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Men's Perceptions Of Prep Use By Their Adolescent And Young Adult Female Partners In Tanzania In Tanzania: Findings From Implementation Science Research, Population Council
Men's Perceptions Of Prep Use By Their Adolescent And Young Adult Female Partners In Tanzania In Tanzania: Findings From Implementation Science Research, Population Council
HIV and AIDS
Prevailing gender norms about sexuality and relationship power dynamics have been shown to affect how women make decisions about the use of sexual and reproductive health products, including microbicides, condoms, and other contraceptives. It is therefore important to understand male partners’ views of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to inform how to effectively introduce PrEP among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Tanzania to ensure they use it correctly and consistently. The Population Council, in collaboration with the National AIDS Control Programme and CSK Research Solutions Ltd., conducted implementation science research in Tanzania to identify key considerations for introducing PrEP …
Enabling Adolescent Boys To Adopt Attitudes That Espouse Gender Equality And Oppose Violence Against Women And Girls: Evidence From Rural Bihar—Policy Brief, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, K.G. Santhya
Enabling Adolescent Boys To Adopt Attitudes That Espouse Gender Equality And Oppose Violence Against Women And Girls: Evidence From Rural Bihar—Policy Brief, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, K.G. Santhya
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
More than a decade after the enactment of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, violence against women and girls remains widespread in India, and patriarchal norms and attitudes continue to underpin gender roles. While programs that focus on empowering women and girls are necessary, they are not sufficient in themselves to prevent violence; men and boys are key players, and violence prevention programs must include them. This brief describes an intervention, the Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) project, implemented among boys and young men ages 13–21 who were members of youth clubs that …
Modifying Behaviours And Notions Of Masculinity: Effect Of A Programme Led By Locally Elected Representatives, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, A.J. Francis Zavier, K.G. Santhya, Rajib Acharya, Neelanjana Pandey, Santosh Kumar Singh, Komal Saxena, Aparajita Gogoi, Madhu Joshi, Sandeep Ojha
Modifying Behaviours And Notions Of Masculinity: Effect Of A Programme Led By Locally Elected Representatives, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, A.J. Francis Zavier, K.G. Santhya, Rajib Acharya, Neelanjana Pandey, Santosh Kumar Singh, Komal Saxena, Aparajita Gogoi, Madhu Joshi, Sandeep Ojha
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The Population Council, together with the Centre for Catalyzing Change and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and with support from UKaid, implemented the Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) program. The project, situated in Patna district, India aimed to orient and engage locally elected leaders—namely, members of Gram Panchayats and Gram Kachehris—in changing community norms relating to the acceptability of violence against women, and preventing violence against women as well as one factor closely associated with the perpetration of such violence, namely alcohol abuse. Specifically, it assessed: 1) the feasibility of sensitizing and training …
The Effect Of A Gender Transformative Life Skills Education And Sports-Coaching Programme On The Attitudes And Practices Of Adolescent Boys And Young Men In Bihar, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Rajib Acharya, Neelanjana Pandey, K.G. Santhya, A.J. Francis Zavier, Santosh Kumar Singh, Komal Saxena, Aparajita Gogoi, Madhu Joshi, Sandeep Ojha
The Effect Of A Gender Transformative Life Skills Education And Sports-Coaching Programme On The Attitudes And Practices Of Adolescent Boys And Young Men In Bihar, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Rajib Acharya, Neelanjana Pandey, K.G. Santhya, A.J. Francis Zavier, Santosh Kumar Singh, Komal Saxena, Aparajita Gogoi, Madhu Joshi, Sandeep Ojha
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The importance of starting young to change youths’ attitudes and behaviors—especially of young boys—has been widely acknowledged, but a key challenge has been the limited evidence on the kinds of programs that have succeeded in making such changes. In order to fill this gap, the Population Council, together with partners, the Centre for Catalysing Change and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and with support from UKaid, implemented the Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) project among boys. Implemented in rural areas of Patna district, India this project sought to promote, among adolescent boys and …
Effective Engagement Of Male Partners Of Adolescent Girls And Young Women In Hiv Services: Implementation Science Research In Swaziland, Population Council
Effective Engagement Of Male Partners Of Adolescent Girls And Young Women In Hiv Services: Implementation Science Research In Swaziland, Population Council
HIV and AIDS
The Population Council is conducting implementation research in Swaziland, in collaboration with local partner organizations, to learn more about men’s relationships with adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and how HIV services can better engage them—two neglected areas of research. Similar studies are being conducted in South Africa, Uganda, and Malawi. Learnings from these studies will be valuable for informing ongoing programming in Swaziland and the region, as well as HIV prevention, care, and treatment efforts for AGYW and their male partners globally, particularly in this era of test and start.
