Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Executive Summary—Understanding The Lives Of Adolescents And Young Adults (Udaya) In Bihar, India, K.G. Santhya, Rajib Acharya, Neelanjana Pandey, Santosh Kumar Singh, Shilpi Rampal, A.J. Francis Zavier, Ashish Kumar Gupta

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

A program of research titled, “Understanding the lives of adolescents and young adults (UDAYA) in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,” implemented by the Population Council, aimed to understand the factors that determine healthy transitions from childhood to adolescence and adulthood. The goal of UDAYA is to establish the levels, patterns, and trends in the situation of younger (10–14) and older (15–19) adolescents and assess factors that influence the quality of transitions they make. The specific objectives of UDAYA are: 1) to explore the situation of adolescents, with a focus on assessing the extent to which both younger and older adolescents have …

Executive Summary—Understanding The Lives Of Adolescents And Young Adults (Udaya) In Bihar, India [Hindi], K.G. Santhya, Rajib Acharya, Neelanjana Pandey, Santosh Kumar Singh, Shilpi Rampal, A.J. Francis Zavier, Ashish Kumar Gupta

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

A program of research titled, “Understanding the lives of adolescents and young adults (UDAYA) in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,” implemented by the Population Council, aimed to understand the factors that determine healthy transitions from childhood to adolescence and adulthood. The goal of UDAYA is to establish the levels, patterns, and trends in the situation of younger (10–14) and older (15–19) adolescents and assess factors that influence the quality of transitions they make. The specific objectives of UDAYA are: 1) to explore the situation of adolescents, with a focus on assessing the extent to which both younger and older adolescents have …

Feasibility Of Screening And Referring Women Experiencing Marital Violence By Engaging Frontline Workers: Evidence From Rural Bihar, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, K.G. Santhya, Santosh Kumar Singh, A.J. Francis Zavier, Neelanjana Pandey, Rajib Acharya, Komal Saxena, Aparajita Gogoi, Madhu Joshi, Sandeep Ojha

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Population Council, together with partners, the Centre for Catalyzing Change, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, with support from UKaid, implemented the Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) project in rural areas of Patna district in Bihar, India. The project engaged frontline workers (FLWs) to screen women for their experience of marital violence, inform them about their options in case of such an experience, and provide basic counseling and referral to women reporting the experience. Overall, the findings from the implementation of the Do Kadam program have been encouraging. They suggest that interactions …

Girls Creating Opportunities For A Brighter Tomorrow: Integrated Curriculum Guide (8 To 17 Years Old)—Two-Year Cycle (Adapted For Belize), Cecilia Garcés, Paola Broll

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In 2004, the Population Council in Guatemala launched the “Abriendo Oportunidades” (AO) Program with the purpose of supporting indigenous girls in reaching their maximum potential to overcome the cycle of poverty. The program compiled many valuable lessons, often from young mentors working directly with girls and adolescents. Constant dialogue among the Council’s team led to the current version of the curriculum guide. This is the third version of the AO curriculum guide, designed as a tool to foster reflection and dialogue, sisterhood, and critical thinking among adolescent girls. The guide is promoted as a valuable tool for programs seeking to …

More Than Brides Alliance (Mtba): Mariage N’Est Pas Un Jeu D’Enfat, Rapport De Référence Mali, Andrea J. Melnikas, Sajeda Amin, Sarah Engebretsen, Mouhamadou Gueye

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L’Alliance « Plus qu’une épouse » vise à améliorer la vie des adolescentes et propose des interventions dans plusieurs domaines (la santé reproductive, l’éducation, les normes de genre et les moyens de subsistance, entre autres). Dans le cadre d’une évaluation des interventions visant à retarder l’âge du mariage, le Population Council a mené des enquêtes de référence sur les adolescentes dans les régions de Sikasso et Ségou au Mali. Les résultats suggèrent que des interventions sont nécessaires pour répondre aux vulnérabilités rencontrées par les filles qui vivent dans ces communautés. La collecte de données supplémentaires contribuera à examiner certains de …

More Than Brides Alliance (Mtba): Mariage N’Est Pas Un Jeu D’Enfat, Rapport De Référence Niger, Grace Saul, Andrea J. Melnikas, Sajeda Amin, Sarah Engebretsen, Aissa Diarra, Chaibou Saadou

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L’Alliance « Plus qu’une épouse » vise à améliorer la vie des adolescentes et propose des interventions dans plusieurs domaines (la santé reproductive, l’éducation, les normes de genre et les moyens de subsistance, entre autres). Dans le cadre d’une évaluation des interventions visant à retarder l’âge du mariage, le Population Council a mené des enquêtes de référence sur les adolescentes dans des zones sélectionnées dans deux régions au Niger (Tillabéry et Maradi). Les objectifs de l’étude de référence étaient les suivants : 1) fournir un point de référence permettant de mesurer les changements découlant de l’intervention à mi-parcours et à …

