Digital Commons Network^™

Safe And Smart Savings Products For Vulnerable Adolescent Girls In Kenya And Uganda: Results From The Uganda Pilot Evaluation, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This presentation was given at the Global Youth Economic Opportunities Conference in Washington DC, USA in 2011. It looks at results from a Uganda Pilot Program to provide financial education among girls and increase asset building in the form of Girls Savings Programs. Results from this study saw that savings programs build social, health, and economic assets for girls.

Effects Of The Janani Suraksha Yojana On Maternal And Newborn Care Practices: Women's Experiences In Rajasthan, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Rajib Acharya, A.J. Francis Zavier

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Report on an evaluation of Janani Suraksha Yojana, a program to encourage institutional delivery and provide access to care during pregnancy and in the postpartum period.

Le Travail Des Femmes Dans Le Secteur Agricole: Entre Précarité Et Empowerment—Cas De Trois Régions En Egypte, Au Maroc Et En Tunisie, Zhour Bouzidi, Saker El Nour, Wided Moumen

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Despite a remarkable decline in the agricultural labor force in general, the number of women employed in the agricultural sector is growing substantially, particularly as a result of the intensification of agricultural activity. This Population Council working paper focuses on the working conditions of women in the agricultural sector based on the analysis of three case studies in three countries: the West of Delta in Egypt, the coastal zone of Gharb in Morocco, and the Nadhour region in Tunisia. The report analyzes to what extent agricultural work could be a means of precariousness or empowerment for women workers. Results show …

First Generation Of Gender And Hiv Programs: Seeking Clarity And Synergy, Judith Bruce, Nicole Haberland, Amy Joyce, Eva Roca, Tobey Nelson Sapiano

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In the past decade, there have been expanding resources to address the underlying gender dimensions of HIV. This has been particularly urgent in sub-Saharan Africa as the female-to-male infection ratios in young populations has reached 3 to 1 and sometimes above. The phrase “gender and HIV” has become commonplace yet does not provide any specific guidance as to target audiences, content, or measurable results. It can include everything from microcredit programs for HIV-positive women, to workplace programs seeking to change negative male norms, to efforts to increase respect for diverse sexual and gender identities. This review, conducted by the Population …

Expanding Safe Spaces, Financial Education, And Savings For Adolescent Girls In Kenya, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Almost 1 billion people around the globe live in urban informal settlements, or “slums.” In Kenya, 60 percent of Nairobi’s nearly 3 million inhabitants live in slum areas characterized by high levels of poverty and HIV. Kibera is the largest of these slums. Life is particularly perilous for adolescent girls in slums, as they make their transition to adulthood. Girls are several times more likely than their male age-mates to become infected with HIV, and sexual initiation for girls often occurs in the context of violence and coercion. Poverty is a driving force behind these and other vulnerabilities. As described …

Investigating School Quality And Learning Outcomes Among Adolescents In Malawi, Christine A. Kelly

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Education, particularly at the primary level, has long been regarded as an essential input of social and economic development. In addition to its role in increasing the cognitive abilities of students, schooling is recognized as a facilitator of labor force participation, female empowerment, improved health outcomes, and greater civic engagement. As one of the early pioneers in sub-Saharan Africa of free primary education, Malawi’s enrollment figures compare favorably with those of its neighbors in southern Africa. However, as noted in Promoting Healthy, Safe, and Productive Transitions to Adulthood Brief No. 34, primary school completion rates stand at just 35 percent, …

Élargir L'Accès Des Adolescentes Aux Espaces Sécurisés, À L'Éducation Financière Et Aux Produits D'Épargne Au Kenya, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Près d'un milliard de personnes vivent dans des implantations urbaines sauvages et informelles, à savoir des «bidonvilles». Au Kenya, 60% des quelques 3 millions d’habitants de Nairobi vivent dans des taudis caractérisés par des niveaux élevés de pauvreté et de VIH. Kibera est le plus grand de ces bidonvilles. La vie est particulièrement dangereuse pour les adolescentes dans les bidonvilles, car elles font leur transition vers l'âge adulte. Les filles sont davantage susceptibles que les garçons du même âge d'être infectées par le VIH, et l'initiation sexuelle des jeunes filles se produit souvent dans le contexte de violence et de …

Innovative Financing Through Pay-For-Performance For Providers To Improve Quality Of Care In Bangladesh: Transforming Research Into Action, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Ubaidur Rob, Laila Rahman, Ismat Ara Hena

