Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 31 - 47 of 47

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Improving The Management Of Stis Among Mch/Fp Clients At The Nakuru Municipal Council Health Clinics, Julie Solo, Baker Ndugga Maggwa, James Kariba Wabaru, Bedan Kiare Kariuki, Gregory Maitha Jan 1999

Improving The Management Of Stis Among Mch/Fp Clients At The Nakuru Municipal Council Health Clinics, Julie Solo, Baker Ndugga Maggwa, James Kariba Wabaru, Bedan Kiare Kariuki, Gregory Maitha

Reproductive Health

In an effort to address the global crisis of HIV/AIDS and to reduce the spread of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), maternal and child health/family planning (MCH/FP) programs have attempted to integrate the management of STIs into their services. This integration was endorsed at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo. However, as noted in this report, programs have encountered a number of difficulties as they try to effectively manage STIs in an MCH/FP setting. In particular, the effective detection and treatment of STIs has proven difficult among MCH/FP populations. This current study was developed to help …


The Cost Of Health Services At The Facilities Level Of The Nakuru Municipal Council, Nakuru, Kenya, Andrew Thompson, Barbara Janowitz, Julie Solo Jan 1999

The Cost Of Health Services At The Facilities Level Of The Nakuru Municipal Council, Nakuru, Kenya, Andrew Thompson, Barbara Janowitz, Julie Solo

Reproductive Health

The Nakuru Municipal Council (NMC), in Kenya, is concerned with the financial sustainability of its services and is considering increasing prices. The Council is currently charging for services but these fees are not based on the cost of providing services. Before changing its prices, the NMC wanted information on its costs because another strategy to improve financial sustainability is to decrease the costs of producing various services. Information on current costs of services can also help the NMC to determine ways to reduce these costs. The NMC, in collaboration with the Africa OR/TA II project and Family Health International, conducted …


Strengthening Reproductive Health Services In Africa Through Operations Research, Population Council Jan 1999

Strengthening Reproductive Health Services In Africa Through Operations Research, Population Council

Reproductive Health

The health status of women, men, and children in sub-Saharan Africa remains the poorest in the world. Moreover, virtually every country in the region is suffering mediocre economic growth or economic decline, thereby reducing the ability of their health care systems to respond adequately, and increasing dependence on external donor assistance. In terms of reproductive health (RH), the region is faced with high levels of unwanted fertility; high levels of maternal, child, and infant morbidity and mortality; and an almost exponential growth in HIV prevalence. Access to and quality of RH services remains poor in most countries, thereby maintaining unmet …


Strengthening The Evaluation And Research Unit Of The Zimbabwe Family Planning Council (1995–1998), Lewis Ndhlovu, Hazel M.B. Dube, Caroline S. Marangwanda Jan 1999

Strengthening The Evaluation And Research Unit Of The Zimbabwe Family Planning Council (1995–1998), Lewis Ndhlovu, Hazel M.B. Dube, Caroline S. Marangwanda

Reproductive Health

The Evaluation and Research Unit (ERU) plays a crucial role in supporting the research activities of the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC). Research activities are conducted in addition to analysis of service statistics and compilation of quarterly and annual reports. With a staff capacity of five and inadequate research skills existing in other units, the ERU finds it difficult to manage and monitor the diverse activities of the organization. To address these problems, a buy-in was signed between the Zimbabwe Government and USAID in May 1995. The objectives were to assist the ZNFPC in conducting operations research studies and …


The Fertility Impact Of Changes In The Timing Of Childbearing In The Developing World, John Bongaarts Jan 1999

The Fertility Impact Of Changes In The Timing Of Childbearing In The Developing World, John Bongaarts

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This study examines the role of tempo effects in the fertility declines of developing countries. These effects temporarily inflate the total fertility rate (relative to the actual fertility of cohorts of women) during periods when the age at childbearing declines and they deflate it when childbearing is postponed. An analysis of data from the World Fertility Surveys and the Demographic and Health Surveys demonstrates that fertility trends observed in many developing countries are likely to be distorted by changes in the timing of childbearing. In most countries women are delaying childbearing, which implies that observed fertility is lower than it …


Fertility Preferences And Contraceptive Change In Developing Countries, Bamikale J. Feyisetan, John B. Casterline Jan 1999

Fertility Preferences And Contraceptive Change In Developing Countries, Bamikale J. Feyisetan, John B. Casterline