Effective Engagement Of Male Partners Of Adolescent Girls And Young Women In South Africa, Population Council
Effective Engagement Of Male Partners Of Adolescent Girls And Young Women In South Africa, Population Council
HIV and AIDS
The Population Council is conducting implementation research in South Africa, in collaboration with local partner organizations, to learn more about men’s relationships with adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and how HIV services can better engage them—two neglected areas of research. Similar studies are being conducted in Uganda, Swaziland, and Malawi. Learnings from these studies will be valuable for informing ongoing programming in South Africa and the region, as well as HIV prevention, care, and treatment efforts for AGYW and their male partners globally, particularly in this era of test and start.
Effective Engagement Of Male Partners Of Adolescent Girls And Young Women In Uganda, Population Council
Effective Engagement Of Male Partners Of Adolescent Girls And Young Women In Uganda, Population Council
HIV and AIDS
The Population Council is conducting implementation research in Uganda, in collaboration with local partner organizations, to learn more about men’s relationships with adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and how HIV services can better engage them—two neglected areas of research. Similar studies are being conducted in South Africa, Swaziland, and Malawi. Learnings from these studies will be valuable for informing ongoing programming in Uganda and the region, as well as HIV prevention, care, and treatment efforts for AGYW and their male partners globally, particularly in this era of test and start.
Men As Contraceptive Users: Programs, Outcomes And Recommendations, Karen Hardee, Melanie Croce-Galis, Jill Gay
Men As Contraceptive Users: Programs, Outcomes And Recommendations, Karen Hardee, Melanie Croce-Galis, Jill Gay
Reproductive Health
Knowledge about reaching men as clients of family planning services in today’s programming environment is still limited. This report reviews 47 current activities, programs, and evidence that affect men’s use of contraceptive methods. The review includes three methods that men use directly, namely condoms, vasectomy, and withdrawal, and one that requires their direct cooperation, namely the Standard Days Method. Evidence comes from: a review of published and grey literature documentation of interventions focused on men as users of contraception in low- and middle-income countries; and interviews with organizations and institutions that are conducting programming and research in the area of …
Engaging The Missing Link: Evidence From Falah For Involving Men In Family Planning In Pakistan—Meeting Report, Seemin Ashfaq, Farooq Ahmed
Engaging The Missing Link: Evidence From Falah For Involving Men In Family Planning In Pakistan—Meeting Report, Seemin Ashfaq, Farooq Ahmed
Reproductive Health
The Population Council Pakistan, as part of the Evidence Project, synthesized evidence from both national and international sources and developed a set of research documents highlighting the importance of involving men in family planning efforts in Pakistan. This report outlines the findings of these important publications shared at the National Consultative Meeting which was held to provide evidence-based recommendations to major stakeholders who are directly involved in shaping population and health policies and programs. The aim of the meeting was to stimulate thinking and build consensus on a renewed male engagement strategy as part of the Plan of Action to …
Family Planning Through The Lens Of Men: Readiness, Preferences, And Challenges, Iram Kamran, Zeba Tasneem, Tahira Parveen, Rehan M. Niazi
Family Planning Through The Lens Of Men: Readiness, Preferences, And Challenges, Iram Kamran, Zeba Tasneem, Tahira Parveen, Rehan M. Niazi
Reproductive Health
Family planning (FP) is urgently needed in Pakistan but progress remains slow. In its 2002 Population Policy, the country pledged to reduce its total fertility rate to 2.2 by 2020; at the London Summit in 2012, it committed to increase the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) to 55 percent by the same year. Despite important achievements, Pakistan’s current CPR is only 35 percent, the total fertility rate is 3.8, and 20 percent of married couples of reproductive age express unmet need for FP. FP programming has largely been directed at women, and husbands have been regarded, at best, as interested bystanders. …
Engaging The Missing Link: Evidence From Falah For Involving Men In Family Planning In Pakistan—Case Study, Seemin Ashfaq, Maqsood Sadiq
Engaging The Missing Link: Evidence From Falah For Involving Men In Family Planning In Pakistan—Case Study, Seemin Ashfaq, Maqsood Sadiq
Reproductive Health
