Public Health Commons^™

Unveiling The Consensus: Putting People First In Pakistan's Development Agenda, Government Of Pakistan, Unfpa, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This document contains the consensus from the Population Summit held in Islamabad, Pakistan, November 5–6, 2015. To date, an enduring commitment to a sound and adequate population welfare program has eluded Pakistan, leaving millions of couples who want to wait before having their next child or who consider that they have enough children, without good access to family planning. However, in the wake of devolution, in part through efforts of donors and civil society for awareness building, advocacy, and dialogue, opinion among all major stakeholders is coalescing around the need to address Pakistan’s alarming maternal and child health indicators through …

Africa’S Slow Fertility Transition, John Bongaarts

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

No abstract provided.

Gender-Biased Sex Selection In India: A Review Of The Situation And Interventions To Counter The Practice, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Sharmistha Basu, Rajib Acharya, A.J. Francis Zavier

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report on gender-biased sex selection in India is divided into six chapters, including an introduction in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 describes the laws and policies adopted by India to address gender-biased sex selection, as well as those intended to support and empower women and girls. Chapter 3 analyzes the trends and geographic variation in the sex ratio at birth and in the child sex ratio. Chapter 4 briefly describes the socioeconomic differences and factors underlying distorted sex ratios and gender-biased sex selection in India, and the social consequences of these practices. Experiences in implementing the PCPNDT Act, initiatives intended …

Um Só Currículo: Directrizes Para Uma Educação Integrada Em Sexualidade, Género, Hiv E Direitos Humanos, International Sexuality And Hiv Curriculum Working Group, Nicole Haberland, Deborah Rogow

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Education on sexuality and HIV can help adolescents develop the capacity for healthy, respectful relationships and protect themselves from unwanted and unsafe sex, unintended pregnancy, and sexually transmitted infections. A 2015 Population Council study found that sexuality and HIV education programs that address gender and power in intimate relationships are five times more likely to be effective than programs that do not. However, most curricula still do not address these issues. “It’s All One Curriculum” provides a rationale, content, and sample activities for placing gender and rights at the center of sexuality and HIV curricula—both as stand-alone modules and integrated …

The Adolescent Experience In-Depth: Using Data To Identify And Reach The Most Vulnerable Young People—Tanzania 2009–2012, Population Council, Tanzania Commission For Aids (Tacaids), Zanzibar Aids Commission (Zac), Unicef Tanzania

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

“The Adolescent Experience In-Depth: Using Data to Identify and Reach the Most Vulnerable Young People: Tanzania 2009–12” is part of a series of Population Council guides that draw principally on data from the Demographic and Health Surveys to provide decisionmakers at all levels—from governments, nongovernmental organizations, and advocacy groups—with evidence on the situation of adolescent girls and boys and young women aged 10–24 years. The data are presented in graphs, tables, and maps (wherever possible), providing multiple formats to make the information accessible to a range of audiences. Section I is the Foreword. Section II offers brief technical notes specific …

Gender-Biased Sex Selection In South Asia: The Situation And Promising Approaches To Restore Balance, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This project summary indicates that sex ratios at birth in South Asia vary considerably. While the sex ratios at birth in Bangladesh and Pakistan have been normal at the country level (103 and 102.5 males per 100 females, respectively), Nepal is showing signs of disturbed sex ratios at birth, with a sex ratio of 106 males per 100 females, and the situation in India is particularly adverse, with a sex ratio at birth of 110 males per 100 females. In all of these countries, preconditions for a deterioration of the sex ratio at birth are evident. Preferences are expressed for …

Panel Survey Of Young People In Egypt (Sype) 2014: Generating Evidence For Policy, Programs, And Research, Rania Roushdy, Maia Sieverding

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Panel Survey of Young People in Egypt (SYPE), first conducted in 2009 among Egyptian youth aged 10–29, focuses on education, employment, health, family formation, migration, reproductive health, social issues, and civic/political participation. This second round, SYPE 2014, was conducted in the wake of two youth-led revolutions (2011 and 2013). SYPE 2014 attempts to understand changes that occurred among Egyptian youth over the period between the two rounds through targeting the same group of respondents of the 2009 survey in 2014 to accurately document changes and progress in the status of these young people. Preliminary findings indicated: a slight decrease …