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Fertility has declined substantially in developing countries in the period since 1960, primarily as the result of increases in contraceptive prevalence. Little dispute is found on this point, but considerable debate has arisen about the causes of the increase in contraceptive prevalence. One unresolved issue is the causal contribution of changes in fertility desires. The sources of increase in contraceptive prevalence are analyzed in 22 countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa in the period from the 1970s to the 1990s, using World Fertility Surveys and Demographic and Health Surveys data. Through regression decomposition, change in prevalence is attributed to …


Mexico: Informing Service Providers And Factory Workers About Emergency Contraception, Ricardo Vernon Jan 1999

Mexico: Informing Service Providers And Factory Workers About Emergency Contraception, Ricardo Vernon

Reproductive Health

The goal of this project was to inform physicians, pharmacists, and female factory workers about emergency contraception (EC) through mailings of booklets and posters. These materials were developed in a previous operations research project conducted by the Instituto Mexicano de Investigación de Familia y Población and supported by the Population Council INOPAL III project with funding from USAID. The study found that recipients generally liked the print materials and welcomed information about EC. Within three weeks of receiving the materials, many reported that they had taken immediate action to make EC available and/or to educate others about EC. This project …


Mexico: Protecting Informed Consent, Elsa Santos, Silvia Elena Llaguno, Ricardo Vernon Jan 1999

Mexico: Protecting Informed Consent, Elsa Santos, Silvia Elena Llaguno, Ricardo Vernon

Reproductive Health

The objective of this three-month project in Mexico was to disseminate information among key audiences about: 1) the right of women to choose contraceptive methods in a free and informed manner; and 2) the laws and institutions available to help redress any violations of this right. Four publications on these topics, developed by a previous project funded by Population Council/INOPAL III, were reproduced and distributed to 2,750 people in the following target audiences: women of reproductive age; reproductive health service providers; national and state commissions of human rights, complaints offices in public hospitals, feminist and human rights organizations; and legal …


Testing Strategies To Improve Access To Emergency Contraception Pills: Prescription Vs. Prophylactic Distribution, John P. Skibiak, Yusuf Ahmed, M. Ketata Jan 1999

Testing Strategies To Improve Access To Emergency Contraception Pills: Prescription Vs. Prophylactic Distribution, John P. Skibiak, Yusuf Ahmed, M. Ketata

Reproductive Health

This report is the second in a series of research summaries produced in connection with the operations research project “Enhancing Access to Family Planning Services through the Introduction of Emergency Contraception.” Launched in September 1997, the project explores the many issues surrounding the introduction and delivery of emergency contraception services in a developing country context. The study described in this report compares two different approaches to overcoming barriers that prevent women from accessing emergency contraception during the 72-hour period when the first dosage of emergency contraception pills (ECPs) must be taken. In one approach, new family planning (FP) acceptors were …


Integrating Sti And Mch/Fp Services, Population Council Jan 1999

Integrating Sti And Mch/Fp Services, Population Council

Reproductive Health

The integration of STI and HIV/AIDS information and services into existing MCH/FP programs has been strongly supported in recent years, following recommendations from the 1994 Cairo ICPD. Moreover, it is now widely accepted that early detection and management of STIs can reduce the incidence of HIV infection. Thus, there are powerful incentives to increase efforts to broaden the capacity of MCH/FP programs to provide STI prevention and management information and services for their clients, both as a comprehensive reproductive health service and as a preventive measure for reducing the transmission of HIV. As described in this brief, the Africa OR/TA …


Reproductive Tract Infections: A Set Of Factsheets, Population Council Jan 1999

Reproductive Tract Infections: A Set Of Factsheets, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Reproductive tract infections (RTIs) are being increasingly recognized as a serious global health problem with impact on individual women and men, and their families and communities. RTIs can have severe consequences, including infertility, ectopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain, miscarriage, and increased risk of HIV transmission. For effective prevention and management of RTIs, accurate information is necessary and should be widely available. In addition to a brief introduction to RTIs, this document contains 13 factsheets addressing medical and social issues on a variety of topics related to RTIs. The document, produced by the Population Council with support from the Ford Foundation, …


Demand For And Cost-Effectiveness Of Integrating Rti/Hiv Services With Clinic-Based Family Planning Services In Zimbabwe, Baker Ndugga Maggwa, Ian Askew, Caroline S. Marangwanda, Sithokozille Simba, Hazel M.B. Dube, Rick Homan, Barbara Janowitz, Ahmed Latif, Peter R. Mason Jan 1999

Demand For And Cost-Effectiveness Of Integrating Rti/Hiv Services With Clinic-Based Family Planning Services In Zimbabwe, Baker Ndugga Maggwa, Ian Askew, Caroline S. Marangwanda, Sithokozille Simba, Hazel M.B. Dube, Rick Homan, Barbara Janowitz, Ahmed Latif, Peter R. Mason

