Public Health Commons^™

L'Approche De L'Analyse Situationnelle Pour L'Évaluation Des Services De Planification Familiale Et De Santé De La Reproduction: Manuel De Recherche, Robert A. Miller, Andrew A. Fisher, Kate Miller, Lewis Ndhlovu, Baker Ndugga Maggwa, Ian Askew, Diouratie Sanogo, Placide Tapsoba

Reproductive Health

Une bonne prestation de services de planification familiale mettant l'accent à la fois sur l'accès et la qualité est la clé des objectifs interdépendants de satisfaction des besoins individuels et la réalisation du succès programmatique. L'analyse de situation (AS) fournit un lien nécessaire entre le responsable de programme et la cliente qu'il essaie de servir. Les données recueillies par l’AS offrent une image représentative du fonctionnement des composantes et permettent de «voir» l'expérience de la cliente. Les analyses situationnelles aident le responsable de programme à atteindre le plus grand but en termes de gestion—celui d’une administration efficace d'un service de …

The Tostan Story: Breakthrough In Senegal Ending Female Genital Cutting, Population Council

Reproductive Health

In Senegal, elements of the Tostan education program were fundamental to the ending of the practice of female genital cutting (FGC) which has persisted for centuries, despite outside efforts to abolish such a dangerous and harmful operation. This paper is an attempt by those who lived through these events to share the experience with others. At a time when there has been little reduction in the numbers of women ending FGC in 28 African countries, when different programs and strategies have rarely succeeded in making an impact on the number of women still practicing FGC despite laws abolishing the tradition, …

Indonesia: Analysis Of Conflicting Crisis-Related Research Results, Michelle Gardner, Lila Amaliah

Reproductive Health

This report aims to explain the discrepancies in crisis-related research results in Indonesia, and to recommend methodologies to enhance future crisis-related monitoring and surveillance. The discussion aims to identify where the discrepancies are in the readily available data, and how these discrepancies can be explained. The report does not attempt to clarify the impact that the economic crisis is having on the health status of women and children in Indonesia. Recommendations are made to deal with the following findings: Aggregation of data may hide important crisis impacts; attribution of identified changes to the economic crisis may be misleading; differences in …

Mexico: Training Health Providers On Domestic Violence, Susan Pick, Lydia Miranda

Reproductive Health

This project was designed to disseminate, expand use, and promote institutionalization of a program to train healthcare professionals to address domestic violence. The program was developed and implemented by the Instituto Mexicano de Investigación de Familia y Población (IMIFAP), a nongovernmental organization that promotes reproductive health. IMIFAP designed an 18-hour workshop, entitled “Health Services Respond to Domestic Violence,” to sensitize health professionals to domestic violence issues and develop strategies for recognizing and managing cases of domestic violence. Following the workshop, strong and significant increases in knowledge about domestic violence and its management in primary healthcare services were found. Workshop participants …

Mexico: Informing Service Providers And Factory Workers About Emergency Contraception, Ricardo Vernon

Reproductive Health

The goal of this project was to inform physicians, pharmacists, and female factory workers about emergency contraception (EC) through mailings of booklets and posters. These materials were developed in a previous operations research project conducted by the Instituto Mexicano de Investigación de Familia y Población and supported by the Population Council INOPAL III project with funding from USAID. The study found that recipients generally liked the print materials and welcomed information about EC. Within three weeks of receiving the materials, many reported that they had taken immediate action to make EC available and/or to educate others about EC. This project …

Mexico: Protecting Informed Consent, Elsa Santos, Silvia Elena Llaguno, Ricardo Vernon

Reproductive Health

The objective of this three-month project in Mexico was to disseminate information among key audiences about: 1) the right of women to choose contraceptive methods in a free and informed manner; and 2) the laws and institutions available to help redress any violations of this right. Four publications on these topics, developed by a previous project funded by Population Council/INOPAL III, were reproduced and distributed to 2,750 people in the following target audiences: women of reproductive age; reproductive health service providers; national and state commissions of human rights, complaints offices in public hospitals, feminist and human rights organizations; and legal …