More Than Brides Alliance: Baseline Report, Niger, Grace Saul, Andrea J. Melnikas, Sajeda Amin, Sarah Engebretsen, Aissa Diarra, Chaibou Saadou

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The More Than Brides Alliance (MTBA) seeks to improve the lives of adolescent girls and includes activities across multiple domains (reproductive health, education, gender norms, and livelihoods, to name a few). The Population Council conducted baseline surveys of adolescents in select areas of two regions in Niger (Tillaberi and Maradi) as part of an evaluation of MTBA interventions to delay marriage. The goals of the baseline study were to: 1) provide a benchmark against which changes resulting from the intervention may be measured at the midline and endline periods; 2) provide information about the current situation and context for adolescent …

Reducing Violence Against Women And Girls In India: Lessons From The Do Kadam Programme, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

A key challenge underlying the gap between policy and program commitments in India and the reality of women’s lives is the dearth of evidence on what works and what does not work to change notions of masculinity and femininity, reverse norms at the community level that condone marital violence, and reduce women’s experience of intimate partner violence. The Do Kadam Barabari Ki Ore (Two Steps Towards Equality) program aimed to fill this evidence gap. Do Kadam was implemented by the Population Council, the Centre for Catalyzing Change, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, with support from the …

School Related Violence, Sanitation Facilities At School, And Menstrual Hygiene Management: What Is The Evidence For Their Effect On School Attendance And Learning, And How Might Population Scientists Advance This Research Agenda?, Barbara Mensch

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of School Violence On Education In Malawi, Stephanie Psaki, Barbara Mensch, Erica Soler-Hampejsek

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In response to a global policy effort to increase school enrollment, in 1994 Malawi became one of the first low-income countries to eliminate primary school fees. Since then, Malawi has achieved nearly universal primary enrollment, however enrolling young Malawians in school has not translated into keeping them in school. This policy brief describes the nature and consequences of school violence in rural Malawi—a common experience for both girls and boys. There is little evidence that school violence disrupts schooling as expected, with the exception of sexual violence experienced at school by boys. Violence at home is also common, and may …

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 …

The Impact And Cost Of Child Marriage Prevention In Rural Burkina Faso, Annabel Erulkar, Girmay Medhin, Eva Weissman

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The negative impact of child marriage, frequently prevalent in rural locations of poor countries, spans health, development, and demographic consequences. While evidence is limited, a systematic review of child marriage interventions in developing countries found that the most effective approaches in delaying child marriage were those that empower girls by offering incentives such as conditional cash transfers. However, most impact evaluations of community-based programs lack rigorous costing data, a particular weakness of cash transfer schemes where programmatic cost would affect the ability to scale up successful interventions for large populations. To address the limited information on cost and scalability of …

The Impact And Cost Of Child Marriage Prevention In Rural Ethiopia, Annabel Erulkar, Girmay Medhin, Eva Weissman

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The negative impact of child marriage, frequently prevalent in rural locations of poor countries, spans health, development, and demographic consequences. While evidence is limited, a systematic review of child marriage interventions in developing countries found that the most effective approaches in delaying child marriage were those that empower girls by offering incentives such as conditional cash transfers. However, most impact evaluations of community-based programs lack rigorous costing data, a particular weakness of cash transfer schemes where programmatic cost would affect the ability to scale up successful interventions for large populations. To address the limited information on cost and scalability of …

The Impact And Cost Of Child Marriage Prevention In Three African Settings, Annabel Erulkar, Girmay Medhin, Eva Weissman

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Girls in sub-Saharan Africa are disproportionately affected by child marriage; by 2050, half of the girls married during childhood will reside in Africa. The negative consequences of the practice are numerous and powerful, spanning health, welfare, development, and demographic domains. Yet, there is limited evidence on what works to delay child marriage in different cultural contexts and even less information on programmatic cost. This study develops and tests the most effective and minimum basic package approaches to delay marriage among older and younger adolescent girls, and estimates the cost and cost-effectiveness of implementing the different approaches, in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, …

The Nia Project: Baseline Report, Eunice N. Muthengi, Emily Farris, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The onset of puberty and menarche is a particularly vulnerable time for girls, when external pressures are exacerbated by their lack of knowledge of their bodies, their rights, and the implications of their decisions, and by their inability to manage puberty and adolescence safely and comfortably with appropriate menstrual health and hygiene management (MHM) products. Although several programs have previously been developed to address girls’ MHM needs globally, few have been evaluated, and where evidence does exist the results have been mixed. In collaboration with ZanaAfrica, the Population Council is evaluating the Nia Project, a set of interventions for adolescent …

