Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 24 of 24
Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Implementation Process Brief: Integrated Family Planning And Hiv Services At The Community Level In Kenya, Wilson Liambila, Sara Chace Dwyer, Charlotte E. Warren, Aparna Jain, Melsa Lutomia, Jane Loech, Elizabeth Washika
Implementation Process Brief: Integrated Family Planning And Hiv Services At The Community Level In Kenya, Wilson Liambila, Sara Chace Dwyer, Charlotte E. Warren, Aparna Jain, Melsa Lutomia, Jane Loech, Elizabeth Washika
Reproductive Health
Enabling women living with HIV to use contraception effectively can decrease unintended pregnancies and in turn reduce maternal mortality and vertical transmission of HIV. This brief describes the implementation process and intervention tested under the Evidence Project for delivering integrated FP and HIV services at the community level in Kenya. It outlines the implementation steps, best practices, and lessons learned of an intervention that was tested within the existing community health structure. Community health volunteers were trained to offer FP as part of their routine services to women living with HIV, and community health units were prepared to sustain those …
Strengthening The Integration Of Family Planning And Hiv Services At The Community Level In Kenya, Wilson Liambila, Sara Chace Dwyer, Brian Mdawida, Charlotte E. Warren, Melsa Lutomia, Jane Koech, Elizabeth Washika, Aparna Jain
Strengthening The Integration Of Family Planning And Hiv Services At The Community Level In Kenya, Wilson Liambila, Sara Chace Dwyer, Brian Mdawida, Charlotte E. Warren, Melsa Lutomia, Jane Koech, Elizabeth Washika, Aparna Jain
Reproductive Health
Study findings reveal that many Kenyan women living with HIV are comfortable receiving family planning (FP) services from community health volunteers and with proper training and support, community health volunteers have the potential to provide integrated FP/HIV services. Community-based integrated FP/HIV services could help connect women living with HIV who want to prevent or postpone a pregnancy to contraceptive services, which can reduce unintended pregnancies and in turn maternal mortality and vertical transmission of HIV. This implementation research study offers evidence of the feasibility, quality of care, and acceptability of using community health volunteers to integrate family planning into HIV/AIDS …
Creating A Culture Of Evidence Use: Using An Innovative Knowledge Translation Platform To Inform Hiv/Aids Programming For Women And Girls, Jill Gay, Melanie Croce-Galis, Karen Hardee, Amelia Peltz
Creating A Culture Of Evidence Use: Using An Innovative Knowledge Translation Platform To Inform Hiv/Aids Programming For Women And Girls, Jill Gay, Melanie Croce-Galis, Karen Hardee, Amelia Peltz
Reproductive Health
Given that moving evidence from a study to policy, programs, and practice can often take a decade or more, what is the best way to get evidence into the hands of those developing policies and programs to speed its use? Enhancing the use of evidence in policies and programs through an innovative web-based knowledge platform, What Works for Women: Evidence for HIV/AIDS Interventions, resulted in major changes in National Strategic HIV Plans plus Concept Notes submitted to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in 14 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This paper documents how components …
Status Of Sexual And Reproductive Health And Rights In Zambia: Violence Against Women And Hiv/Aids Prevention And Treatment, Population Council
Status Of Sexual And Reproductive Health And Rights In Zambia: Violence Against Women And Hiv/Aids Prevention And Treatment, Population Council
Reproductive Health
In 1994, the International Conference on Population and Development affirmed that sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are human rights. The Government of the Republic of Zambia has fully committed to fulfilling the SRHR of all people by ratifying 11 international instruments of law. This brief is Part 3 of a three-part series entitled “Status of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Zambia,” reporting on progress, gaps, and existing challenges in SRHR. Using a human rights–based approach, the Government of Zambia and collaborators, with technical facilitation by the Population Council, conducted an assessment of the status of SRHR …
Access To Reproductive Health And Hiv Services Among Young Mothers In Tanzania, Francis Obare, Annette Almeida, George Odwe, Jamilla Mwanga, Chi-Chi Undie, Maurice Hiza, Feddy Mwanga
Access To Reproductive Health And Hiv Services Among Young Mothers In Tanzania, Francis Obare, Annette Almeida, George Odwe, Jamilla Mwanga, Chi-Chi Undie, Maurice Hiza, Feddy Mwanga
Reproductive Health