Reproductive Health

To improve access to and use of facility-based obstetric and newborn care, the Government of Bangladesh is implementing two innovative performance-based financing programs, namely demand-side financing (DSF) and pay-for-performance (P4P). With the purpose of identifying the lessons learned, limitations of the P4P and DSF models, and scopes for cross learning, a two-day workshop was organized in Dhaka. This workshop report, prepared by the Population Council, resulted in several recommendations to modify DSF and P4P schemes. In Bangladesh, the need for continuing performance-based financing programs to meet MDGs and other health indicators is beyond argument, but it is urgently required to …

Shaping Demand And Practices To Improve Family Health Outcomes In Northern India: A Framework For Behavior Change Communication, Population Council

Reproductive Health

An initiative from the Population Council could help in developing a comprehensive communication strategy to improve reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health, and nutrition outcomes in Uttar Pradesh and other northern states of India. The identification of key barriers to and facilitating factors for selected target behaviors that have a direct bearing on maternal and child health could go a long way in packaging specific messages for different stakeholders, such as women, husbands, elder family members, opinion makers in the community, and frontline health workers. One of the key deliverables of this publication is to fill an important knowledge gap …

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 …

Increasing Access To Safe Abortion In Rural Rajasthan: Outcomes Of A Comprehensive Abortion Care Model, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, A.J. Francis Zavier, Rajib Acharya, Shveta Kalyanwala

Reproductive Health

This report describes an assessment by the Population Council of the Comprehensive Abortion Care (CAC) model implemented in Tonk district, Rajasthan. Findings highlight that at the time of the baseline survey, the availability of abortion services was limited; also evident was the poor quality of abortion-related care. Given this context, and given the short duration of implementation, the changes achieved by the intervention are promising. The district-level CAC model succeeded in strengthening facilities, training providers, and increasing women’s access to safe abortion services at the Primary Health Centre level. Community-level activities were less successful, attributable to a considerable extent to …

Comprehensive Responses To Sexual Violence In East And Southern Africa: Lessons Learned From Implementation, Jill Keesbury, Ian Askew, Monica Wanjiru, Grace Chiyaba, Kate Wilson, Felly Nkweto Simmonds

Reproductive Health

The Population Council has provided technical assistance and conducted research to strengthen the evidence base on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) programming in sub-Saharan Africa, where countries have begun to recognize the importance of both preventing violence and responding to the needs of SGBV survivors. These activities have created an active network of partners from across sub-Saharan Africa, who are developing, implementing, and evaluating core elements of a comprehensive, multisectoral response model. This brief reports how network partners have significantly increased the evidence base on program responses: a range of successful approaches have been demonstrated for improving comprehensive services within …

Scaling Up The Provision Of Family Planning Messages In Antenatal And Postpartum Services In Upper Egypt, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Sally Saher

Reproductive Health

An operations research study by the Population Council’s FRONTIERS program in 20 facilities in Upper Egypt showed that integration of birth spacing messages into antenatal and postpartum care was feasible, acceptable to women and their husbands, and was associated with increased postpartum contraception. This report describes the initial and scale-up phases, their outcomes, challenges, and recommendations for improvement. In addition to successfully scaling up the program, the main achievement was securing the support and investment of senior MoHP officials at the central level, as well as the support and commitment of managers and supervisors at governorate and district levels. The …

The Prevention And Management Of Hiv And Sexual And Gender-Based Violence: Responding To The Needs Of Survivors And Those-At-Risk, Sarah Raifman, Ian Askew, Sajeda Amin, Jill Keesbury, Saiqa Mullick, Judith A. Diers, Meiwita P. Budiharsana, Chi-Chi Undie, Mary Zama, Mantshi Menziwa, Sherry Hutchinson, Naomi Rutenberg

Reproductive Health

The Population Council seeks to understand the social, economic, political, and physical context of risks for sexual and gender-based violence and HIV. Among the top priorities of Council research are supporting and evaluating efforts to prevent violence and HIV, including creating safe spaces for adolescent girls, and working with men and boys to change gender norms within the community; and comprehensively responding to the needs of survivors (including those who are HIV-infected) by strengthening health systems and integrating services. The purpose of this guide is to provide practical guidance on the steps necessary to establish and strengthen sexual violence (SV) …

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 …

Sexual And Reproductive Health Needs Of Adolescents Living With Hiv In Kenya, Harriet Birungi, Francis Obare, Jane Harriet Namwebya, Ibrahim Mohammed, Margaret Gitau, Margaret Makumi

