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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, …

Reducing Disparities Beginning In Early Childhood: Short Takes No. 4, Kay Johnson, Suzanne Theberge, Copyright © 2007 By The National Center For Children In Poverty; Columbia University Mailman School Of Public Health Ny

Mickey Leland Center Information Portal

Research shows that many disparities in health and well-being are rooted in early childhood. These disparities reflect gaps in access to services, unequal treatment, adverse congenital health conditions, and exposures in the early years linked to elevated community and family risks.1 Early health risks and conditions can have long-range implications for physical, emotional, and intellectual development as well as health. Their contribution to disparities in health status, disabilities, and educational achievement is well documented.2 But many risks can be addressed in the early years, starting with quality prenatal care and interventions in the earliest stages of life. Thus, literally, reducing …

Provider Perspectives On Informed Consent In Female Sterilisation Services: Findings From A Facility-Based Study In Chennai, Raja Lakshmi

Reproductive Health

The objective of this paper is to explore the perceptions and experiences of providers with regard to the process of informed consent in the provision of female sterilization services in Chennai, south India. It describes the quality of information provided to clients of sterilization, providers’ attitudes toward clients and the quality of decisionmaking, as well as the quality of the consent-taking process in this setting. In addition, providers’ perceptions of the importance of informed consent are discussed. Findings strongly suggest the need to train and sensitize providers in public as well as private facilities on their ethical responsibilities of ensuring …

Situation Analysis Of The Sexual And Reproductive Health And Hiv Risks And Prevention Needs Of Older Orphaned And Vulnerable Children In Nyanza Province, Kenya, Milka Juma, Ian Askew, Alan Ferguson

Reproductive Health

The increasing number of children in Kenya who are orphaned or made vulnerable (OVC) from HIV/AIDS and other factors calls for a holistic understanding of their situation so that effective programs to address their needs can be designed. This is especially important for those areas hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, such as Nyanza Province. Little is known about the vulnerabilities of older orphans to risky sexual behavior, and whether they are more vulnerable than nonorphans. The Department of Children’s Services has initiated a cash transfer program to households taking care of OVC. The main objective is to provide a …

Free Clinics Of Iowa: An Inside Look At An Alternate Route To Healthcare, Laura Deboer

Honors Program Theses

Forty-seven million uninsured Americans: an all too familiar statistic, peppering television advertisements, newspaper headlines, and most recently - a hot agenda item of political candidates is a sad truth of American health care. Unfortunately, for sixteen percent of Americans and approximately thirteen percent of adult Iowans, this is not just a passing television ad - but the facts of life that are faced every day. These individuals make up families who evaluate that, although it is taking a risk to be without health insurance, the security of insurance is not as important as providing meals on the dinner table. The …

The Hiv/Aids Prevention Project For Vulnerable Youth In Northern Nigeria: Community Advocates Training Manual, Population Council, Adolescent Health And Information Projects, Federation Of Muslim Women's Associations In Nigeria, Islamic Education Trust

HIV and AIDS

This Community Advocates training manual contains a curriculum developed by the Population Council, Nigeria, under the HIV Prevention Project for Vulnerable Youth in Northern Nigeria funded by USAID/Nigeria. The curriculum was developed as a tool for training community advocates in conducting advocacy activities on the issues of early marriage, HIV/AIDS, and reproductive health. The curriculum aims to improve knowledge and strengthen the skills of community representatives from the northern region of Nigeria so they can openly discuss sensitive issues relating to HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, and marriage. Designed to be adapted or implemented as written, the curriculum is based on the …

Addressing Gupt Rog: Narrative Prevention Counselling For Sti/Hiv Prevention—A Guide To Ayush And Allopathic Practitioners, Bonnie K. Nastasi, Niranjan Saggurti, Stephen L. Schensul, Ravi K. Verma, Meena Gandhi

