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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health
Positive Action For Hiv In Schools In Kenya, Francis Obare, Harriet Birungi, Monica Wanjiru, Sheila Bayley, John Kiunjuri, Mary Omondi, Rob Burnet, Bridget Deacon
Positive Action For Hiv In Schools In Kenya, Francis Obare, Harriet Birungi, Monica Wanjiru, Sheila Bayley, John Kiunjuri, Mary Omondi, Rob Burnet, Bridget Deacon
Reproductive Health
The objective of this study was to test the feasibility of using comic books, role models, and edutainment to communicate HIV and AIDS messages to in-school young people in Kenya, with a view to improving their knowledge about the epidemic, enhancing communication about it, and promoting positive attitudes and behavior among them. The study was implemented by the Population Council in eight secondary schools in Nairobi, as part of the APHIA II Operations Research Project in collaboration with the AIDS Control Unit in the Ministry of Education, Well Told Story, and the National AIDS/STI Control Programme. The study found that …
Scaling Up The Integration Of Tuberculosis Screening Into Reproductive Health Services, Aphia Ii Or Project In Kenya
Scaling Up The Integration Of Tuberculosis Screening Into Reproductive Health Services, Aphia Ii Or Project In Kenya
Reproductive Health
The Population Council’s APHIA II Operations Research and Kenya’s Ministry of Health implemented a pilot project in five facilities across Nairobi Province in 2010 with the aim of improving access to care and treatment for tuberculosis (TB) for women during postnatal care (PNC) services. As tuberculosis persists in Kenya, integration of screening and referrals within postnatal care services will increase case detection and treatment for those infected. Integration of TB screening is likely to be scaled up throughout PNC and maternal and child health services in Kenya. Strong linkages between health services, training, and supervision, and simple provider tools will …
Community Health Workers Can Effectively Provide Information And Referrals To People Living With Hiv In Their Communities, Population Council
Community Health Workers Can Effectively Provide Information And Referrals To People Living With Hiv In Their Communities, Population Council
Reproductive Health
A number of studies reported high levels of sexually transmitted infections among people living with HIV (PLHIV). Unfortunately, prevention interventions targeting PLHIV in the community are not common in Kenya, and most PLHIV who are not on ART have limited access to prevention information and risk-reduction counseling. The Population Council’s APHIA II Operations Research Project conducted a research project to address these gaps. This study was conducted in 2010 in collaboration with the International Center for Reproductive Health and the National AIDS and STI Control Programme. The findings show that the intervention had a number of positive outcomes and concludes …
Linking Hiv-Positive Family Planning Clients To Treatment And Care Services In Kenya, Wilson Liambila, Francis Obare, Harriet Birungi, Ruth Wayua Muia, Joyce Wanderi Maina, Mary N. Maina, Christine Awuor, Ibrahim Mohammed
Linking Hiv-Positive Family Planning Clients To Treatment And Care Services In Kenya, Wilson Liambila, Francis Obare, Harriet Birungi, Ruth Wayua Muia, Joyce Wanderi Maina, Mary N. Maina, Christine Awuor, Ibrahim Mohammed
Reproductive Health
A project from the Population Council’s USAID-funded FRONTIERS program found that integrating HIV counseling and testing into family planning (FP) services was feasible and acceptable to clients and providers, and led to significant improvement in the quality of care provided. However, a major limitation was that FP clients who tested HIV-positive were not actively linked to care and treatment services, including antiretroviral treatment, and screening and management of sexually transmitted infections. A new initiative aimed to design and test a referral framework for linking HIV-positive FP clients to treatment and care in selected health facilities; assess the acceptability of the …
Making Hiv Services More Responsive To Young Children And Infants In Nyanza, Monica Wanjiru
Making Hiv Services More Responsive To Young Children And Infants In Nyanza, Monica Wanjiru
Reproductive Health
Health workers in Kenya often miss opportunities to discuss pediatric HIV with clients and to track exposed children in order to initiate treatment. To address this problem, the Population Council’s APHIA II Operations Research Project collaborated with the Christian Health Association of Kenya, Catholic Relief Services, and the Kendu Adventist Hospital to improve HIV testing and treatment services for children at the hospital. The project recommended that pediatric HIV services be strengthened and included as an essential service at all levels of healthcare facilities in order to reach more children, including as one of the roles of the community health …