Reproductive Health

The current spread of HIV/AIDS poses a major threat to individual lives and national economies in many sub-Saharan African countries. The region also has some of the highest levels of other reproductive tract infections (RTIs) in the world. Some of these RTIs increase the risk of sexual transmission of HIV infection. Thus, the control of RTIs is seen not only as an important reproductive health care strategy to alleviate symptoms of infection and long-term gynecological, obstetric, and neonatal complications, but also as a key strategy in reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS. As a result, all national health care programs in …


The Female Condom In Zimbabwe: The Interplay Of Research, Advocacy, And Government Action, Population Council Jan 1999

The Female Condom In Zimbabwe: The Interplay Of Research, Advocacy, And Government Action, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

During the past decade, a significant increase in reported cases of HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe prompted the government, local organizations, and international donors to intensify prevention efforts. As part of this response, in November 1996 Zimbabwe’s National AIDS Coordinating Programme invited Population Services International to launch a social marketing program to promote the female condom, making this protective device widely available for the first time in Africa. After an acceptability study showed that Zimbabwean men and women liked using the female condom, leaders of these organizations encouraged public discussion and media attention, which helped pave the way to approval and introduction …


The Spread Of Primary Schooling In Sub-Saharan Africa: Implications For Fertility Change, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Carol E. Kaufman, Paul C. Hewett Jan 1999

The Spread Of Primary Schooling In Sub-Saharan Africa: Implications For Fertility Change, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Carol E. Kaufman, Paul C. Hewett

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Caldwell has hypothesized that the onset of the fertility transition would be linked with the achievement of “mass formal schooling.” In sub-Saharan Africa, a region where some countries have begun the fertility transition but many have not, the extent of progress toward mass schooling has not yet been assessed. This paper fills a gap in the literature using newly available Demographic and Health Survey data to assess schooling patterns and trends for 17 sub-Saharan African countries. As background to that assessment, the paper includes a literature review, an overview of the recent history of African education, and an evaluation of …


The Tostan Story: Breakthrough In Senegal Ending Female Genital Cutting [Arabic], Population Council Jan 1999

The Tostan Story: Breakthrough In Senegal Ending Female Genital Cutting [Arabic], Population Council

Reproductive Health

In Senegal, elements of the Tostan education program were fundamental to the ending of the practice of female genital cutting (FGC) which has persisted for centuries, despite outside efforts to abolish such a dangerous and harmful operation. This paper is an attempt by those who lived through these events to share the experience with others. At a time when there has been little reduction in the numbers of women ending FGC in 28 African countries, when different programs and strategies have rarely succeeded in making an impact on the number of women still practicing FGC despite laws abolishing the tradition, …


Estimating Costs Of Post-Abortion Services. General Hospital Aurelia Valdivieso, Oaxaca, Mexico, Population Council Jan 1999

Estimating Costs Of Post-Abortion Services. General Hospital Aurelia Valdivieso, Oaxaca, Mexico, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Health care systems around the world are facing problems providing quality care with increasingly constrained resources. While modern practices and diagnostic tests have made pregnancy a much less risky event than in the past, not all pregnancies have a favorable outcome. Spontaneous abortion occurs in 15–45% of all known pregnancies, and studies show that 25% of all obstetric/gynecology hospital admissions are for incomplete abortion. Given the high level of resources devoted to treating this condition, it is imperative to develop cost-effective methodologies to provide quality care. Unsafe abortion performed by untrained and inexperienced providers is the fourth leading cause of …


Review Of The Policy Process In Bangladesh Following Icpd, Nancy J. Piet-Pelon, Ubaidur Rob, Syeda Nahid Mukith Chowdhury, Abul Barkat, Sushil Ranjan Howlader, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Ismat Bhuiya, Siraj-Us- Saleheen Jan 1999

Review Of The Policy Process In Bangladesh Following Icpd, Nancy J. Piet-Pelon, Ubaidur Rob, Syeda Nahid Mukith Chowdhury, Abul Barkat, Sushil Ranjan Howlader, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Ismat Bhuiya, Siraj-Us- Saleheen

Reproductive Health

The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo in 1994 was the culmination of months of national and international discussions. The issues had been crafted into a Program of Action, which represented a potential shift in thinking. Delegates left the conference espousing a new paradigm and a broad definition of what people, especially women, should expect from their national health services. Governments were encouraged to recognize that the improved health status of women could only be achieved by a life-cycle approach and that health depended not only on good family planning information and services but on women’s empowerment …