Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Understanding Health Profile Of The Middle-Aged Residents In Tsuen Wan, Tsuen Wan Safe And Health Community, Tsuen Wan Adventist Hospital, Asia-Pacific Institute Of Ageing Studies, Lingnan University

APIAS Research Report 研究報告

Modernization marked the progress of society and posed various changes to human life as well as the epidemiological transition. Improvements in public health care, living conditions, income and the control of infectious diseases were important factors in the first half of the twentieth century that led to the increases in life expectancy, while in the second half it was improvements in social conditions, health technologies such as antibiotics, and widespread immunization. The existences of advanced medical services effectively get rid of the prevalence of infectious disease that caused immediate human threats such as Measles and Smallpox.

Given that technological advancement …

Situation Assessment Of The Hiv Response Among Young People In Zambia, Sam Kalibala, Drosin Mulenga

HIV and AIDS

The main objective of this situational assessment is to compile and synthesize existing recent information on HIV and young people together with the current AIDS response for young people in Zambia—including programs, policies, and key partners—and to document gaps and challenges in the response. The assessment aims to further strengthen this response by all stakeholders including the Government of the Republic of Zambia, the UN, faith-based organizations, civil society organizations, donors, young people, and youth-led organizations. Recommendations include: amending and strengthening laws related to HIV programming for young people and involving them in design and implementation; offering health services, life …

Migration And Hiv In India: Study Of Select Districts, Niranjan Saggurti, Bidhubhusan Mahapatra, Suvakanta N. Swain, Madhusudana Battala, Alka Narang, Umesh Chawla

HIV and AIDS

Report of a study assessing the important role of migration in the spread of HIV in districts with high out-migration in India. The study suggests a considerable spread of HIV linked to migrants’ extramarital sexual behaviors, and subsequent delay in treatment for infected spouses. In order to control the spread of HIV, the study provides programmatic recommendations made by the study participants and the counselors from ICTCs and ART centers. These suggestions include village-level mapping of at-risk persons, mainstreaming HIV prevention interventions within current health resources, improving various village level HIV prevention programs, and involving women left behind by migrant …

Hiv Transmission Among Married Men And Women In Districts With High Out-Migration In India: Study Brief, Niranjan Saggurti, Bidhubhusan Mahapatra, Suvakanta N. Swain, Madhusudana Battala, Umesh Chawla, Alka Narang

HIV and AIDS

This brief describes a study examining the links between male out-migration and HIV transmission among married men and women and other mechanisms by which HIV is transmitted within marital relationships in districts with high out-migration.

Facilitating Regulatory Approval Of Multipurpose Prevention Technologies For Sexual And Reproductive Health, Martha Brady

HIV and AIDS

This brief describes multipurpose prevention technologies (MPTs) that address women's sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs, and how to go about facilitating regulatory approval of this technology. It outlines a strategic framework to examine current regulatory guidance, as well a product development pathway to bring MPTs to market.

What Regulatory Guidance Exists For Multipurpose Prevention Technologies (Mpts)? A Review Of Key Guidance Documents And Their Applicability To Mpts, Martha Brady, Heeyoung Park

HIV and AIDS

This brief reviews regulatory guidance documents and how they may apply to multi-purpose technologies (MPTs). It examines guidance documents from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the International Conference on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The brief concludes by anticipating increased interactions with US regulatory agencies in hopes of finding new regulatory pathways that address MPTs specifically.

Evaluation Of The Informed Consent Process For Male Circumcision Scale-Up In Swaziland, Barbara Friedland, Louis Apicella, Katie D. Schenk, Meredith Sheehy, Paul C. Hewett

HIV and AIDS

This report evaluates the informed consent process for male circumcision conducted through the Male Circumcision Partnership for Swaziland, led by Population Services International, in partnership with Jhpiego, Marie Stopes International, and the Population Council. The study assesses participants' comprehension of the circumcision process, the informed consent process, as well as the affect of male circumcision counseling on their experience.