Service Improvements And Community Education Lead To Increase In Uptake Of Hiv Services For Infants And Young Children, Population Council
Service Improvements And Community Education Lead To Increase In Uptake Of Hiv Services For Infants And Young Children, Population Council
Reproductive Health
The Population Council’s APHIA II Operations Research Project in Kenya collaborated with Kendu Adventist Hospital and the Christian Health Association to launch a study to examine the effect of improved services and awareness-creation on the uptake of HIV testing and treatment services for children and infants exposed to HIV. The study showed that community education and improvements in individual case tracking can increase the proportion of infants exposed to HIV who are tested for HIV and put on appropriate treatment. The policy brief recommends that health facilities streamline services to ensure that as many exposed infants as possible are identified …
Kenya's Fertility Transition: Trends, Determinants And Implications For Policy And Programmes, Ian Askew, Alex C. Ezeh, John Bongaarts, John Townsend
Kenya's Fertility Transition: Trends, Determinants And Implications For Policy And Programmes, Ian Askew, Alex C. Ezeh, John Bongaarts, John Townsend
Reproductive Health
In Africa, fertility rates in the 1990s declined less rapidly than had been projected, and in a few cases the fertility transition appears to have stalled. This development has serious implications for future population growth because projected population size is sensitive to minor variations in current fertility trends. The 16 countries with three DHS surveys in sub-Saharan Africa can be divided into three subgroups: stalled transitions, insignificant declines, and significant declines. Half of the 16 countries experienced a stall, and an additional two experienced insignificant declines. The Population Council prepared a series of demographic and policy analyses that drew from …
School As A Workplace In Kenya: Evaluation Of The Teachers Matter Hiv/Aids Project, Karusa Kiragu, Caroline Mackenzie, Jennifer Weiss, Murungaru Kimani, Debbie Gachuhi
School As A Workplace In Kenya: Evaluation Of The Teachers Matter Hiv/Aids Project, Karusa Kiragu, Caroline Mackenzie, Jennifer Weiss, Murungaru Kimani, Debbie Gachuhi
HIV and AIDS
The Horizons program of the Population Council embarked on an operations research initiative in Kenya to test the feasibility of implementing a teacher-centered workplace program based in schools. The study was conducted in partnership with the Ministry of Education, the Kenya Institute of Education, the Teachers Service Commission, and UNICEF. Called Teachers Matter, the project’s main audience was primary and secondary school teachers. The purpose of the research was to assess whether such a program would improve teachers’ HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors; increase the proportion of teachers seeking voluntary testing and counseling; and enhance their ability to cope with …
Is It Feasible To Integrate Alcohol-Related Risk Reduction Counseling Into Vct Services? Findings From Kenya, Caroline Mackenzie, Karusa Kiragu, George Odingo, Rukia Yassin, Peter Shikuku, Patrick Angala, Nduku Kilonzo, William Sinkele, Melania Akinyi
Is It Feasible To Integrate Alcohol-Related Risk Reduction Counseling Into Vct Services? Findings From Kenya, Caroline Mackenzie, Karusa Kiragu, George Odingo, Rukia Yassin, Peter Shikuku, Patrick Angala, Nduku Kilonzo, William Sinkele, Melania Akinyi
HIV and AIDS
In Kenya, an estimated 30 percent of men report to be alcohol users which may be fueling the HIV pandemic, due to its association with high-risk sexual behavior and reduced inhibitions. The Population Council’s Horizons program collaborated on a study to improve screening of clients for alcohol use, provision of feedback of screening results, and referrals to care and support during voluntary testing and counseling (VCT) for HIV. Overall, the results indicate that it is feasible to integrate alcohol risk reduction counseling into VCT, and that it is generally accepted by providers and clients alike. This study therefore supports the …
If You Build It, Will They Come? Kenya Healthy Start Pediatric Hiv Study: A Diagnostic Study Investigating Barriers To Hiv Treatment And Care Among Children, Karusa Kiragu, Katie D. Schenk, Julie Murugi, Avina Sarna
If You Build It, Will They Come? Kenya Healthy Start Pediatric Hiv Study: A Diagnostic Study Investigating Barriers To Hiv Treatment And Care Among Children, Karusa Kiragu, Katie D. Schenk, Julie Murugi, Avina Sarna
HIV and AIDS