The Nia Project: Baseline Survey Instruments, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This document includes all of the Nia Project baseline survey instruments used to collect data in Kenya, providing a multidimensional description of a sample of the participating girls and the schools they attend. The Project is one of the first randomized controlled trials to explore the role of sanitary pad distribution and reproductive health education—individually and in combination—to improve girls’ educational and sexual and reproductive health outcomes. The study collected data from 3,489 girls from 140 schools in three rural Kilifi subcounties: Magarini, Kaloleni, and Ganze.

The Nia Project—Brief, Eunice N. Muthengi, Emily Farris, Karen Austrian

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief provides highlights from the Nia Project conducted in Kenya. The study found that while gaps exist in girls’ capabilities, particularly knowledge and attitudes related to menstruation and reproductive health, the Nia Project has the potential to bridge those gaps. The Project is one of the first randomized controlled trials to explore the role of sanitary pad distribution and reproductive health education—individually and in combination—to improve girls’ educational and sexual and reproductive health outcomes. The findings of this study will make a critical contribution to filling an evidence gap in the field of menstrual health and hygiene management, and …

Understanding The Lives Of Adolescents And Young Adults (Udaya) In Uttar Pradesh, India (2015–16), K.G. Santhya, Rajib Acharya, Neelanjana Pandey, Ashish Kumar Gupta, Shilpi Rampal, Santosh Kumar Singh, A.J. Francis Zavier

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The goal of the program of research titled “Understanding the lives of adolescents and young adults (UDAYA) in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh” is to establish the levels, patterns, and trends in the situation of younger (10–14) and older (15–19) adolescents and to assess factors that influence the quality of transitions they make. The study is designed to provide robust insights on how investments in adolescents influence their life course by the time they reach young adulthood; enable evidence-based decisions on the types of programs worthy of scale-up; and furnish important baseline indicators against which the long-term impact of programs can …

Understanding The Lives Of Adolescents And Young Adults (Udaya): Bihar, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Understanding the lives of adolescents and young adults (UDAYA) is a program of research conducted by the Population Council which seeks to: explore the situation and needs of younger (10−14 years) and older (15−19 years) adolescents; describe changes in their situation and needs over time; and assess factors that determine the quality of their transitions from adolescence to young adulthood. UDAYA, implemented from 2015 to 2020, uses community-based repeated cross-sectional surveys, panel surveys, and qualitative methods. With its geographical focus on Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, in India, UDAYA illustrates the lives of every fourth adolescent in that country and every …

Assisted Suicide, Valerie Ontiveros

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Senior Capstone Projects

Assisted suicide is when a physician helps a terminally ill patient die without pain. As of right now, it is illegal in most states. Organizations about this issue were organized in the late 1930's (Humphry). According to Pro-Con. Org, 79% of patients requested assisted suicide even before they came terminally ill –if it got to that point.

Many states have different laws on assisted suicide. In no doubt, these patients go through a tremendous amount of pain and no one but themselves should decide when enough is enough. Technological advances have allowed this generation to help aid a person when …

Data Note: Reasons For Exiting Vr Services Without Employment, Alberto Migliore, Cady Landa, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Only 23% of adults with intellectual disabilities work, compared to 73% of people without disabilities (statedata.info). To bridge this gap, the vocational rehabilitation (VR) program offers valuable services including assessment, job search assistance, and counseling. In FY 2014, over 46,000 adults with intellectual disabilities exited the national VR program. About 38% of them reported an employment outcome. However, a large proportion of them exited without employment, and were reported as either having lost interest in receiving services (29%), or unable to be located by VR staff (17%). These two reasons combined represented 46% of the total number of case closures …

Rituals Reproducing Race: African American Women's Feminine Hygiene Practices, Shared Experiences, And Power, Angela K. Guy-Lee

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation is an exploration of the role African American women’s feminine hygiene practices, namely vaginal douching, plays in the creation and reproduction of race. Compared to their white and Latina counterparts, African American women are the most likely to engage in this practice. Vaginal douching is associated with myriad reproductive and sexual health problems. These problems include but are not limited to recurrent yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis, disrupting healthy vaginal microbiomes, and spontaneous preterm birth; of which African American women experience disproportionately. Although racial differences in vaginal douching are well documented, little is known about the impetus for African …