This report describes FALAH’s experience of engaging men in its target communities, which bears out the finding of recent studies that Pakistani men are ready, indeed eager, to be involved directly in family planning. Implementation of the FALAH approach to male engagement in 20 districts across Pakistan’s four provinces shows that male engagement can be implemented on a large scale and that it can be synchronized with interventions that target women together with men, as is the case with interactive theatre, or separately, as with the male and female falahi workers. The findings from this case study are relevant for …
Understanding Unintended Pregnancy In Bangladesh: Country Profile Report, Fauzia Akhter Huda, Sabiha Chowdhuri, Yolande Robertson, Noushin Islam, Bidhan Krishna Sarker, Ashrafi Jahan Azmi, Laura Reichenbach
Understanding Unintended Pregnancy In Bangladesh: Country Profile Report, Fauzia Akhter Huda, Sabiha Chowdhuri, Yolande Robertson, Noushin Islam, Bidhan Krishna Sarker, Ashrafi Jahan Azmi, Laura Reichenbach
Reproductive Health
The objective of this report is to identify the determinants of unintended pregnancy and unmet need for family planning in Bangladesh and therefore provide a strong body of evidence that will contribute to issue identification, evidence generation, and communication for use of evidence in policy and programming. The evidence generated can be used to find ways to reduce the rate of unintended pregnancy and hence reduce the risk of abortion-related morbidity and mortality; ultimately this will aid Bangladeshi couples in reaching their fertility goals. Results demonstrate that Bangladesh has shown progress and promise in several areas of family planning and …
Addis Birhan Project: Working With Boys And Men To Address Young Girls' Social Vulnerability, Annabel Erulkar, Louis Apicella, Abebaw Ferede
Addis Birhan Project: Working With Boys And Men To Address Young Girls' Social Vulnerability, Annabel Erulkar, Louis Apicella, Abebaw Ferede
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
In Ethiopia, the Ethiopia Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Amhara Regional Bureau of Youth and Sports, and the Population Council implemented programs for vulnerable girls. As these programs increased in popularity, demand for support programs arose from husbands. Qualitative, in-depth interviews were undertaken among adolescents, men, and women in the Amhara Region, exploring the roles of men and women, risk-taking behavior, and patterns of HIV and reproductive health vulnerability. Addis Birhan (“New Light”), a program of the Regional Bureaus of Youth and Sports in Amhara and Tigray and the Population Council for rural men in Ethiopia, targets married men …
Addis Birhan ('New Light'): Fostering Husbands' Involvement And Support In Amhara Region, Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Awraris Alemayehu
Addis Birhan ('New Light'): Fostering Husbands' Involvement And Support In Amhara Region, Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Awraris Alemayehu
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Men have traditionally been excluded from initiatives related to reproductive health, family planning, parenthood, and sexuality. While HIV programs frequently recognize the role of men’s risk-taking behavior in transmission of HIV, little is known about men’s sexual and reproductive health. In Ethiopia, the Ethiopia Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Amhara Regional Bureau of Youth and Sports, and the Population Council have been implementing programs for vulnerable girls in Ethiopia, including married adolescents. As programs for married girls became increasingly popular and widely known, demand for support programs arose from their husbands. As a result, qualitative, in-depth interviews were undertaken …
Integration Of Reproductive Health Services For Men In Health And Family Welfare Centers In Bangladesh, Ubaidur Rob, Sharif M.I. Hossain, M.E. Khan, Ahmed Al-Sabir, Mohammed Ahsanul Alam
Integration Of Reproductive Health Services For Men In Health And Family Welfare Centers In Bangladesh, Ubaidur Rob, Sharif M.I. Hossain, M.E. Khan, Ahmed Al-Sabir, Mohammed Ahsanul Alam
Reproductive Health
Since the mid-1970s, the Bangladesh national family planning program primarily focused on motivating women to use modern contraceptive methods and encouraging them to seek services from clinics. In addition, female field workers were recruited to deliver contraceptive methods at homes. The program design facilitated women’s access to information and medical care through clinics and home visits. In the process, however, the medical needs of males were marginalized. Men generally seek services from pharmacies, private practitioners, and district hospitals, and often ignore preventive steps and postpone seeking medical care for chronic health conditions. In cases of acute illness, they often resort …
Men In Maternity Study: Men Matter, Anjana Das, Leila Caleb-Varkey, Anurag Mishra, Emma Ottolenghi, Dale Huntington
Men In Maternity Study: Men Matter, Anjana Das, Leila Caleb-Varkey, Anurag Mishra, Emma Ottolenghi, Dale Huntington
Reproductive Health