Peru: Providers' Compliance With Quality Of Care Norms, Federico R. Leon

Reproductive Health

Peru's Ministry of Health (MOH) introduced changes in its family planning service delivery strategy and set quality-of-care goals purported to ensure informed choice of methods and respect for the users’ reproductive intentions and rights. This study was designed to assess the extent to which providers comply with the guidelines in their daily routine. The study found that among the strongest elements of care are interpersonal relationships and free choice of methods. However, shortcomings were observed in screening for contraindications and information given to the client. The report includes a number of recommendations, including offering providers IEC materials, training, and supervision …

Reproductive Health Indicators: Moving Forward, Kelly Blanchard, Batya Elul, Saumya Ramarao

Reproductive Health

This report is designed to help researchers, program managers, policymakers, and advocates sift through and evaluate which potential indicators might be useful in a particular programmatic context. It was initially prepared as a background manuscript for a Population Council meeting on reproductive health indicators held in Cairo in March 1998. The manuscript has since been modified to incorporate ideas and comments expressed at that meeting, as well as to include input from other Population Council colleagues.

The Tostan Story: Breakthrough In Senegal Ending Female Genital Cutting [Arabic], Population Council

Reproductive Health

In Senegal, elements of the Tostan education program were fundamental to the ending of the practice of female genital cutting (FGC) which has persisted for centuries, despite outside efforts to abolish such a dangerous and harmful operation. This paper is an attempt by those who lived through these events to share the experience with others. At a time when there has been little reduction in the numbers of women ending FGC in 28 African countries, when different programs and strategies have rarely succeeded in making an impact on the number of women still practicing FGC despite laws abolishing the tradition, …

Implementing A Reproductive Health Agenda In India: The Beginning, Saroj Pachauri

Reproductive Health

At the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in 1994, the nations of the world agreed to give special attention to girls’ education, women’s health, infant survival, and women’s empowerment, and to provide comprehensive reproductive health (RH) services to enable couples to achieve their reproductive goals. The government of India launched a reproductive and child health program in October 1997. This book begins a review of the processes underway to operationalize the program. It brings together several important initiatives at various stages of development and examines key policy and program issues based on empirical research and field experience. The …

Comparing Alternative Products In The Provision Of Emergency Contraception, John P. Skibiak, Yusuf Ahmed, M. Ketata

Reproductive Health

This report is the third in a series of summaries produced in connection with the operations research project “Enhancing Access to Family Planning Services through the Introduction of Emergency Contraception.” Launched in September 1997, the project explores the many issues surrounding the introduction and delivery of emergency contraception services in a developing country context. The study compares the introduction of two different emergency contraception pills—the combined oral contraceptive PC-4, introduced in Zambia in 1997, and the progestin-only contraceptive Postinor-2, introduced by this study in the following year. Client histories showed only minor differences in the attitudes of emergency contraception users …

Vol. 21 No. 4 (1998): Pacific Studies Full Issue, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, and …

Books Received And Book Notices, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Book Listing for the Vol 21, No 4 Edition of the Pacific Studies Journal

The Potential Demographic Impact Of Hiv/Aids In The Pacific, Dennis A. Ahlburg, Heidi J. Larson, Tim Brown

Pacific Studies

The number of HIV infections and cases of AIDS reported in the Pacific Island nations is growing steadily. Since many, if not all, of the risk factors for HIV infection are present in the Pacific, without change in behaviors that place people at risk of infection the potential exists for an HIV/AIDS epidemic. This article shows that such an epidemic would considerably increase mortality and slow but not reverse population growth in many Pacific Island countries. As yet, well-designed, multisectoral responses to the threat of an epidemic are lacking. The longer such responses are delayed, the larger will be the …

Contributors: Vol 21 No. 4, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Contributors list of Vol. 21 (1998): Pacific Studies Full Issue 4

Perceived Health Competency And Health Value, Acculturation And Obesity In A Mexican American Population, Roberto Eliud Maldonado

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Mexican Americans have a higher incidence of obesity than non-Hispanic whites, yet this population seems to be less concerned with maintaining an ideal body weight than non-Hispanic whites. This puts the Mexican Americans population at higher risk for illnesses associated with increased body fat and obesity. One important factor found to influence health maintenance behavior is perceived self-efficacy, or the degree to which the individual feels capable of effectively managing his or her behavioral outcome. This study examines the moderating effect of health competency and health value on body weight in individuals undergoing acculturation.