This report presents findings from a Population Council study that examined the experiences of young mothers in Tanzania with accessing reproductive health and HIV services during pregnancy, delivery/pregnancy termination, and the postpartum period. The overall objective of the study was to generate evidence on access to reproductive health and HIV services among young mothers aged 12–19 years in Tanzania in order to inform programming and actions to better meet their needs. It specifically examined their experiences with accessing reproductive health (safe motherhood and contraception) and HIV (testing and counseling, PMTCT, antiretroviral therapy, and early infant diagnosis) services as well as …
Understanding Married Women's Vulnerability To Hiv Infection In Egypt: An Exploratory Study, Doaa Oraby, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab
Understanding Married Women's Vulnerability To Hiv Infection In Egypt: An Exploratory Study, Doaa Oraby, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab
Reproductive Health
This study examines the behavioral, sociocultural, economic, programmatic, and legal factors that aggravate Egyptian women’s vulnerabilities to HIV/AIDS. The study concludes that in low-prevalence settings like Egypt, targeted interventions are the most strategic and cost-effective: for example, HIV awareness-raising with a special focus on the preventive role of consistent, correct condom use, and creating a cadre of peers that could provide psychosocial support and HIV counseling to migrant workers. Furthermore, premarital and antenatal care programs should include HIV awareness-raising and provider-initiated counseling and testing after screening of women to identify those at risk for HIV infection. Concurrently, efforts should be …
Contraceptive Use And Fertility Intentions Among Women Living With Hiv In Kenya And Swaziland, Integra Initiative
Contraceptive Use And Fertility Intentions Among Women Living With Hiv In Kenya And Swaziland, Integra Initiative
Reproductive Health
At the end of 2013, an estimated 35 million people were living with HIV, and sub-Saharan Africa was disproportionately affected. With major efforts directed at expanding access to life-saving antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa, many people are living longer with HIV, leading productive and sexually active lives. Unintended pregnancies and the potential of vertical transmission are some of the challenges faced by women living with HIV. Understanding the fertility preferences and reproductive decisions of these women is vital for informing efforts to enable them to achieve these desires effectively and safely. The “Steps to Integration” series provides a guide on …
Gender Considerations Along The Hiv Treatment Cascade: An Evidence Review With Priority Actions, Melanie Croce-Galis, Jill Gay, Karen Hardee, What Works Association, Population Council
Gender Considerations Along The Hiv Treatment Cascade: An Evidence Review With Priority Actions, Melanie Croce-Galis, Jill Gay, Karen Hardee, What Works Association, Population Council
Reproductive Health
This treatment brief provides policymakers and program implementers with evidence about the impact of gender dynamics on treatment access and adherence and the gender-related gaps in treatment research and programming. It also includes priority actions that can be taken to better address gender within treatment programming and raises questions for implementation science in order to achieve the global 90-90-90 goal. This brief draws from What Works for Women and Girls: Evidence for HIV Interventions and uses the WHO treatment cascade framework to identify and analyze major gender considerations in providing antiretroviral therapy to those living with HIV in low- and …
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 …
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
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 …
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 …
Integrating Alcohol Risk Reduction Into Htc Services, Population Council
Integrating Alcohol Risk Reduction Into Htc Services, Population Council
Reproductive Health
This brief describes how screening for alcohol abuse and hosting long-term support groups through HIV testing and counseling centers (HTC) is one way to decrease high-risk sexual and alcohol behaviors among people who have tested for HIV. Findings from program activities funded by Population Council, Liverpool VCT and Support for Addiction Prevention and Treatment in Africa Center (SAPTA) found that screening HTC clients for alcohol abuse and referral to active support and counseling services is feasible. Follow up using SMS is also recommended. However, the lack of a control group in this study may hinder drawing direct causality between the …
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 …
Referral Mechanism Improves Uptake Of Art Services For Hiv+ Fp Clients, Population Council
Referral Mechanism Improves Uptake Of Art Services For Hiv+ Fp Clients, Population Council
Reproductive Health