HIV and AIDS

Although India has over 600,000 registered AYUSH practitioners who are engaged in homeopathic, Ayurvedic, and Unani systems of medicine, they have not been integrated into the country’s national health system. While practitioners of these systems of medicine treat all illnesses, they have a special niche in providing services to address men’s sexual health concerns (Gupt Rog). A project on Research and Intervention in Sexual Health: Theory to Action was undertaken by the International Institute for Population Sciences/Mumbai, the Population Council/New Delhi, and partners, in three slum communities in Mumbai, from 2001–07. The objective was to control the spread of sexually …

The Effectiveness Of Support Groups In A Community Diabetes Prevention Program, Traci Worby

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a support group in a community Diabetes Prevention Program. The research questions to be answered were: (1) did participation in the intervention group result in better outcomes compared to the participants in the control group, (2) did the participants in the intervention group and the control group feel that the Diabetes Prevention Program's exercise program helped them make positive changes in their life and taught them the importance of continued exercise to help reduce the risk of diabetes according to statements answered on the survey, (3) did the participants …

Las Vegas: A Sustainable Urban Environment For Health?, Nancy Menzel

Nevada Journal of Public Health

The rapid growth of Las Vegas has resulted in negative consequences for the health of its residents to a level that threatens the area’s sustainability. This article reviews key indicators of population health in Las Vegas through the framework of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Healthy People in Healthy Places and concludes that public health professionals, citizens, businesses, and political leaders must act now to protect and improve population health.

Our Stories: Women Speak Out Against Hiv And Aids—An Interactive Communication Package For Rural Low-Literate Women, Vijaya Nidadavolu, Moumita Saha, Vijaya Usha Rani

HIV and AIDS

The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) estimates that there are over 5.1 million people living with HIV and AIDS in India. Among new infections reported in 2006, 88 percent were reported in the reproductive age group (15–49 years). The virus is spreading rapidly among women, including married and monogamous women, and adolescent girls. Existing literature shows that women's vulnerability is compounded due to their gendered disadvantage in information access, literacy, and decision-making. This disadvantage is particularly acute in the case of married women in rural India. NACO has indicated the need to develop audience-appropriate strategies for communicating HIV-related information. To …

Download Full Pdf Issue Of Thomas Jefferson University Mph Public Health Link Newsletter, Vol. 3, Iss.1, January 2007

Public Health Link

This issue includes a faculty spotlight on Dr. James Diamond and MPH program announcements.

Reducing The Social Exclusion Of Girls, Kelly Hallman, Eva Roca

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Across the globe, girls are systematically excluded from participation in social, economic, and political life. The absence of girls in these arenas has implications not only for the young women themselves but also for society as a whole, exacerbating poverty and perpetuating disparities in health, education, and economic achievement. Internationally, this marginalization makes it difficult or impossible for some countries to achieve society-wide goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals identified by the United Nations as benchmarks to reduce poverty. For a number of years, the Population Council has been studying the causes and effects of girls’ social exclusion in …

Emergency Contraception, Female Condoms And Iuds In Kenya's Public Sector: Findings From A National Diagnostic Assessment, Jill Keesbury, Benter Owino, Spike Bradford

Reproductive Health

In 2005, the Kenya Ministry of Health, Department of Reproductive Health (DRH), began an initiative to strengthen the provision of emergency contraception (EC) in the public sector. As a first step, 700,000 units of the dedicated EC product Postinor 2 were procured by UNFPA for use in government facilities and select providers were trained on its administration. In 2006, the DRH requested assistance from ECafrique, the African Forum on Emergency Contraception, to expand access to the product. This report documents the results of a diagnostic assessment conducted at the outset of this initiative. It examines the provision and utilization of …

Evaluation Of Berhane Hewan: A Pilot Program To Promote Education And Delay Marriage In Rural Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Eunice N. Muthengi