The Population Council and the Employees’ State Insurance Company are collaborating in a Men in Maternity (MiM) study in India to test a model of antenatal and postnatal services designed to help thousands of couples, especially men, redefine their roles in reproductive health and improve birth outcomes and maternal health. This is part of a global study that will assess the impact of male partnership in improving pregnancy outcomes and reproductive health, primarily by reducing the prevalence of STIs and increasing postpartum family planning use. Studies suggest that the lack of men’s participation in reproductive health actually undermines women’s health. …
Men As Supportive Partners In Reproductive Health: Moving From Rhetoric To Reality, Saraswati Raju, Ann Leonard
Men As Supportive Partners In Reproductive Health: Moving From Rhetoric To Reality, Saraswati Raju, Ann Leonard
Reproductive Health
This book builds on presentations of the Workshop on Men as Supportive Partners in Reproductive and Sexual Health held in Kathmandu, Nepal, in 1998. By analyzing the experiences of nongovernmental organizations across India, this publication reviews important concerns that should inform the discourse on male partnership. The previous views of reaching men as contraceptive users and removing them as impediments to women’s efforts to control fertility are too limited. The argument is not whether men and women should use family planning, but rather the extent to which men can become supportive of women’s reproductive and sexual rights and actively take …
Integrating Men Into The Reproductive Health Equation: Acceptability And Feasibility In Kenya, Esther G. Muia, Violet Kimani, Ann Leonard
Integrating Men Into The Reproductive Health Equation: Acceptability And Feasibility In Kenya, Esther G. Muia, Violet Kimani, Ann Leonard
Reproductive Health
This study’s objective was to improve understanding of Kenyan men’s actual and potential roles as supportive partners in various phases of reproductive health (RH), to help in the design of strategies to encourage men’s greater participation in a variety of RH initiatives in Kenya. The results of the study clearly show that, to a larger extent than anticipated, men in Kenya already participate in women-centered RH services. Overall the institutional barriers seemed to be more overwhelming than the cultural barriers, given that one of the reasons frequently given for nonparticipation was fear of non-acceptance by the health providers. Based on …
Expanding Men's Participation In Reproductive Health In Kenya, Bolaji M. Fapohunda, Naomi Rutenberg
Expanding Men's Participation In Reproductive Health In Kenya, Bolaji M. Fapohunda, Naomi Rutenberg
Reproductive Health
To increase men’s participation in family planning (FP) and reproductive health (RH) both for their own well-being and as gatekeepers to women’s health, the African Population Policy Research Center and the Population Council’s OR/TA Project II launched a study designed to explore best practices for delivering services to men. The study examined men’s knowledge, perceptions, and concerns about RH issues, including FP, and the social context of their knowledge. In sub-Saharan Africa, FP and reproductive health-care research and interventions place a disproportionate emphasis on women and largely ignore the role of men. As a result, male participation in FP and …
Seminar On Male Involvement In Reproductive Health In Egypt: Summary Of Research Findings And Future Directions, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab
Seminar On Male Involvement In Reproductive Health In Egypt: Summary Of Research Findings And Future Directions, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab
Reproductive Health
As more work in the area of male involvement in reproductive health (RH) is expected in Egypt, it is important that researchers and donor agencies become aware of existing studies, topics covered, and main research findings so duplication can be avoided. It is also important that policymakers and program managers learn about the results of existing studies so they can use those results in designing more effective policies to increase male involvement in Egypt. To address this need, the Population Council’s ANE OR/TA Project organized a seminar on “Disseminating Results of Research on Male Involvement in Reproductive Health in Egypt” …
Covert Contraceptive Use: Prevalence, Motivations, And Consequences, Ann E. Biddlecom, Bolaji M. Fapohunda
Covert Contraceptive Use: Prevalence, Motivations, And Consequences, Ann E. Biddlecom, Bolaji M. Fapohunda
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This paper examines women’s covert use of contraceptives, that is, use without the knowledge of their husbands. Covert use may highlight conflict between husbands and wives about family planning, or it may reflect behaviors that spouses find difficult to discuss together. This study addresses three questions: 1) How is covert use measured in different settings? 2) How prevalent is it? and 3) What are the factors underlying covert use? We examine these questions by drawing on existing studies and detailed survey and qualitative data collected in 1997 in an urban setting in Zambia from married women and a subsample of …