An operations research intervention by the Population Council in Kenya aimed to design a referral framework for linking HIV‐positive family planning (FP) clients to treatment and care in selected health facilities. The project also assessed the acceptability and effectiveness in increasing the number of eligible HIV‐positive FP clients receiving HIV care and treatment services. This summary details the effort to improve the linkage between FP services and comprehensive care centers that led to a dramatic increase in the proportions of HIV-positive clients in FP clinics who go on to receive HIV/AIDS treatment and care services at the same facility. Recommendations …
Special Needs Of In-School Hiv Positive Young People In Uganda, Francis Obare, Harriet Birungi, Anne Katahoire, Hannington Nkayivu, Aggrey David Kibenge
Special Needs Of In-School Hiv Positive Young People In Uganda, Francis Obare, Harriet Birungi, Anne Katahoire, Hannington Nkayivu, Aggrey David Kibenge
Reproductive Health
Since 2006, the Population Council has pioneered operations research in collaboration with local partners in Uganda to promote the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people aged 10–19 years infected with HIV. Key findings show that many young people perinatally infected with HIV want to be in school to avoid social isolation, and about 70 percent of them attend school. However, there has been limited understanding of how the education sector should support this vulnerable group of learners. The objective of this study was to explore the special needs of HIV-positive young people in primary and secondary schools …
Exploring Positive Women's Lives In Namakkal District, India, P. Kousalya, Deepika Ganju
Exploring Positive Women's Lives In Namakkal District, India, P. Kousalya, Deepika Ganju
Reproductive Health
This report describes an initiative that was undertaken to document the experiences of HIV-positive ever-married women in Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu, India. The initiative sought to explore the circumstances in which women learned about their HIV status; their feelings on finding out they were HIV-positive; the nature of husband–wife relationships prior to and following disclosure of women’s HIV status; the extent of support or discrimination that women experienced from family members, friends, and neighbors; treatment-seeking behaviors; and women’s perspectives about ways in which the multiple needs of HIV-infected women can be met. Drawing on the testimonies of these women gathered …
South Africa: Integrating Services For Fp And Hiv Improves Quality And Hiv Testing, Population Council
South Africa: Integrating Services For Fp And Hiv Improves Quality And Hiv Testing, Population Council
Reproductive Health
The South African government wishes to expand availability and use of counseling and testing (C&T) for HIV. One option is to integrate C&T into well-attended services, such as family planning (FP). In 2004, the Population Council began a three-year study with the Department of Health in North West Province. The study tested the feasibility, acceptability, and cost of two models for integrating HIV prevention services within established FP programs, and evaluated their quality against standard practice. In the testing-model clinics, providers provided C&T services at the same consultation; in the referral-model clinics, providers offered HIV counseling and referred clients to …
Kenya: Integrating Services For Fp And Hiv Improves Quality And Hiv Testing, Population Council
Kenya: Integrating Services For Fp And Hiv Improves Quality And Hiv Testing, Population Council
Reproductive Health
The Kenyan government’s reproductive health policy highlights service integration and quality of care. While integrating counseling and testing (C&T) for HIV into family planning (FP) can potentially increase the range of services to clients at risk from sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, few studies have documented the feasibility, effects, or costs of such integration. From 2005–07, the Population Council worked with the Kenyan Ministry of Health to test the feasibility of two models for integrating C&T into existing FP services. Both models featured client education on HIV prevention during FP visits. Providers were trained to routinely use the Balanced …
Sexual And Reproductive Health Needs Of Adolescents Perinatally Infected With Hiv In Uganda, Harriet Birungi, John Frank Mugisha, Juliana K. Nyombi, Francis Obare, Humphres Evelia, Hannington Nyinkavu
Sexual And Reproductive Health Needs Of Adolescents Perinatally Infected With Hiv In Uganda, Harriet Birungi, John Frank Mugisha, Juliana K. Nyombi, Francis Obare, Humphres Evelia, Hannington Nyinkavu
Reproductive Health
In Uganda, HIV/AIDS treatment, care and support programs are still organized around either adult or pediatric care and fail to adequately address the needs of adolescents, specifically perinatally-infected adolescents. This study, implemented jointly by the Population Council's Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) program and the AIDS Support Organization (TASO), aimed to better understand the reproductive health and sexuality of this population group, and to identify anxieties or fears they have around entering social stages of adulthood. This study confirms that wide programmatic gaps exist in addressing the sexual and reproductive health needs of young people perinatally infected with HIV who …