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Berhane Hewan Program pilot-tested in rural Ethiopia from 2004–06 was developed to sensitize community members to the dangers of child marriage, prevent early marriage among unmarried adolescents, and provide support for girls who are already married. The program included social mobilization of girls aged 10–19 into groups led by female mentors; support to stay in school or convening of groups outside of school including nonformal education and livelihoods skills; and community-wide conversations on early marriage and reproductive health issues affecting girls. Economic incentives were provided to families who did not marry off their daughters during the project period. Population-based …

Adolescence In The Kibera Slums Of Nairobi, Kenya, Annabel Erulkar, James K. Matheka

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Rates of urbanization in Kenya are among the highest in the world and young people form a large proportion of those moving from rural to urban areas of the country. For many young people, the first point of entry into urban areas are the slums. Adolescents and young people make up a significant proportion of the slum-dwelling population, yet little is known about their experiences growing up in these poor urban environments. This population-based study of adolescents took place in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2006. The study explores the adolescent experience in one of Africa’s largest slum …

Girls' Adolescence In Burkina Faso: A Pivot Point For Social Change, Martha Brady, Lydia Saloucou, Erica Chong

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

As closer attention is paid to the lives of adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, girls are found to be clearly disadvantaged, compared with their male counterparts. Burkinabé girls are frequently married at a young age, and more than one-third of married girls find themselves in polygamous unions as second or third wives, married to much older men. Understanding and recognizing girls’ realities is an important first step in planning appropriate and meaningful interventions for them. Girls who are unmarried, “promised,” engaged, or married face different constraints and merit different program approaches. This report by the Population Council aims to fill gaps …

Providing New Opportunities To Adolescent Girls In Socially Conservative Settings: The Ishraq Program In Rural Upper Egypt—Full Report, Martha Brady, Ragui Assaad, Barbara L. Ibrahim, Abeer Salem, Rania Salem, Nadia Zibani

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Adolescent girls in the poorest villages of Upper Egypt, who were kept from school by poverty and other obstacles, face a bleak future that will replicate the poverty and disadvantage of their own families. This stark picture of vulnerability encouraged four long-standing nongovernmental organizations working in Egypt—Caritas, CEDPA (Centre for Development and Population Activities), the Population Council, and Save the Children—to create a multidimensional program for 13–15-year-old out-of-school girls. The pilot intervention, known locally as Ishraq, sought to transform girls’ lives by changing gender norms and community perceptions about girls’ roles in society while bringing them safely and confidently into …

Empowering Young Mothers In India: Results Of The First-Time Parents Project, K.G. Santhya, Nicole Haberland

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In India, sexual activity among girls and young women typically takes place within marriage. Nationally, as many as 30 percent of adolescent girls aged 15–19 are married, presumably sexually active, and under pressure to bear a first child early in the marriage. While sexual activity for the majority of adolescent Indian girls occurs within the socially sanctioned institution of marriage, marital sex is not inherently safe, voluntary, or pleasurable. Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 8 describes the Population Council’s efforts to support married adolescent girls. The Council, in partnership with the Child in Need Institute …

Sexuality And Hiv Education: Time For A Paradigm Shift, Nicole Haberland, Deborah Rogow

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

For decades, curriculum-based sexuality education has been a cornerstone of school- and community-based efforts to improve young people’s sexual and reproductive health, and more recently to prevent HIV infection. Unfortunately, public discourse about sex education has been mired in polarizing debates that distract attention from determining how sex and HIV education programs might best achieve the shared goals of many different constituencies. A recent comprehensive review of the impact of school-based sexuality and HIV education programs in developed and developing countries found that two-thirds of the programs reduced the risk associated with one or more reported sexual behaviors. This finding …

Physical Activity And Physical Activity Adherence In The Elderly Based On Smoking Status., Theodore Cooper, M. Resor, C. Stoever, P. Dubbert

Departmental Papers (Psych)

No abstract provided.