The Relationship Between Religiosity And Depression Among Sampled Kenyans In The Twin Cities Metro Area, Dorcas Waite

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to assess whether there is a relationship between the self-reported level of religiosity and the self-reported level of depression among sampled Kenyans in the Twin Cities Metro Area, in Minnesota. The sample consisted of 63 individuals who were members or visitors at Destiny Faith Ministries and United Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

Results showed that 98.4% (n=60) of participants identified themselves with a specific religion, 90.4% (n=57) scored 40 and above on the religiosity scale, which indicated strong religiosity. Majority of participants (66.8%, n=42) indicated that they had been bothered for several days by at least …

Buying Happiness: Property, Acquisition, And Subjective Well-Being, David Fagundes

Faculty Articles

Acquiring property is a central part of the modern American vision of the good life. The assumption that accruing more land or chattels will make us better off is so central to the contemporary preoccupation with acquisition that it typically goes without saying. Yet an increasing body of evidence from psychologists and economists who study hedonics—the science of happiness—yields the surprising conclusion that getting and having property does not actually increase our subjective well-being. In fact, it might even decrease it. While scholars have integrated the insights of hedonics into other areas of law, no scholarship has yet done so …

A Study Exploring Parents’ And Occupational Therapists Views On Facilitating Social And Emotional Development, Salena C. Neuwar

Honors College Theses

This study examined how parents of a child with a disability and the child's occupational therapist each facilitate social and emotional development among children who have or are currently receiving occupational therapy services. This study first served to identify, through interviews, what social and emotional skills are important individually to the parent and the occupational therapist that the child gains. Through interviews, the researcher investigated the perceptions of how parents and occupational therapists facilitate social and emotional skills. The location of the therapy session was found to be a vital component among parent and occupational therapist interaction. Finally, this research …

Parental Understandings Of The Meaning Of Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Kylara Leyva

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study examines how parents understand autism, their child's behavior and development. Parents can understand their child's behavior and development through a medical model perspective, which sees the childâ??s autism as a series of deficits and deviations. However, a growing number of parents understand their child's behavior and development through a neurodiversity perspective, where a child is seen as having differences in behavior, instead of deficits. Parents' understandings of autism can influence how they see their child's behavior and development and be a driver for seeking diagnosis. In-depth interviews were conducted with parents of children with autism to probe for …

Poison In Pink, Sydney V. Cook

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Humans slather, spray, mist, and cleanse their bodies with personal care products like lotion, hairspray, cologne, and shampoo every day. Our cupboards are stocked full of them, but few of us understand what is in those jars and bottles. We trust that if it’s on the shelf at the store, it’s safe. However, this is not always the case, and many personal care products contain chemicals that are harmful to human and environmental health.

My multi-disciplinary Environmental Studies thesis project combines evidenced-based research, interviews, nonfiction narrative, and science communication to create part of a book manuscript intended to educate general …

The Implications Of Attachment Orientation And Personality Pathology For Detecting Deception, Madeline Luedke

Global Tides

This study investigated the implications of attachment orientations and personality dimensions for accuracy in detecting deception from emotionally-based statements. Thirty individuals (M age = 25.33, range = 18-52) completed a survey that included the Personality Inventory for DSM-V-Brief Form and the Relationship Styles Questionnaire to measure the individual differences in question. To measure deceit, 7 mental health counselors volunteered to participate in a video-recorded mock interview concerning their current romantic partner—3 individuals provided false responses, and the remaining 4 offered true answers. The audio-visual vignettes were imbedded in the survey and subjects viewed each, then responded a question asking …

Quality Improvement Initiative To Reduce Fall Risk In The Snf, Ramona C. Lancaster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Residents who fall in SNF either sustain significant decline to quality of life or die from their injuries. The average fall costs about $34,000 per incident. On average, 19.8% of residents fall at least once per month. The purpose of this project was to assess, identify, and advance nursing practice to decrease falls by evaluating current facility standard of practice, fall policy, procedures, and protocol. The objective was to create actions that would close the communication gap between clinicians and residents. This project encourages clinicians to intertwine resident feedback and strategies into the plan of care to help reduce fall …

A Theory Of Veteran Identity, Travis L. Martin

Theses and Dissertations--English

More than 2.6 million troops have deployed in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Still, surveys reveal that more than half feel “disconnected” from their civilian counterparts, and this feeling persists despite ongoing efforts, in the academy and elsewhere, to help returning veterans overcome physical and mental wounds, seek an education, and find meaningful ways to contribute to society after taking off the uniform. This dissertation argues that Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans struggle with reassimilation because they lack healthy, complete models of veteran identity to draw upon in their postwar lives, a problem they’re working through collectively …