Although no significant correlations were found …

Measurement Of Hospital Performance: Environmental And Organizational Factors Associated With Cost, Debra Kay Dierksmeier Anderson

Health Services Research Dissertations

As U.S. health care expenditures top the $1 trillion mark, there is increased interest in measuring the performance of health care providers. For bottom line oriented payors such as government and business, the focus is on measuring cost. As hospitals account for over one-third of health care expenses, hospital cost per admission is a common measure of performance.

Many environmental and organizational factors come into play in determining hospital cost per admission. This research examines several of these factors, using Raymond Zammuto's model of organizational effectiveness assessment. Using Zammuto's framework, this research looks at the relationship of social, physical, and …

The Relationship Between Tamoxifen And Depressive Symptoms In Women With Breast Cancer, Terry Marie Lynn

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine whether women with breast cancer and the presence of the drug tamoxifen, are more severely depressed than women with breast cancer and the absence of tamoxifen. Average Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores did not differ between the two sub-groups; however, two significant group differences were found. First, 10 women in the tamoxifen group had scores of zero (versus 4 in the absence of prescribed tamoxifen group). Research has shown that scores of zero do not always reflect an absence of depression. Second, the most severely depressed women (BDI scores in the 25 …

Nuclear Waste And Native America: The Mrs Siting Exercise, M. V. Rajeev Gowda, Doug Easterling

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Drs. Gowda & Easterling provide cross-cultural perspectives on issues of risk perception, equity and policy as they affect nuclear waste storage on Native American sites.

Educational Attainment, Non-English Language Usage, And Ability To Communicate In English In 30 Massachusetts Cities/Towns, Edward C. Besozzi, Carole C. Upshur

Gastón Institute Publications

Data regarding an individual's ability, or the ability of members of a household to speak English, primary language spoken at home, educational attainment, and the level of literacy proficiency should be taken into consideration when designing and implementing policies regarding health care initiatives and the publication of health care information. This report highlights data collected from three sources: 1) The National Adult Literacy Survey; 2) The 1990 Federal Census; and 3) The Massachusetts Institute for Social and Economic Research.

Nursing Home Ownership And Public Policy: An Historical Analysis, K. R. Kaffenberger

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

In the early days of the United States, care of the disabled elderly outside the home meant the public almshouse. By the 1920s, private, nonprofit homes for the aged were prevalent. More recently, private, for-profit facilities have grown to dominate the field.

For-profit ownership has been controversial. Underlying the controversy is the concern that quality might be lowered in order to enhance profit.

This study asks why most nursing homes are privately owned and why most privately owned nursing homes are operated for profit. It does so with reference to The Nonprofit Economy, in which Burton Weisbrod describes a …

An Environmental History Of Fairfield/Wagner Point, Philip Diamond

Legal History Publications

This paper traces the history of the Fairfield/Wagner Point peninsula from the beginning of the European settlement to the present, observing the ambitions and dreams of developers and industrial entrepeneurs, the significant contribution the area made to our nation's wartime production in World War II, the rise and fall of the tight-knit workers' communities, the struggles of outside activists and community leaders to better the living conditions of these neighborhoods, and the environmental devastation of the area followed by the attempt to redevelop the area with “green" industry. A 'central strand in this complex and contradictory story will be the …

Community-Based Aids Prevention And Care In Africa: Results Of Four Action-Research Interventions In East And Southern Africa, Ann Leonard, Esther Muia

HIV and AIDS

The Community Counseling Aides (CCA) project operating with support from the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) in Uganda, is a government initiative being carried out in collaboration with local communities. As the Ministry of Health seeks to develop local capacity to support and operate these efforts at the community level, it has identified the need to improve the skills of local project staff so that they may begin to assume the responsibility for monitoring and evaluating their own program performance. This is part of an overall strategy on the part of the Ugandan Government to decentralize control and allocation of …

Experiencing Physical Violence During Pregnancy: Prevalence And Correlates, Vilma E. Cokkinides, Ann L. Coker