Education During Humanitarian Emergencies: The Situation Of Displaced Children And Youth In Darfur, Sudan, Safaa El-Kogali

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

More than 39 million children and youth who live in conflict-affected fragile states do not have access to education. With an increase in the average duration of refugee displacement from 9 years in the early 1990s to 17 years today, whole generations of children have little chance to recoup the potential educational investment lost during their years living in the midst of a humanitarian emergency. The Population Council and the Women’s Refugee Commission launched a research project to identify the link between education and children’s protection and well-being in Darfur, Sudan. The objective was to document the educational environment in …

Female Wages In The Egyptian Textiles And Clothing Industry: Low Pay Or Discrimination?, Amirah El-Haddad

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This Population Council working paper analyzes data collected from a survey of firms and workers in the textiles and clothing sector in Egypt. These data allow for the explanation of the sector’s gender wage gap by poorer endowments, and relegation of women to low-paying firms and occupations; and by within-firm and within-occupation differential in returns. There is a pay gap in this sector, with men receiving an hourly wage 29 percent higher than that of women, partly because women are concentrated in the lower paid occupations, with a clear glass ceiling in effect, and outright discrimination occurs. The largest of …

The Relationship Between Depression And Cognitive Deterioration In Older Adults, Rakesh Chand

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The population structure of the United States is changing; the older age group is increasing in size relative to the younger generation. The trend is expected to continue, especially starting in 2020, when the baby boomer population---estimated at 80 million---will be reaching their 65 th birthday, a time associated with increasing health complications, including depression and dementia. The study employed a holistic paradigm as the conceptual framework to examine the association between depression and dementia in older adults, and generated a grounded theory to illuminate the relationship between depression and dementia. This theory was then used to assess the efficacy …

Religious-Base Social Relationship And The Psychological Well-Being Of The Elderly: Gender And Race Variations, Eugene C. Uche

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

More people in the United States are approaching retirement age, a trend which has resulted in increased study on life satisfaction and psychological well-being of the elderly. Previous researchers have focused on the relationship between religious social support and life satisfaction; however, there remains a gap in the literature regarding how race and gender may influence this association. Knowledge of interactions between religiosity, gender, and race will enable counselors working with different groups of religiously inclined clients to develop and implement religious-based interventions specific to their clients. Guided by the social ecological model, the purpose of this study was to …

Factors Contributing To The Increase In Hiv/Aids And Late Diagnoses Of The Virus Among Older Adults, Lorraine C. Barnett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted that the incidence of HIV/AIDS among the American population aged 50 years and over would account for 50% of all HIV/AIDS cases in the United States by 2015. Yet there is little research available about the reason for the high prevalence or the availability of interventions available for this population. The purpose of this study was to explore factors related to HIV/AIDS awareness in a group of older recipients of health care and their health care providers. This study was intended to help fill the information gaps in this area by using …

Influence Of Coping Styles On Social Support Seeking Among Cancer Patient Family Caregivers, Sandra Renee Rankin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Family caregivers of cancer patients may enter a predeath grief cycle when their loved one is diagnosed with cancer. The emotional upheaval and accompanying stress that define predeath grief may lead to health problems for the caregiver, and also interfere with their ability to provide care for their loved one. The purpose of the present research was to examine the relationship between coping styles of family caregivers and the tendency of those caregivers to seek social support during active caregiving. This study employed a quantitative approach based on the revised coping theory and the process of bereavement, which is grounded …

Analysis Of Variance In Recidivism Between Special Needs Offenders And Regular Offender Populations In Texas, Park Esewiata Atatah

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A Specialized or Super Intensive-1 (SI-1) supervision level refers to a contact requirement imposed on special needs offenders (SNOs) under Texas parole supervision. SI-1 supervision requires greater contact with parole officers and treatment providers than supervision levels used on regular offenders (ROs), yet little is known about whether SI-1 supervision offenders violate terms of their parole or commit new crimes at a different rate compared to the regular offender population in the State of Texas. Reconstruction theory and the social construction of reality were used as theoretical underpinnings of this study, which examined whether differences in offenders' supervision levels created …

A Typology Of Coping In Couples Undergoing Fertility Treatment, Brennan Peterson, Matthew Pirritano, Lone Schmidt

Marriage and Family Therapy Faculty Presentations

Poster presentation about the use of cluster analysis to identify clinically meaningful groups of infertile couples, and how such profiles can be used by medical and mental health professionals.

Constructing A Critical Path For Product Development, Commercialization, And Access, Martha Brady

HIV and AIDS

This brief discusses the Council's health technologies development and the product development path from conceptualization to market. It defines the steps in the Critical Path Framework, and examines activities at the preclinical and clinical stage.

Hiv Integrated Biological And Behavioural Surveillance Survey (Ibbss) 2010, Federal Ministry Of Health

HIV and AIDS

This report by the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health highlights the findings of an integrated biological and behavioral surveillance survey (IBBSS) in Nigeria among groups whose behaviors or occupations often place them at higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The main objectives of the study were to assess the knowledge and beliefs of high-risk groups about STI and HIV, determine the prevalence of HIV infection among these groups, and obtain data that will permit identification of trends over time. Since the 2007 IBBSS survey report, a considerable number of interventions have commenced among the study groups.