In Kenya the proportion of eligible HIV-positive children receiving ART treatment is only 11 percent. This study explored and documented possible barriers in the community to accessing pediatric HIV testing and treatment, to guide the development of new interventions to encourage uptake. The study identified barriers such as cost, use of traditional healers, low knowledge of treatment options, attitudinal barriers, stigma, unique treatment issues, and dissatisfaction with available services. Additionally, healthcare workers missed opportunities to provide services and cited numerous service-side challenges. The study recommends prioritizing community awareness, mobile clinics, strengthening capacity of healthcare workers, supporting family-based HIV testing, and …
Beacon Of Hope: Evaluation Of The Kenya Girl Guides Association Hiv/Aids Program For School Children, Karusa Kiragu, George Odingo, Milka Juma, Jane Mbugua, Magdalen Waweru, Wamuyu Mahinda, Beatrice Mwaniki, Charity Muturi, Simon Ochieng, Tobey C. Nelson, Ann P. Mccauley
Beacon Of Hope: Evaluation Of The Kenya Girl Guides Association Hiv/Aids Program For School Children, Karusa Kiragu, George Odingo, Milka Juma, Jane Mbugua, Magdalen Waweru, Wamuyu Mahinda, Beatrice Mwaniki, Charity Muturi, Simon Ochieng, Tobey C. Nelson, Ann P. Mccauley
HIV and AIDS
This Horizons report presents findings from an evaluation of the Kenya Girl Guides Participatory Peer Education Program for HIV and AIDS Prevention. The objective of the program was to train Girl Guide patrol leaders as peer educators, who in turn would communicate key information and concepts about such topics as HIV prevention, relationships, and self-esteem to other Girl Guides, and ultimately to their school peers. The results demonstrate that peer education conducted by Girl Guides is a feasible strategy for imparting HIV and AIDS education to school-going youth; however, such a program would need to be branded, strengthened, and appropriately …
Community-Based Approaches To Prevention Of Mother-To-Child Transmission Of Hiv: Findings From A Low-Income Community In Kenya, Susan Kaai, Carolyn Baek, Scott Geibel, Peter Omondi, Benson Ulo, Grace Muthumbi, Carol Nkatha, Naomi Rutenberg
Community-Based Approaches To Prevention Of Mother-To-Child Transmission Of Hiv: Findings From A Low-Income Community In Kenya, Susan Kaai, Carolyn Baek, Scott Geibel, Peter Omondi, Benson Ulo, Grace Muthumbi, Carol Nkatha, Naomi Rutenberg
HIV and AIDS
The Horizons program, in partnership with International Medical Corps and Steadman Research Services International, conducted an intervention study in Kibera, an urban slum in Nairobi, Kenya to determine what effect three different community-based activities had on utilization of key prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services. The interventions included moving services closer to the population via mobile clinics, as well as increasing psychosocial support through the use of traditional birth attendants and peer counselors as PMTCT promoters. Data from the study showed that there were positive trends during the study period in most of the PMTCT indicators, including knowledge of MTCT, …
Abc Messages For Hiv Prevention In Kenya: Clarity And Confusion, Barriers And Facilitators, Julie Pulerwitz, Tiffany Lillie, Louis Apicella, Ann P. Mccauley, Tobey C. Nelson, Simon Ochieng, Peter Mwarogo, Karusa Kiragu, Edward Kunyanga
Abc Messages For Hiv Prevention In Kenya: Clarity And Confusion, Barriers And Facilitators, Julie Pulerwitz, Tiffany Lillie, Louis Apicella, Ann P. Mccauley, Tobey C. Nelson, Simon Ochieng, Peter Mwarogo, Karusa Kiragu, Edward Kunyanga
HIV and AIDS
The Horizons Program and FHI/IMPACT developed a collaborative research study to explore how adults and youth in Kenya define and perceive the ABC (abstinence/being faithful/consistent condom use) terms and behaviors. Additional objectives of the study were to identify attitudes and norms around the ABC behaviors that influence perceptions of them, and the role of important actors in transmitting messages about them. Findings highlight potential challenges in promoting each of the ABC behaviors, as well as some positive elements that can be built upon when developing programs. HIV prevention programs that incorporate ABC messages—both in Kenya and elsewhere—should consider a number …
Understanding The Hiv/Sti Risks And Prevention Needs Of Men Who Have Sex With Men In Nairobi, Kenya, Washington Onyango-Ouma, Harriet Birungi, Scott Geibel
Understanding The Hiv/Sti Risks And Prevention Needs Of Men Who Have Sex With Men In Nairobi, Kenya, Washington Onyango-Ouma, Harriet Birungi, Scott Geibel
HIV and AIDS
Despite increasing awareness of the role men who have sex with men (MSM) can play in the dynamics of HIV transmission in Africa, research on MSM in Kenya has been limited. In response to this gap, researchers from the Institute of African Studies at the University of Nairobi and the Horizons and FRONTIERS programs of the Population Council undertook a study of MSM in Nairobi. The overall goals of the study were to understand the extent to which MSM are at risk of HIV and other STIs, identify the factors associated with risk behaviors, and identify MSM sexual health needs …