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Violence during pregnancy directly impacts the mental and physical health of pregnant women. We assessed the prevalence and correlates of physical violence around the time of pregnancy in a representative sample of 6,718 women in South Carolina. Physical violence, defined as "being physically hurt by husband or partner" or "being involved in a physical fight" was reported by 10.9% of recently pregnant women. These were correlates of violence: experiencing increased numbers of stressful life events, being unmarried, having increased parity, being on Medicaid, and having an unwanted pregnancy. Screening to identify violence in pregnancy in health care settings is vital …

Violence Against Women In Sierra Leone: Frequency And Correlates Of Intimate Partner Violence And Forced Sexual Intercourse, Ann L. Coker, Donna L. Richter

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Violence against women is a significant public health problem which impacts women, men, and children. Little is known about the frequency or correlates of violence against women in Africa. In this cross-sectional study, we found that 66.7% of 144 women surveyed in a study of AIDS knowledge, attitude, and behaviours, report being beaten by an intimate male partner and 50.7% report having ever been forced to have sexual intercourse; 76.6% of women report either forced sex or intimate partner violence. Circumcised women were most likely to report intimate partner violence and forced sexual intercourse. To improve the health of women …

Oral Performances As Ritual: Animating The Invisible In Mormon Women's Miscarriage Stories, Kristin Leifson Ballif

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is comprised of ten Mormon women's miscarriage stories and it is their stories that are used as the text for my analysis. The purpose of the study is to provide a space for these women to share their experiences and to reveal their cultural values and beliefs. Because the women are all Mormon, there are some distinctive cultural and religious values that are shared within their stories and it is these aspects that are analyzed and discussed within the text.

Women need to be able to share their miscarriage stories so as to alleviate feelings of isolation and …

Manuel De Recherche Opérationnelle En Matière De Planification Familiale, Andrew A. Fisher, John E. Laing, John E. Stoeckel, John Townsend

Reproductive Health

Le Manuel de recherche opérationnelle en matière de planification familiale, publié pour la première fois en anglais par le Population Council en 1984, se basait sur des projets de recherche en Asie. Cette seconde édition contient des sections révisées et développées. Le cas échéant, des exemples d'Amérique latine et d'Afrique ont été ajoutés. Le chapitre d'introduction comprend une exposé actualisé sur le processus de la recherche opérationnelle (RO) en matière de santé et planification familiale. De nouveaux chapitres concernent le choix du type d’intervention à tester dans une étude RO ainsi que les principaux éléments constituant un programme d'intervention. Le …

Integrating Sti/Hiv Services Into Existing Mch/Fp Programs, Baker Ndugga, Ian Askew

Reproductive Health

The presence of certain STIs increases the risk of the sexual transmission of HIV. Thus, controlling STIs can reduce the incidence of HIV. Almost all women in the East and Southern African regions attend MCH/FP clinics regularly, and recent surveys have shown that the prevalence levels of many STIs, including HIV, can be high for women seeking FP and antenatal services, even though they are frequently asymptomatic. MCH/FP services are provided by medically trained staff with many of the same skills needed for managing STIs. Consequently, several MCH/FP programs have started looking for ways to integrate STI management strategies, such …

Reproductive Health Operations Research, 1995–1998, James R. Foreit, Federico R. Leon, Ricardo Vernon, Timothy D.N. King, Deborah L. Billings, A.B Friedman, Janie Benson

Reproductive Health

This book presents in-depth reports on promising new interventions that have been developed and important programmatic changes that have been achieved by operations research in Latin America between 1995 and 1998. The INOPAL III project has made advances in five areas including access and quality of services, integration of family planning and other reproductive health services, financial sustainability, post-abortion care, and emergency contraception. Each of these topics are represented by at least three studies conducted in two or more countries. The operations research projects discussed under each topic are not replications of a single study. They use different research designs …

Emergency Contraception In Zambia: Setting A New Agenda For Research And Action, Yusuf Ahmed, M. Ketata, John P. Skibiak

Reproductive Health

This report summarizes the activities and findings of the first phase of the operations research study, “Enhancing Access to Family Planning Services through the Introduction of Emergency Contraception.” Launched in September 1997, the study was designed to explore a broad range of issues relating to emergency contraception within a developing country context. With financial and technical support from the United States Agency for International Development, the World Health Organization, the Canadian Public Health Association, and the British Department for International Development (DFID), the study consists of an initial exploratory exercise and a subsequent research phase. The report is divided into …