Prevalence Of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Men Who Have Sex With Men And Injecting Drug Users And Validation Of Audio Computer-Assisted Self Interview (Acasi) Technique In Abuja, Lagos, And Ibadan, Nigeria: Technical Report, Enhancing Nigeria's Hiv/Aids Response (Enr) Programme

HIV and AIDS

Most-at-risk populations (MARPS), including men who have sex with men (MSM) and injecting drug users (IDUs), represent 1 percent of Nigeria’s population yet account for 38 percent of new HIV infections. Despite their elevated risk, MSM and IDUs are less likely than the general population to access HIV prevention and sexual health services because of stigmatization. There is a dearth of data on prevalence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among MSM and IDUs because their behaviors make them difficult to be reached programmatically and engaged in research. While the need for HIV and STI prevalence data is clear, …

Alcohol And Other Drug Resistance Strategies Employed By Rural Adolescents, Jonathan Pettigrew, Michelle Miller-Day, Janice L. Krieger, Michael L. Hecht

Communication Faculty Articles and Research

This study seeks to identify how rural adolescents make health decisions and utilize communication strategies to resist influence attempts in offers of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 113 adolescents from rural school districts to solicit information on ATOD norms, past ATOD experiences, and substance offer response episodes. Rural youths’ resistance strategies were similar to previous findings with urban adolescents – refuse, explain, avoid, and leave (the REAL typology) – while unique features of these strategies were identified including the importance of personal narratives, the articulation of a non-user identity, and being “accountable” to self …

Social Mobilization Strategy, Family Advancement For Life And Health (Falah)

Reproductive Health

This document outlines social mobilization strategies at the national and community levels of the Family Advancement for Life and Health (FALAH) project in Pakistan. The project aims to improve the health and well-being of women, men, and their children through tackling the major obstacles in adoption of birth spacing to improve maternal and child health outcomes and family well-being, by increasing knowledge of the benefits of birth spacing as well as knowledge, increased demand for, and effective use of contraceptive methods. The strategy aims to achieve a significant increase in couples’ knowledge and understanding of the need for and benefits …

Scaling Up The Integration Of Tuberculosis Screening Into Reproductive Health Services, Aphia Ii Or Project In Kenya

Reproductive Health

The Population Council’s APHIA II Operations Research and Kenya’s Ministry of Health implemented a pilot project in five facilities across Nairobi Province in 2010 with the aim of improving access to care and treatment for tuberculosis (TB) for women during postnatal care (PNC) services. As tuberculosis persists in Kenya, integration of screening and referrals within postnatal care services will increase case detection and treatment for those infected. Integration of TB screening is likely to be scaled up throughout PNC and maternal and child health services in Kenya. Strong linkages between health services, training, and supervision, and simple provider tools will …

Strengthening The Delivery Of Comprehensive Reproductive Health Services At The Community Level In Kenya, Population Council

Reproductive Health

The Population Council APHIA II Operations Research Project collaborated with the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation to improve the quality of services offered by community-based midwives in two districts in Western Kenya, to prepare them to offer more comprehensive maternal services through antenatal, obstetric, postpartum, and newborn care. The study found that community midwives can tremendously increase clients’ access to essential maternal health services and other reproductive health services. Therefore Ministry of Health and its partners should scale up community midwives’ activities to enable more women access these services. Furthermore, information campaigns are needed to promote the range of …

"Knowing Myself First": Feasibility Of Self-Testing Among Health Workers In Kenya, Sam Kalibala, Waimar Tun, William Muraah, Peter Cherutich, Erick Oweya, Patricia Oluoch

HIV and AIDS

Report of a study exploring the feasibility and acceptability of free HIV home self-testing among health workers in Kenya, within the range of other HIV testing options available.

