


Srh And Hiv Service Integration And Stigma, Integra Initiative Jan 2015

Srh And Hiv Service Integration And Stigma, Integra Initiative

Reproductive Health

Stigma is frequently faced by people living with HIV and those who they are associated with, and is frequently followed by discrimination. The “Steps to Integration” series provides a guide on how to integrate HIV and SRH services based on findings from the Integra Initiative, managed by the International Planned Parenthood Federation in partnership with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the Population Council. Issue 3 of the series explores the experience of stigma among clients living with HIV in a variety of settings, both service-based (when seeking family planning, antenatal, and postnatal care services) and facility-based …


Integration Of Sexual And Reproductive Health And Hiv Services, Integra Initiative Jan 2015

Integration Of Sexual And Reproductive Health And Hiv Services, Integra Initiative

Reproductive Health

In sub-Saharan Africa, there is a high rate of unintended pregnancy, particularly among HIV-positive women, and the majority of HIV infections are sexually transmitted or transmitted as a result of pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. Yet many health facilities do not provide integrated HIV and SRH services. Integration has the potential to increase access and uptake of health services, increase job satisfaction among providers, more effectively distribute facility workloads, and reduce facility costs. The Integra Initiative represents an effort to respond to the need for high-quality evidence on the feasibility, effectiveness, cost, and impact of different models for delivering integrated HIV …


Sexual And Reproductive Health Of Women Living With Hiv In Egypt: Unmet Needs And Unfulfilled Dreams, Doaa Oraby, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab Jan 2014

Sexual And Reproductive Health Of Women Living With Hiv In Egypt: Unmet Needs And Unfulfilled Dreams, Doaa Oraby, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab

Reproductive Health

The gender profile of the HIV/AIDS epidemic has changed since it emerged 30 years ago when infections were concentrated in key populations of men such as injecting drug users and men who have sex with men. In 2012, women accounted for nearly 50 percent of the estimated 35.3 million people living with HIV/AIDS globally. In the Middle East and North Africa, 44 percent of infected adults are women. The past 30 years have also witnessed remarkable improvements in access to high-quality information and medical services, including services for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the virus. With care and treatment for …


Exploring Positive Women's Lives In Namakkal District, India, P. Kousalya, Deepika Ganju Jan 2008

Exploring Positive Women's Lives In Namakkal District, India, P. Kousalya, Deepika Ganju

Reproductive Health

This report describes an initiative that was undertaken to document the experiences of HIV-positive ever-married women in Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu, India. The initiative sought to explore the circumstances in which women learned about their HIV status; their feelings on finding out they were HIV-positive; the nature of husband–wife relationships prior to and following disclosure of women’s HIV status; the extent of support or discrimination that women experienced from family members, friends, and neighbors; treatment-seeking behaviors; and women’s perspectives about ways in which the multiple needs of HIV-infected women can be met. Drawing on the testimonies of these women gathered …


Zimbabwe: Cbd Roles Modified To Address Zimbabwe's Hiv/Aids Crisis, Frontiers In Reproductive Health Jan 2002

Zimbabwe: Cbd Roles Modified To Address Zimbabwe's Hiv/Aids Crisis, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

In September 1999, the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) and the Population Council initiated a one-year study to assess the performance of ZNFPC’s community-based distribution (CBD) program. A continual decline in the program’s productivity, combined with the expanding HIV/AIDS epidemic, indicated a need to reconsider ZNFPC’s objectives and revise the roles and responsibilities of its full-time, salaried CBD agents. The study examined the productivity, costs, and potential sustainability of the CBD program. Researchers gathered information by reviewing program documents through 1999. They also interviewed program managers, district and community nurses, and community leaders and CBD agents from eight regions. …


Zimbabwe: Les Méthodes De Dépistage Des Iar Chez Les Femmes Sont Chères Et Inefficaces, Population Council Jan 1999

