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Full-Text Articles in Health Policy
Adolescent Health: Priorities And Opportunities For Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (Rksk) In Uttar Pradesh [Hindi], Sapna Desai
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Government of India in 2014 signaled its commitment to adolescent health through introduction of a national strategy, Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK). Targeting adolescents aged 10–14 and 15–19, the program aims to ensure universal coverage of health information and services for all adolescents—those in and out of school, married or unmarried, and in vulnerable groups. Envisaged as a paradigm shift to address adolescent health beyond sexual and reproductive health, RKSK spans six domains: nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, injuries and violence including gender-based violence, substance misuse, and non-communicable diseases. This policy brief presents evidence on adolescent health …
Adolescent Health: Priorities And Opportunities For Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (Rksk) In Uttar Pradesh, Sapna Desai
Adolescent Health: Priorities And Opportunities For Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (Rksk) In Uttar Pradesh, Sapna Desai
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Government of India in 2014 signaled its commitment to adolescent health through introduction of a national strategy, Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK). Targeting adolescents aged 10–14 and 15–19, the program aims to ensure universal coverage of health information and services for all adolescents—those in and out of school, married or unmarried, and in vulnerable groups. Envisaged as a paradigm shift to address adolescent health beyond sexual and reproductive health, RKSK spans six domains: nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, injuries and violence including gender-based violence, substance misuse, and non-communicable diseases. This policy brief presents evidence on adolescent health …
Utilization Of National Health Insurance For Family Planning And Reproductive Health Services By The Urban Poor In Uttar Pradesh, India, Arupendra Mozumdar, Kumudha Aruldas, Aparna Jain, Laura Reichenbach, Robin Keeley, M.E. Khan
Utilization Of National Health Insurance For Family Planning And Reproductive Health Services By The Urban Poor In Uttar Pradesh, India, Arupendra Mozumdar, Kumudha Aruldas, Aparna Jain, Laura Reichenbach, Robin Keeley, M.E. Khan
Reproductive Health
In 2008, the Government of India launched the National Health Insurance Scheme, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), to enable families living below the poverty line in both urban and rural areas to access a range of private health services. The available evidence suggests several limitations and barriers that may affect the utilization of RSBY services and warrants a more in-depth examination of the contexts of family planning/reproductive health (FP/RH) services. The Population Council, under the Evidence project, conducted a study among the urban poor to: 1) determine RSBY awareness and barriers to enrollment; 2) identify barriers and facilitating factors to …
Utilization Of National Health Insurance For Family Planning And Reproductive Health Services By The Urban Poor In Uttar Pradesh, India, The Evidence Project
Utilization Of National Health Insurance For Family Planning And Reproductive Health Services By The Urban Poor In Uttar Pradesh, India, The Evidence Project
Reproductive Health
In 2008, the Government of India launched the National Health Insurance program, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), to enable families living below the poverty line in urban and rural areas to access a range of private health services. Enrolled families can access packages of services from RSBY-participating private hospitals, including family planning (FP) and other reproductive health (RH) services. Despite the availability of insurance coverage, poor families’ utilization of RSBY for FP/RH services is believed to be negligible. The Evidence Project is conducting a study in three cities in Uttar Pradesh to better understand the factors affecting utilization of RSBY …
Prevalence And Correlates Of Hiv Infection In A Cohort Of Male Injection Drug Users In Delhi, Waimar Tun, Vartika Sharma, Mary Philip Sebastian, Ira Madan, Amita Yadav, Meredith Sheehy, Dean Lewis, Ibou Thior, Avina Sarna
Prevalence And Correlates Of Hiv Infection In A Cohort Of Male Injection Drug Users In Delhi, Waimar Tun, Vartika Sharma, Mary Philip Sebastian, Ira Madan, Amita Yadav, Meredith Sheehy, Dean Lewis, Ibou Thior, Avina Sarna
HIV and AIDS
Baseline assessment of HIV infection among male injection drug users to understand the correlates of HIV infection and high risk injection practices and sexual behavior in Delhi, India.