Reproductive Health

The objective of this study was to assess the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents living with HIV in Kenya with a view to identifying and developing interventions that integrate these needs within the existing HIV/AIDS treatment, care, and support programs in the country. The study was a result of collaboration between Population Council, APHIA II Rift Valley and Coast (Family Health International), the National AIDS and STI Control Programme, and APHIA II Nairobi and Central (Pathfinder International). Major findings indicate that many of the adolescents living with HIV are vulnerable, and that programmatic gaps exist in addressing the …

Ten Years Of The Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Project: What Has Happened?, Humphres Evelia, Monica Wanjiru, Francis Obare, Harriet Birungi

Reproductive Health

This evaluation by the Population Council’s APHIA II Operations Research Project sought to find out whether the adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) and HIV/AIDS activities in Kenya had been sustained over a 10-year period when the project was replicated and scaled up to cover seven provinces in the country. The evaluation had three main objectives: 1) to determine the extent to which activities of the Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Program (KARHP) have continued at national, provincial, and district levels; 2) to determine whether desired sexual and reproductive health outcomes (knowledge, behavior, and practices) have been sustained among in- and …

Increasing Access To Family Planning (Fp) And Reproductive Health (Rh) Services Through Task-Sharing Between Community Health Workers (Chws) And Community Mid-Level Professionals In Large-Scale Public-Sector Programs: A Literature Review To Help Guide Case Studies, James R. Foreit, Sarah Raifman

Reproductive Health

This literature review covers case studies related to community-based distribution of family planning programs, and community health worker (CHW) programs that included family planning and other reproductive health services. It offers essential processes and implications for additional operations research which look at constraints and factors critical to introducing new program procedures or strengthening existing ones.

Elbow Extension Predictsmotor Impairment And Performance After Stroke, Crystal L. Massie, Stacy L. Fritz, Matthew P. Malcolm

Faculty Publications

Background and Purpose. Kinematic motion analysis has helped to characterize poststroke reaching strategies with the hemiparetic arm. However, the relationships between reaching strategy and performance on common functional outcome measures remain unclear. Methods. Thirty-five participants were tested for motor performance and motor impairment using the Wolf Motor Function Test (time and functional ability measure) and Fugl-Meyer assessment, respectively. Kinematic motion analysis of a forward reaching paradigm provided potential predictors of reaching strategy including shoulder flexion, elbow extension, and trunk displacement. A stepwise linear regression model with three potential predictors was used in addition to Pearson-product moment correlations. Results …

An Optimisation-Based Framework For Complex Business Process: Healthcare Application, Waleed Abo Hamad

Doctoral

The Irish healthcare system is currently facing major pressures due to rising demand, caused by population growth, ageing and high expectations of service quality. This pressure on the Irish healthcare system creates a need for support from research institutions in dealing with decision areas such as resource allocation and performance measurement. While approaches such as modelling, simulation, multi-criteria decision analysis, performance management, and optimisation can – when applied skilfully – improve healthcare performance, they represent just one part of the solution. Accordingly, to achieve significant and sustainable performance, this research aims to develop a practical, yet effective, optimisation-based framework for …

The Effect Of Female Education On Fertility And Infant Health: Evidence From School Entry Policies Using Exact Date Of Birth, Justin Mccrary, Heather Royer

Faculty Scholarship

This paper uses age-at-school-entry policies to identify the effect of female education on fertility and infant health. We focus on sharp contrasts in schooling, fertility, and infant health between women born just before and after the school entry date. School entry policies affect female education and the quality of a woman’s mate and have generally small, but possibly heterogeneous, effects on fertility and infant health. We argue that school entry policies manipulate primarily the education of young women at risk of dropping out of school.

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 …

Promoting Tobacco Cessation Via The Workplace: Opportunities For Improvement, M. Courtney Hughes, Emily M. Yette, Peggy A. Hannon, Jeffrey R. Harris, Nguyet M. Tran, Terry R. Reid

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Introduction: Little research exists on the prevalence of evidence-based tobacco cessation practices in workplaces, employer promotion of state-sponsored quitlines and predictors of these practices.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of the 2008 Healthy Worksite Survey, a telephone survey administered to Washington employers with 50 or more employees (n¼693). The objectives were to describe workplaces’ implementation of evidence-based tobacco cessation practices and identify key predictors of implementation in order to highlight opportunities for interventions.