A Computational Model For Analysis Of Uncoupled No Synthase On Nitric Oxide And Superoxide Interaction In Microcirculation, William Richardson, Mahendra Kavdia

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Nitric oxide (NO) produced by endothelial cells is a key component for blood-vessel dilation. Dilation is achieved through smooth muscle relaxation as a response to NO transport. Inhibition of this process occurs through the inactivation of NO by reactive oxygen species, especially superoxide (O2 -). NO and superoxide react quickly, forming peroxynitrite (ONOO-). Both superoxide and peroxynitrite apply oxidative stress on vascular tissue. Experimental studies investigating NO interactions are difficult since these reactions occur rapidly and over small distances. This study presents a computational model to describe the interactions of NO, superoxide, and peroxynitrite across an arteriole/venule pair. Based on …

The Health Insurance Debate In Canada: Lessons For The United States?, Mary Anne Bobinski

Faculty Articles

This Essay begins with an intentionally ambiguous title. Are comparisons to Canada relevant and useful for policy-makers in the United States and, if so, what lessons can we learn? Part II of this Essay highlights some of the risks and benefits of cross-border comparisons between the United States and Canada. In Part III, I analyze some of the key data points often cited in comparing the two health care systems. Part IV explores the current Canadian debate about private health insurance. Finally, in Part V, I focus on the lessons from Canada for the health insurance debate in the United …

Dead Roses And Blooming Deserts: The Medical History Of A New Deal Icon, Michelle F. Turk

Psi Sigma Siren

Although a memorial plaque at the Hoover Dam sets the number of workers killed during its construction at ninety-six, the real figure was nearly double. In fact, the figure would have been much higher had it not been for the precedent-setting effort by the federal government, contactors, and workers to save as many lives as possible on the project. Aside from its long unrecognized value as a jobs program, much needed stimulus to the fledging Las Vegas economy, and status as one of the “man-made wonders of the world,” Hoover Dam represented a major step forward for the American occupational …

Towards Messages That Matter: Understanding And Addressing Hiv And Srh Risks Among Married Young People In India, Armin Jamshedji-Neogi, Renu Kapoor, Jayashree Kumar, Ashwini Bhalerao Gandhi, Lakshmi Murthy, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Saswata Ghosh, Vijaya Nidadavolu, Nicole Haberland, Komal Saxena, M.A. Jose

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Although there is increasing interest in young people's sexual and reproductive health (SRH) situations and needs in India, married young people have received little attention as a vulnerable group with distinct needs because marriage is assumed to be safe and because married youth are assumed to face none of the stigma that their unmarried counterparts experience in accessing SRH services. However, emerging evidence shows that within this subpopulation, married young women and men constitute groups with distinct risks of HIV and other poor SRH outcomes. There remains a need to better understand their unique vulnerabilities and to design programs that …

Hiv-Positive Inmates Released From Nevada’S Prisons In 2001: Results From Matching Health Division And Corrections’ Databases, Paul G. Devereux, Kristen Clements-Nolle, Sharon Clodfelter, Jessey Bargmann-Losche, Miguel Feroro, Wei Yang

Nevada Journal of Public Health

It is estimated that about one quarter of all HIV-infected individuals in the United States are released from a correctional facility each year. To better understand the needs of inmates with HIV exiting the prison system, a partnership with the Nevada State Health Division (NSHD), the Nevada Department of Corrections (DOC), and the University of Nevada, Reno School of Public Health was formed to examine this population using information contained in existing databases. An analysis of DOC data matched with the data from the HIV/AIDS Reporting System (HARS) maintained by the NSHD identified 2,802 HIV-negative inmates (2,451 males and 350 …

Foreuses À Béquille : Mise Au Point D’Un Banc D’Essai Pour Caractériser Les Valeurs D'Émission Vibratoire, Pierre Marcotte, Sylvain Ouellette, Jérôme Boutin, Paul-Émile Boileau, Gilles Leblanc, Remy Oddo