Situation Analysis Of Behavior Change Communication Activities In Bihar: A Step Towards Developing A Comprehensive Bcc Strategy, M.E. Khan, Isha Bhatnagar, Avishek Hazra, Mukesh Kumar
Situation Analysis Of Behavior Change Communication Activities In Bihar: A Step Towards Developing A Comprehensive Bcc Strategy, M.E. Khan, Isha Bhatnagar, Avishek Hazra, Mukesh Kumar
Reproductive Health
A situation analysis undertaken by the Population Council in Bihar, India assessed a number of contributing factors to a behavior change communication (BCC) strategy. Social norms and practices can be changed if appropriate messages are delivered through a combination of communication channels including mass, mid-, and other media, coupled with improved interactions between frontline healthcare workers and target populations at family and community levels. The analysis notes that effective BCC strategy should be measured in terms of actual behavior change. Impact of BCC activities can be measured by immediate outputs and intermediate and final outcomes depending on implementation duration. The …
Increasing Access To Safe Abortion In Rural Maharashtra: Outcomes Of A Comprehensive Abortion Care Model, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, A.J. Francis Zavier, Rajib Acharya, Shveta Kalyanwala
Increasing Access To Safe Abortion In Rural Maharashtra: Outcomes Of A Comprehensive Abortion Care Model, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, A.J. Francis Zavier, Rajib Acharya, Shveta Kalyanwala
Reproductive Health
This assessment of a Comprehensive Abortion Care (CAC) model was conducted by the Population Council on behalf of the Consortium for Safe Abortions in India. The goal of the Consortium is to increase access to legal, safe, and comprehensive abortion services, including post-abortion family planning, in the public health system, and especially among the rural poor. This report describes the CAC model implemented in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, and examines the extent to which the model improved (a) the availability and quality of abortion services in public sector facilities, and (b) women’s awareness and experiences with regard to abortion services. It …
Expanding Access To Safe Abortion And Post-Abortion Care: Recommendations Of A South Asia Regional Consultation, Population Council
Expanding Access To Safe Abortion And Post-Abortion Care: Recommendations Of A South Asia Regional Consultation, Population Council
Reproductive Health
A South Asia Regional Consultation, organized by the Population Council with representation from governments and key stakeholders of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, was held in New Delhi, to discuss ways of expanding women’s access to safe abortion services. The Consultation deliberated on ways of expanding the provider base for safe induced abortion so as to overcome inadequate and inequitable access to safe abortion. They also looked to expand access to services for the management of incomplete abortion and complications of unsafe abortion that persist in the region and, thereby, to reduce morbidity and mortality resulting from unsafe abortion. In …
Increasing Institutional Delivery And Access To Emergency Obstetric Care Services In Rural Uttar Pradesh: Implications For Behavior Change Communication, Population Council
Increasing Institutional Delivery And Access To Emergency Obstetric Care Services In Rural Uttar Pradesh: Implications For Behavior Change Communication, Population Council
Reproductive Health
The Population Council conducted a formative in rural Uttar Pradesh (UP), India to determine the impact of the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) scheme on the current status of institutional delivery in the region, to understand the facilitating factors and barriers in delivering in a health facility, and to identify programmatic and behavior change communication (BCC) initiatives that could accelerate the adoption of institutional delivery. JSY was launched as an intervention to address the barriers to institutional delivery, through the introduction of community-based women volunteers. The study shows that with the introduction of the JSY the rate of institutional delivery jumped …
Role Of The Corporate Sector In Promoting Family Health In Uttar Pradesh: Implications For Behavior Change Communication, Population Council
Role Of The Corporate Sector In Promoting Family Health In Uttar Pradesh: Implications For Behavior Change Communication, Population Council
Reproductive Health
The Confederation of Indian Industry, a partner in the Population Council–led Consortium, took the lead to explore a) the role of the corporate sector in family health in Uttar Pradesh, India; b) the possibility of partnering with this sector to design, leverage, and implement a behavior change communication (BCC) strategy; and c) the support and assistance the sector would require to ensure better planning and implementation of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. Based on the findings, this policy brief identified the following, with implications for BCC strategy: corporate partnerships have the potential to scale up initiatives; companies can leverage …
Increasing Postpartum Contraception In Rural Uttar Pradesh: Implications For Behavior Change Communication, Population Council
Increasing Postpartum Contraception In Rural Uttar Pradesh: Implications For Behavior Change Communication, Population Council
Reproductive Health
The Population Council conducted a formative study in rural Uttar Pradesh, India to assess the level of adoption of postpartum contraception for spacing among low parity women, identify the facilitating factors and barriers to the adoption of this target behavior, and identify programmatic and behavior change communications (BCC) initiatives that could accelerate the adoption of postpartum contraception for spacing and improve the service delivery system, if required, to facilitate the process. Barriers included low awareness of consequences of closely spaced births, misconceptions about contraceptive methods, lack of counseling by health workers, reluctance to include husbands, and programmatic emphasis on limiting …
Promoting Gender Equity As A Strategy To Reduce Hiv Risk And Gender-Based Violence Among Young Men In India, Ravi K. Verma, Julie Pulerwitz, Vaishali Sharma Mahendra, Sujata Khandekar, A.K. Singh, S.S. Das, Sunil Mehra, Anita Nura, Gary Barker