Counseling The Husbands Of Postabortion Patients In Egypt: Effects On Husband Involvement, Patient Recovery And Contraceptive Use, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Dale Huntington, Ezzeldin Osman Hassan, Hala Youssef, Laila Nawar
Counseling The Husbands Of Postabortion Patients In Egypt: Effects On Husband Involvement, Patient Recovery And Contraceptive Use, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Dale Huntington, Ezzeldin Osman Hassan, Hala Youssef, Laila Nawar
Reproductive Health
An ANE OR/TA Project qualitative study conducted in 1995 probed into women’s perceptions of abortion in Egypt, and the stress that postabortion patients experience during recovery. That study drew attention to the important role husbands can play in their wives’ recovery and subsequent use of contraception. This study was designed to test the effects of involving husbands in the postabortion medical-care process. Overall, the study indicates that providing counseling to husbands of postabortion patients is feasible, as the majority of husbands either accompanied their wife on admission or at discharge from the hospital. However, administrative changes are needed to enhance …
Men And Family Planning In Bangladesh: A Review Of The Literature, Debbie Donahoe
Men And Family Planning In Bangladesh: A Review Of The Literature, Debbie Donahoe
Reproductive Health
This report reviews the literature on men and family planning (FP) in Bangladesh. A variety of topics are covered: male fertility preferences, opinions about male methods of contraception, family planning (FP) decision-making, and recent efforts to involve Bangladeshi men in FP programs. Men’s desired family size in Bangladesh is small; only one-third of respondents in the most recent DHS survey wanted more than two children. The same survey revealed that knowledge of at least one modern method of FP is practically universal and that attitudes toward contraception are overwhelmingly favorable. Only superficial information on the frequency and quality of communication …
Male Involvement In Family Planning: A Challenge For The National Programme Workshop, National Institute Of Population Research And Training, Deutsche Gesellschaft Fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (Gtz), Population Council, Avsc International
Male Involvement In Family Planning: A Challenge For The National Programme Workshop, National Institute Of Population Research And Training, Deutsche Gesellschaft Fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (Gtz), Population Council, Avsc International
Reproductive Health
The Bangladesh family planning (FP) program has achieved success in reducing fertility during the past decades, but male involvement is lagging behind. A two-day seminar on "Male Involvement in Family Planning: A Challenge for the National Programme" was held in Dhaka June 25–26, 1996. The objectives were to review research findings on methods currently used, determine male involvement policy and strategy, and formulate an action plan including IEC, counseling, and programmatic interventions. Speakers emphasized the need for more male involvement in FP and the prevailing misconceptions about male contraception that should be addressed with IEC programs. Participants felt that to …
Man/Hombre/Homme: Respuestas A Las Necesidades De La Salud Reproductiva Masculina En América Latina, Debbie Rogow, Judith Bruce, Ann Leonard
Man/Hombre/Homme: Respuestas A Las Necesidades De La Salud Reproductiva Masculina En América Latina, Debbie Rogow, Judith Bruce, Ann Leonard
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Esta edición de Quality/Calidad/Qualité responde a la siguiente pregunta: ¿cómo pueden los programas de planificación familiar entender y atender mejor a los intereses de los hombres? Las propuestas del artículo se derivan de la experiencia de PRO-PATER, en São Paulo, Brasil, y brevemente, de las actividades de la Clínica para el Hombre de Profamilia en Colombia. Las experiencias de tanto PRO-PATER como Profamilia sugieren que, aunque las necesidades de salud reproductiva de los hombres pueden ser distintas a las que expresan las mujeres, de todas maneras ellos están muy interesados. Queda claro que existe una abundante demanda para servicios de …
Man/Hombre/Homme: Meeting Male Reproductive Health Care Needs In Latin America, Debbie Rogow, Judith Bruce, Ann Leonard
Man/Hombre/Homme: Meeting Male Reproductive Health Care Needs In Latin America, Debbie Rogow, Judith Bruce, Ann Leonard
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
This edition of Quality/Calidad/Qualité answers the following question: how can family planning programs understand and better serve the interests of men? The proposals in the article are derived from the experience of PRO-PATER, in São Paulo, Brazil, and briefly, from the activities of the Profamilia Men’s Clinic in Colombia. The experiences of both PRO-PATER and Profamilia suggest that, although the reproductive health needs of men may be different from those of women, they are still very interested. It is clear that there is abundant demand for high-quality services that offer convenience, confidentiality, information, attentive providers, and attention to reproductive health …