Urban Adolescents' Needs Assessment Survey In Bangladesh: Summary, Bied, Bracu, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Urban Adolescents’ Needs Assessment Survey in Bangladesh was designed to provide a general overview of the experience of urban adolescents, along with specific policy recommendations for adolescent programs. The Population Council, in collaboration with the BRAC Institute of Educational Development, developed this study as part of a broader needs assessment to inform several urban adolescent programs aimed at improving educational outcomes, providing better access to sexual and reproductive health information, and providing counseling and mental health support. The findings have implications for existing and future program strategies to promote adolescent well-being. This document provides a snapshot of the survey …

Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Program Overview, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

For Zambian girls, social isolation, economic vulnerability, and lack of appropriate health information and services are critical problems that prevent a healthy transition from girlhood to womanhood. The challenges that girls are confronted with—high rates of gender-based violence, unsafe sex that puts girls at risk for unwanted pregnancy and HIV infection, school dropout, lack of economic resources and income-generating options, lack of agency and participation—are linked together through their root causes. Therefore, the solutions must be interconnected as well. Through the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP), the Population Council and partners are implementing a social, health, and economic asset-building program …

Baseline Survey Instruments: Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This document contains various AGI-K survey instruments, including: Household Characteristics Survey (English), Respondent’s Schooling History (English), Respondent’s Work in Last Year (English), Respondent’s Spending in Last Year (English), Respondent’s Savings in Last Year (Kiswahili), Respondent’s Savings in Last Year (English).

Building Assets Toolkit: Developing Positive Benchmarks For Adolescent Girls—Instruction Guide, Judith Bruce, Sarah Engebretsen, Kimberly Glazer

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Building Assets Toolkit is an approach for developing programs for specific segments of girls that will prepare them to better face the challenges of growing up. It will help program managers understand the needs of the girls in their community, engage stakeholders at different levels and with different viewpoints, and build concrete and meaningful programming for adolescent girls. The toolkit contains all the materials needed to help make a preliminary assessment of the assets a girl should acquire and the age by which she should acquire them. This document contains the Building Assets Toolkit’s List of Contents and Instruction …

Participatory Research Results From Training With The Mabinti Tushike Hatamu Out-Of-School Girls Program: Tanzania 2015, Kelly Hallman, Ilan Cerna-Turoff, Neema Matee

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Mabinti Tushike Hatamu (Girls let’s be leaders!) program is designed to test and evaluate strategies for reducing the vulnerability of out-of-school adolescent girls in Tanzania aged 10–19 years to HIV/AIDS, pregnancy, and unfavorable life outcomes. MTH is led by the Tanzania AIDS Commission, implemented by Restless Development, and supported by UNICEF. The Population Council developed a strategy for Restless Development to capture the richness of its activities. The Council designed a training session and a companion toolkit in participatory action research for community volunteers, aged 19–23 years, to use within their girl groups. This report describes the findings from …

Building Assets Toolkit: Developing Positive Benchmarks For Adolescent Girls—Resource Manual, Judith Bruce, Sarah Engebretsen, Kimberly Glazer

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This document contains the Building Assets Toolkit’s Resource Manual, which includes valuable information about building meaningful program content as well as detailed notes on each asset for use in the toolkit’s “Asset Building Exercise.” This exercise is designed to involve multiple stakeholders in determining what assets girls need in order to survive and thrive. The Building Assets Toolkit is an approach for developing programs for specific segments of girls that will prepare them to better face the challenges of growing up. It will help program managers understand the needs of the girls in their community, engage stakeholders at different levels …

Panel Survey Of Young People In Egypt (Sype) 2014: Generating Evidence For Policies And Programs—Summary Report, Rania Roushdy, Maia Sieverding

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This document contains the Summary Report to the Panel Survey of Young People in Egypt (SYPE) 2014: Generating Evidence for Policy, Programs, and Research. SYPE, which was first conducted in 2009 among Egyptian youth aged 10–29, focuses on education, employment, health, family formation, migration, reproductive health, social issues, and civic/political participation. The second round, SYPE 2014, was conducted in the wake of two youth-led revolutions (2011 and 2013). SYPE 2014 attempts to understand changes that occurred among Egyptian youth over the period between the two rounds through targeting the same group of respondents of the 2009 survey in 2014 to …

Las Adolescentes Indígenas: Una Prioridad De Hoy Para Un Mejor Futuro Nacional En El 2015, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Esta hoja informativa detalla los problemas prioritarios que enfrentan los adolescentes guatemaltecos y presenta las acciones recomendadas para un mejor futuro nacional. Las áreas prioritarias incluyen la educación primaria y secundaria, la salud reproductiva y los medios de vida. La hoja incluye un ejercicio de cobertura—una herramienta simple, rápida y económica que permite entender a quién están llegando los servicios. Permite además identificar problemas comunes entre organizaciones, comprender el acceso diferenciado, identificar vacíos programáticos y modificar el alcance de los programas.