Results: Among these employers, 38.6% promoted quitting tobacco, and 33.8% offered insurance coverage for cessation medications and counselling, 27.5% referred no-smoking violators to cessation services, and 5.7% included the …

Literacy And Hazard Communication Comprehension Of Employees Presenting To An Occupational Health Clinic, Christine Bouchard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

More than 100 million American workers, 7 million workplaces, and 945,000 hazardous chemical products are covered under the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. There were a total of 1,183,500 recordable non-fatal illnesses and injuries in private industry workplaces in 2006 resulting in days away from work. Of these, 19,480 were due to chemicals and chemical products. In addition, there were a total of 5,703 work-related fatalities in 2006. In 191 of these, chemicals and chemical products were listed as the primary source of injury and as the secondary source of injury in 104 …

A Pilot Study Of Small-Scale Variations In Outdoor Benzene Concentrations, Samantha Catherine Fridh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Benzene is an important toxic chemical in urban air and known human carcinogen released substantially by mobile sources. It's important to understand the spatial variation of benzene concentrations in order to understand exposures of susceptible sub-populations such as children and minority groups. Current monitoring networks use large and expensive air samplers that require electricity and restrict the location and number of samplers, not allowing for fine spatial resolution data.

The goals of this study are to develop and evaluate protocols for passive sampling and analysis of ambient benzene concentrations, and conduct a pilot study investigating small-scale variations over an area …

Apparent Total Evaporative Resistance For Clothing Ensembles At High Heat Stress Levels, Patrick Rodriguez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Donning protective clothing for mitigation of hazard from chemical agents poses a problem in the form of heat stress. When choosing protective clothing, many factors must be taken into account including insulative properties and evaporative resistance. This study calculated and compared R_e,T,a for three clothing ensembles at levels of heat stress past the level of compensation for heat gain to determine if R_e,T,a values varied or remained the same with changes in heat stress level. A three-way mixed model analysis of variance demonstrated significant differences for estimated R_e,T,a values among ensembles, heat stress levels and interactions among …

Drug Courts Work, But How? Preliminary Development Of A Measure To Assess Drug Court Structure And Processes, Blake Barrett

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The high prevalence of substance use disorders is well-documented among criminal offenders. Drug courts are specialty judicial programs designed to: 1) improve public safety outcomes; 2) reduce criminal recidivism and substance abuse among offenders with substance use disorders; and 3) better utilize scarce criminal justice and treatment resources. Drug courts operate through partnerships between the criminal justice, behavioral health and public health systems. Offenders participate in an intensive regimen of substance abuse treatment and case management while under close judicial supervision. Drug courts' effectiveness in reducing criminal recidivism and drug use has been documented through numerous primary studies as well …

Apparent Total Evaporative Resistance Values From Human Trials Over A Range Of Metabolic And Heat Stress Levels, Matthew David Dooris

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Failure to maintain thermal equilibrium can cause uncontrollable increases in body core temperature beyond critical upper limits. In selecting clothing, consideration must be given to the heat transfer properties of clothing that may restrict the cooling capacity of the human body under heat stress conditions, most importantly, apparent total evaporative resistance (R_e,T,_a). This study calculated and compared R_e,T,_a for five clothing ensembles under varying heat stress conditions, including three relative humidity (RH) levels and three stages of heat stress to determine if R_e,T,_a values varied or remained the same with …

Workplace Explosions: A Comparison Of The Mine Safety And Health Administration And The Occupational Safety And Health Administration, Jessica Dawn Burba

Online Theses and Dissertations

This research compares how the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) prevent the occurrence of and respond to incidents of workplace explosions in their industries. This was a qualitative study that utilized interpretivism as the theoretical framework. The study sought to answer four research questions. (1) What are the explosive hazards present in the coal mining and sugar refining environments? (2) What explosion prevention methodologies are available? (3) What MSHA regulations apply to coal mine explosions and what OSHA regulations apply to refinery explosions? (4) Are there differences in the way that …

The Relationship Of Financial Performance, Quality Indicators, And The Role Of Nurse Executives In Virginia Nursing Homes, Jeany V. Murphy

Health Services Research Dissertations

Problem statement. The dynamic nature of the healthcare industry has triggered changes in nurse executive functions. The job has expanded into entrepreneurial roles to be able to provide the most cost effective services while maintaining good quality outcomes for the residents. The new responsibility requires a different set of knowledge and competencies that is usually achieved through advanced education. It is not known whether nurse executives in long term care in Virginia possess the skills to influence both the financial and quality outcomes of the facility.

Methods. This descriptive research study examined the relationship of the nurse executives' technical, human, …