Exploring The Links Between Drug Use And Sexual Vulnerability Among Young Female Injecting Drug Users In Manipur, Archana Oinam
Exploring The Links Between Drug Use And Sexual Vulnerability Among Young Female Injecting Drug Users In Manipur, Archana Oinam
Reproductive Health
Given the high prevalence of HIV in Manipur, India and the critical role that female injecting drug users play in the transmission of HIV infection, it is becoming increasingly important to understand the sexual behaviors and drug use experiences of this group. This report describes the health status and patterns of treatment-seeking of female injecting drug users aged 15–34 in Manipur, and explores the factors underlying their vulnerability to HIV, including limited in-depth awareness of safe sexual behaviors and drug use practices, and limited self-perception of HIV risk. The report recommends development of IEC materials that address these information gaps …
Achieving Synergies In Prevention Through Linking Sexual And Reproductive Health And Hiv Services, Ian Askew
Achieving Synergies In Prevention Through Linking Sexual And Reproductive Health And Hiv Services, Ian Askew
Reproductive Health
Integration, linkages, and synergies are widely used terms among those interested in strengthening the relationship between sexual and reproductive health services and HIV prevention. These conference proceedings explore the terms conceptually and review the wide range of combinations of SRH and HIV prevention services that have been linked or integrated. Several different combinations have proven feasible and acceptable in pilot situations, but there remains a lack of evidence as to their effectiveness in changing behaviors, including preventing HIV transmission. There is also limited experience with scaling up successful models and a need to move beyond a focus on services to …
Dual Protection In An Integrated Community-Based Program: A Case Study Of Tanzania Family Health/Ministry Of Health Project In Mbeya, Grace Mbekem, Jane Chege
Dual Protection In An Integrated Community-Based Program: A Case Study Of Tanzania Family Health/Ministry Of Health Project In Mbeya, Grace Mbekem, Jane Chege
Reproductive Health
One of the most pressing challenges for health programs in most sub-Saharan African countries is effectively addressing the increasing prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Recent evidence suggests that controlling sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) through undertaking preventive measures, early diagnosis, and treatment significantly slows the spread of HIV/AIDS. In regard to STI/HIV, Maternal and Child Health (MCH) and Family Planning (FP) clients are described as “low risk” groups. However, in a number of sub-Saharan African countries, the reported levels of STDs are significantly high enough to justify use of limited resources to target this group for STD services. MCH/FP programs have begun to …
Integration Of Sti And Hiv/Aids Services With Mch/Fp Services: A Case Study Of The Mkomani Clinic Society In Mombasa, Kenya, Amina Twahir, Baker Ndugga Maggwa, Ian Askew
Integration Of Sti And Hiv/Aids Services With Mch/Fp Services: A Case Study Of The Mkomani Clinic Society In Mombasa, Kenya, Amina Twahir, Baker Ndugga Maggwa, Ian Askew
Reproductive Health
Most national MCH-FP programs in sub-Saharan Africa are shifting their programmatic strategies toward a broader reproductive health service approach that includes integrating STI and HIV/AIDS services into existing MCH-FP programs. This is based on the belief that integration will lead to more cost-effective and better-quality service, and maximize use of existing resources. There is an assumption that the basic infrastructure for the MCH-FP programs can absorb the extra demands of the STI/HIV/AIDS services with minimal additional inputs and that staff providing MCH-FP services require only minimal training to be able to provide STI/HIV/AIDS services. There is a further assumption that …
A Situation Analysis Of The Maternal And Child Health/Family Planning (Mch/Fp) Program In Botswana, Benjamin Baakile, Lucy Sejo Maribe, Baker Ndugga Maggwa, Robert A. Miller
A Situation Analysis Of The Maternal And Child Health/Family Planning (Mch/Fp) Program In Botswana, Benjamin Baakile, Lucy Sejo Maribe, Baker Ndugga Maggwa, Robert A. Miller
Reproductive Health
Botswana has a rapid annual population growth rate and a high total fertility rate. It also has one of the highest levels of contraceptive use in sub-Saharan Africa. Infant and under-5 mortality rates have fallen, yet maternal mortality remains high. The Government of Botswana has developed an extensive network of health care facilities that provide services through an integrated approach. Family planning (FP) services are available at all three levels of the MOH system (hospitals, clinics, health posts). Services for managing sexually transmitted diseases (STDS) have recently undergone a substantial change with the introduction of the Syndromic Approach to STD …