Prevalence Of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Men Who Have Sex With Men And Injecting Drug Users And Validation Of Audio Computer-Assisted Self Interview (Acasi) Technique In Abuja, Lagos, And Ibadan, Nigeria: Report Fact Sheet, Enhancing Nigeria's Hiv/Aids Response (Enr) Programme

HIV and AIDS

Most-at-risk populations (MARPS), including men who have sex with men (MSM) and injecting drug users (IDUs), represent only 1 percent of Nigeria’s population yet account for 38 percent of new HIV infections. Despite their elevated risk, MSM and IDUs are less likely than the general population to access HIV prevention and sexual health services because of stigmatization. There is a dearth of data on prevalence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among MSM and IDUs because their behaviors make them difficult to be reached programmatically and engaged in research. While the need for HIV and STI prevalence data is …

No Significant Change In Sexual Behavior In Association With Human Papilloma Virus Vaccination In Young Girls, Wafa R.R. Al Romaih, Archana Srinivas, Said Shahtahmasebi, Hatim A. Omar

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

The first human Papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine was approved in the United States in 2006 with the potential to reduce cervical cancer and genital warts. Since then, its efficacy in preventing HPV-related cancers in both males and females has been promising. Despite CDC recommendations, opponents of the vaccine assert that vaccinating pre-adolescents and adolescents will increase their sexual activity, as well as overtly condone risky sexual behavior. We analyzed clinic data of 499 adolescents with a mean age of 16 years to explore whether vaccination led to change in sexual behavior after one year. Our results showed no statistically significant …

Evaluation Of The Informed Consent Process For Male Circumcision Scale-Up In Zambia, Barbara Friedland, Louis Apicella, Katie D. Schenk, Meredith Sheehy, Paul C. Hewett

HIV and AIDS

This report evaluates the informed consent process for male circumcision conducted through the Male Circumcision Partnership for Zambia, led by Population Services International (Society for Family Health, Zambia), in partnership with Jhpiego, Marie Stopes International, and the Population Council. The objectives of the study were to assess male circumcision clients' comprehension of the informed consent process, examine social norms and practices regarding informed consent for adolescents, compare clients' expectations and experiences, and make additional recommendations for improving the informed consent process.

On Trade Policies And Wage Disparity In Egypt: Evidence From Microeconomic Data, Chahir Zaki

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This working paper assesses the extent to which trade barriers, including traditional tariff barriers, non-tariff measures, and red tape, affect wage disparity and employment in Egypt. Using a microeconomic dataset, the author assesses to what extent different trade barriers affected wage disparity and employment in Egypt. This disparity is studied in three dimensions: on gender (males vs. females), qualification (blue vs. white collar workers), and regional (urban vs. rural workers). Findings show that both non-tariff measures and red tape barriers have a higher impact than traditional tariffs on wage disparity and that women, urban workers, and blue collar workers are …

High-Risk Human Papillomavirus (Hpv) Screening And Detection In Normal, Healthy Patient Saliva Samples: A Pilot Cluster Randomized Study, Deirdre O. Turner, Shelley J. Williams-Cocks, Ryan Bullen, Jeremy Catmull, Jesse Falk, Daniel Martin, Jerom Mauer, Annabel E. Barber, Robert C. Wang, Shawn Gerstenberger, Karl Kingsley

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Background: The human papillomaviruses (HPV) are a large family of non-enveloped DNA viruses, mainly associated with cervical cancers. Recent epidemiologic evidence has suggested that HPV may be an independent risk factor for oropharyngeal cancers. Evidence now suggests HPV may modulate the malignancy process in some tobacco- and alcohol-induced oropharynx tumors, but might also be the primary oncogenic factor for inducing carcinogenesis among some non-smokers. More evidence, however, is needed regarding oral HPV prevalence among healthy adults to estimate risk. The goal of this study was to perform an HPV screening of normal healthy adults to assess oral HPV prevalence.

Methods: …

Parent-Child Communication On Sexual And Reproductive Health Matters: Perspectives Of Mothers And Fathers Of Youth In India, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, K.G. Santhya

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report from the Population Council study “Youth in India: Situation and Needs” presents data from in-depth interviews with mothers and fathers of youth in six states of India regarding communication patterns. The content of parent-child—and parent-daughter—communication is typically intended to ensure that young people conform to prevailing social, gender, and relationship norms. This study, one of the first from India to probe parental perspectives, suggests that parents are indeed concerned about their children’s transition into sexual life, but are constrained by traditional norms, lack of information, and limited skills from communicating with and providing them the supportive environment needed …

La Dynamique De La Discrimination Salariale Et De L'Équité Gendorielle Sur Le Marché Du Travail Au Maroc, Sami Zouari

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This Population Council working paper investigates the dynamics of the wage gap between men and women in Morocco. Estimates have shown that women earn up to 35 percent less than men in the periods observed. Differences in characteristics between the two sexes, mainly due to the difference in human capital endowments, are explained by only a small proportion of the gap. A negative proportion reported, though, is a kind of breakthrough for women, since it means that in terms of human capital skills, women are better qualified than their male counterparts. These negative differences confirm that women, especially those working …