Zimbabwe: Les Méthodes De Dépistage Des Iar Chez Les Femmes Sont Chères Et Inefficaces, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Les Infections de l’Appareil Reproductif (IAR) sont courantes au Zimbabwe. Beaucoup d’IAR augmentent le risque d’infection au Virus de l’Immunodéficience Humaine. En 1998, le Conseil National de Planification Familiale du Zimbabwe (ZNFPC) a entrepris une recherche opérationnelle afin d’évaluer la faisabilité de l’intégration du diagnostic des IAR et des services de traitement dans son menu de services. La population étudiée consistait en 1634 clientes de trois cliniques du ZNFPC. Chaque cliente a été interrogée sur les douleurs au bas ventre, les pertes vaginales et autres symptômes d’IAR. Elles ont ensuite été examinées pour des signes cliniques d’IAR, et ont subi …


Zimbabwe: Los Métodos De Detección De Itr En Mujeres No Son Cost-Efectivos, Population Council Jan 1999

Zimbabwe: Los Métodos De Detección De Itr En Mujeres No Son Cost-Efectivos, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Las infecciones del tracto reproductivo (ITR) son frecuentes en Zimbabwe. Muchas de estas infecciones aumentan el riesgo de contraer el virus de inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH). En 1998, el Consejo Nacional de Planificación Familiar de Zimbabwe (en inglés, ZNFPC) realizó un estudio de IO para evaluar la viabilidad de integrar el diagnóstico y tratamiento de ITR en su oferta de servicios. La población estudiada estaba constituida por 1,634 clientas de tres clínicas de ZNFPC. Se preguntó a las usuarias si presentaban dolor en la región abdominal inferior, flujo vaginal y otros síntomas de ITR; asimismo, se les examinó para detectar la …


Zimbabwe: Rti Screening Methods For Women Are Not Cost-Effective, Population Council Jan 1999

Zimbabwe: Rti Screening Methods For Women Are Not Cost-Effective, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Reproductive tract infections (RTIs) are common in Zimbabwe. Many RTIs increase the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. In 1998, the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) conducted an operations research study to assess the feasibility of adding RTI diagnosis and treatment to its menu of services. The study population consisted of 1,634 clients at three ZNFPC clinics. Each client was asked about lower abdominal pain, vaginal discharge, and other RTI symptoms; examined for clinical signs of RTIs; and given laboratory tests to confirm the accuracy of diagnosis based upon symptoms and signs. Findings detailed in this brief were …


Workshop Report: Launching Of The Revised Reproductive Health Policy Guidelines And Standards, Division Of Primary Health Care, Kenya Ministry Of Health Jan 1998

Workshop Report: Launching Of The Revised Reproductive Health Policy Guidelines And Standards, Division Of Primary Health Care, Kenya Ministry Of Health

Reproductive Health

The Government of Kenya recently revised its Policy Guidelines and Standards for family planning (FP) and other reproductive health (RH) services to encourage service providers to undertake a more comprehensive approach to service delivery. Some of the recommendations, especially those relating to the integration of STI/HIV/AIDS services into MCH/FP services, and to safe motherhood, include new practices and procedures. A number of research studies have been conducted in Kenya and elsewhere that provide data pertinent to many of these recommendations, and the Division of Primary Health Care (DPHC) used the results to provide a framework within which the guidelines were …


Sexual Violence Within Marriage: A Case Study Of Rural Uttar Pradesh, M.E. Khan, John Townsend, Ranjana Sinha, Seema Lakhanpal Jan 1997

Sexual Violence Within Marriage: A Case Study Of Rural Uttar Pradesh, M.E. Khan, John Townsend, Ranjana Sinha, Seema Lakhanpal

Reproductive Health

Until recently the study of sexual behavior, despite being a very important area of human behavior, has remained an untouchable subject. The sensitivity of the subject and difficulties collecting required information discouraged social scientists from venturing into this area of human behavior. However, the advent of AIDS and its rapid spread in India has changed the scenario. Today the study of sexual behavior is an important subject and both national and international agencies, as part of the AIDS control program, are encouraging research on the subject. This paper addresses a totally neglected area, which is sexual coercion within marriage. The …