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Il est bien établi que les foreuses à béquille, largement utilisées par l’industrie minière québécoise, causent le syndrome des vibrations main-bras (HAVS : « Hand-arm vibration syndrome ») chez leurs opérateurs à cause du niveau élevé de vibrations qu’elles génèrent. Dans un effort visant à pallier ce problème, un prototype de poignée antivibratile de foreuse à béquille a été développé conjointement par les LMSM-CANMET (Laboratoires des mines et des sciences minérales) et l'Université de Sherbrooke – GAUS (Groupe d’acoustique de l’Université de Sherbrooke), dans le cadre d’un projet de recherche financé par l’IRSST. Il a été estimé que ce nouveau …

Méthode Pour L'Évaluation Simultanée De Différentes Amines En Milieu De Travail, Mathieu Fournier, Claude Ostiguy, Jacques Lesage, Huu Van Tra

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Les amines sont largement utilisées dans plusieurs secteurs industriels et plus de 60 amines spécifiques sont réglementées au Québec. Les problèmes de santé pouvant se développer chez les travailleurs surexposés sont diversifiés, allant de l’irritation cutanée au cancer. L’évaluation de l’exposition professionnelle pose un défi puisque les méthodes disponibles pour l’échantillonnage et l’analyse sont spécifiques à une amine ou à la famille de cette substance et sont souvent compliquées à utiliser ou peu performantes.

Le projet visait le développement d’un système d’échantillonnage et d’une méthode d’analyse permettant la détermination simultanée de sept amines de diverses familles parmi les plus susceptibles …

Results Of The Chemical Analyses Produced At The Irsst For 2001-2005, Claude Ostiguy, Mathieu Fournier, Thierry Petitjean-Roget, Jacques Lesage, Alain Lajoie

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Cliquez ici pour la version française de ce rapport

Le réseau québécois de prévention compte plusieurs centaines de personnes qui interviennent régulièrement dans les entreprises afin d’y prélever des échantillons permettant d’évaluer la qualité de l’air. Ces échantillons sont analysés à l’IRSST.

De 2001 à 2005, dans le cadre de l’entente de service avec la CSST et son réseau et les ASP, des rapports annuels ont permis d’identifier certaines substances retrouvées en fortes concentrations dans les grands groupes industriels de la Classification des activités économiques du Québec (CAEQ) de 1984 (classification à deux chiffres). Le présent rapport dresse un portrait …

Bilan Et Perspectives De Recherche Sur La Sst Des Jeunes Travailleurs, Élise Ledoux, Marie Laberge

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Depuis une vingtaine d’années, plusieurs études ont mis en évidence le fait que les jeunes de moins de 25 ans se blessent suffisamment fréquemment au travail pour que cette situation devienne une préoccupation de santé publique tant au Canada, aux États-Unis qu’en Europe (Brooks et coll., 1993; Layne et coll., 1994; Hendricks et Layne, 1999; Millar, 1995; Dupre, 2001). Au Québec, ce constat incite de plus en plus les partenaires du réseau de la SST et la CSST à élaborer un plan d’action s’adressant spécifiquement à cette population (CSST, 2003).

Dans cette foulée, l’IRSST a entrepris une réflexion et mis …

Résultats Des Analyses De Substances Chimiques Produites À L'Irsst Pour La Période 2001-2005, Claude Ostiguy, Mathieu Fournier, Thierry Petitjean-Roget, Jacques Lesage, Alain Lajoie

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Click here for the English version of this report

Le réseau québécois de prévention compte plusieurs centaines de personnes qui interviennent régulièrement dans les entreprises afin d’y prélever des échantillons permettant d’évaluer la qualité de l’air. Ces échantillons sont analysés à l’IRSST.

De 2001 à 2005, dans le cadre de l’entente de service avec la CSST et son réseau et les ASP, des rapports annuels ont permis d’identifier certaines substances retrouvées en fortes concentrations dans les grands groupes industriels de la Classification des activités économiques du Québec (CAEQ) de 1984 (classification à deux chiffres). Le présent rapport dresse un portrait …