Promoting Gender Equity As A Strategy To Reduce Hiv Risk And Gender-Based Violence Among Young Men In India, Ravi K. Verma, Julie Pulerwitz, Vaishali Sharma Mahendra, Sujata Khandekar, A.K. Singh, S.S. Das, Sunil Mehra, Anita Nura, Gary Barker
HIV and AIDS
The Horizons Program, CORO for Literacy, MAMTA, and Instituto Promundo developed, piloted, and scaled-up a behavior-change intervention in India to examine the effectiveness of interventions to improve young men’s attitudes toward gender roles and sexual relationships, and to reduce HIV risk behaviors and partner violence. The results of this study suggest that young men became less supportive of inequitable gender norms after participating in the interventions. Similarly, there were significant improvements among intervention participants in key outcome indicators, including condom use, partner communication, partner violence, and attitudes toward PLHIV. To maximize the chances of long-term sustainability of these positive changes, …
Continuum Of Care For Hiv-Positive Women Accessing Programs To Prevent Parent-To-Child Transmission: Findings From India, Vaishali Sharma Mahendra, Rupa Mudoi, Archana Oinam, Venkat Pakkela, Avina Sarna, Sucheta Panda, Ashok Rau, L. Birendrajit Singh, Naomi Rutenberg
Continuum Of Care For Hiv-Positive Women Accessing Programs To Prevent Parent-To-Child Transmission: Findings From India, Vaishali Sharma Mahendra, Rupa Mudoi, Archana Oinam, Venkat Pakkela, Avina Sarna, Sucheta Panda, Ashok Rau, L. Birendrajit Singh, Naomi Rutenberg
HIV and AIDS
This study examined the efforts of PPTCT programs in different cities in India to offer women a continuum of care, and shows that the programs have both strengths and shortcomings. The government launched a national treatment program that offers antiretroviral therapy (ART) to HIV-positive women, children below 15 years of age, and men. However, since the start-up of the ART program there have been concerns about limited access to and utilization of these services by women and children. To address these shortcomings, the PPTCT programs studied should strengthen their referral systems to public and private treatment and family planning services, …
Examining Adherence And Sexual Behavior Among Patients On Antiretroviral Therapy In India, Avina Sarna, Indrani Gupta, Sanjay Pujari, A.K. Sengar, Rajiv Garg, Ellen Weiss
Examining Adherence And Sexual Behavior Among Patients On Antiretroviral Therapy In India, Avina Sarna, Indrani Gupta, Sanjay Pujari, A.K. Sengar, Rajiv Garg, Ellen Weiss
HIV and AIDS
With increased availability of ART, HIV-positive individuals are living healthier lives and continuing or resuming sexual activity. However, optimism related to ART’s success in slowing disease progression, reducing viral load, and improving health status may lead to more risky sexual practices and a possible increase in transmission of infections. To determining the sexual behavior of HIV-positive persons on ART, the Horizons program, in collaboration with research partners in Delhi and Pune, conducted a study to assess current levels of adherence to ART among a sample of people living with HIV/AIDS, identify the factors that influence their adherence to treatment, and …
Reducing Aids-Related Stigma And Discrimination In Indian Hospitals, Vaishali Sharma Mahendra, Laelia Gilborn, Bitra George, Luke Samson, Rupa Mudoi, Sarita Jadav, Indrani Gupta, Shalini Bharat, Celine Daly
Reducing Aids-Related Stigma And Discrimination In Indian Hospitals, Vaishali Sharma Mahendra, Laelia Gilborn, Bitra George, Luke Samson, Rupa Mudoi, Sarita Jadav, Indrani Gupta, Shalini Bharat, Celine Daly
HIV and AIDS
People living with HIV/AIDS in India, as elsewhere, face stigma and discrimination in a variety of contexts. Research in India has shown that stigma and discrimination against HIV-positive people and those perceived to be infected are common in hospitals and act as barriers to seeking and receiving critical treatment and care services. Recognizing the need to move beyond documentation of the problem, three New Delhi hospitals; SHARAN, an Indian NGO; and the Horizons program, with support from the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), carried out an operations research project to develop and test responses to hospital-based stigma and discrimination against …
Expanding Care And Support In South India: Scaling Up Yrg Care's Patient-Centered Approach, Yrg Care, Horizons Program, International Hiv/Aids Alliance
Expanding Care And Support In South India: Scaling Up Yrg Care's Patient-Centered Approach, Yrg Care, Horizons Program, International Hiv/Aids Alliance
HIV and AIDS
This study examines the experiences of YRG CARE, a Chennai-based NGO, which provides an integrated continuum of prevention, care, and support services for PLHA in South India. In this Horizons report, the authors examine the process of scaling up YRG CARE’s patient-centered approach and how this led to the enhanced provision of care and support services at four selected sites. Networking and collaboration among providers at all sites were essential parts of the strategy. At the end of project workshop, scale-up participants and YRG CARE affirmed their intention to continue collaboration in order to build on the successes of the …
Maximizing Resources To Meet Client Needs: Evaluation Of A Comprehensive Hiv/Aids Care And Support Model In India, Yrg Care, Horizons Program, International Hiv/Aids Alliance
Maximizing Resources To Meet Client Needs: Evaluation Of A Comprehensive Hiv/Aids Care And Support Model In India, Yrg Care, Horizons Program, International Hiv/Aids Alliance
HIV and AIDS
To examine the benefits and feasibility of service delivery, the Horizons program and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance undertook a multifaceted operations research study of YRG CARE, a nongovernmental organization which offers services to PLHA in southern India. Data from this study suggest that comprehensive care and support services have had a positive impact on perceived quality of life, serostatus disclosure, number of illness episodes, and household expenditures for those patients who participated in the study. The results of this component of the study support the value of scaling-up the YRG CARE service model to other NGOs in India to expand …