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This fact sheet details the priority problems facing Guatemalan adolescents and presents recommended actions for a better national …

Panel Survey Of Young People In Egypt (Sype) 2014: Generating Evidence For Policy, Programs, And Research—Appendix, Rania Roushdy, Maia Sieverding

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This document contains the Appendix to the Panel Survey of Young People in Egypt (SYPE) 2014: Generating Evidence for Policy, Programs, and Research, consisting of 39 Indicator Tables. SYPE, which was first conducted in 2009 among Egyptian youth aged 10–29, focuses on education, employment, health, family formation, migration, reproductive health, social issues, and civic/political participation. The second round, SYPE 2014, was conducted in the wake of two youth-led revolutions (2011 and 2013). SYPE 2014 attempts to understand changes that occurred among Egyptian youth over the period between the two rounds through targeting the same group of respondents of the 2009 …

Understanding Factors Influencing Adverse Sex Ratios At Birth And Exploring What Works To Achieve Balance: The Situation In Selected Districts Of Nepal, Mahesh Puri, Anand Tamang

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The goal of this study is to identify programs and sociocultural factors underlying disparities in sex ratios at birth in some parts of Nepal, by comparing the situation in districts with high and normal sex ratios at birth and among under-5 children. Findings are expected to inform the design of programs intended to raise the value of girls in general and counter the practice of gender-biased sex selection in particular. The study was conducted in two adjoining hill districts of the western development region of Nepal, namely Kaski (where sex ratios are adverse) and Tanhaun (where sex ratios are normal). …

Is Agep Building Assets For Vulnerable Girls In Zambia? Preliminary Research Findings, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) is a randomized controlled trial that evaluates a multisectoral program intended to increase girls’ social, health, and economic resources. AGEP involves over 10,000 vulnerable girls aged 10–19 in Zambia. The girls participate in weekly girls’ group meetings (safe spaces), receive vouchers for health services, and open savings accounts. AGEP operates in ten sites—five urban and five rural—across four provinces in Zambia. The AGEP evaluation is based on the randomization of girls to participate in one of four arms of the program: 1) safe spaces only, 2) safe spaces + health voucher, 3) safe spaces …

Respectful Maternity Care Resource Package, Charity Ndwiga, Charlotte E. Warren, Timothy Abuya, Lucy Kanya, Alice Maranga, Christine Ochieng, Mary Wanjala, Beatrice Chelang'at, Anne Njeru, Annie Gituto, George Odhiambo, Faith Mbehero, Lucia Maina, Jeremiah Maina

Reproductive Health

The Respectful Maternity Care Resource Package is a set of manuals, tools, and resources to ensure high-quality, respectful maternal and newborn health services. The resources help program managers, health workers, and technical advisors set up workshops and trainings for facility-based providers and community health workers. The workshops provide practical, low-cost, and easily adaptable strategies to improve respectful care.

The Respectful Maternity Care Resource Package was developed by the Heshima project as part of the USAID Translating Research into Action (TRAction) project.

Training facility-based health providers

• Facilitator’s guide
• Orientation slide deck
• Participant’s guide

Training community health workers

• Facilitator’s guide
• Orientation slide …

Anneau Vaginal À Progestérone: Évite Les Grossesses, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Cette fiche de renseignements fournit des informations sur l’utilisation de l’anneau contraceptif vaginal à la progestérone pour prévenir la grossesse. L'anneau vaginal à progestérone (AVP) offre une nouvelle manière de fournir un moyen de contraception. Il a été prouvé qu'il s'agit d'une méthode contraceptive sûre et efficace pour les femmes qui allaitent. Utilisé par ces femmes, l'AVP évite les grossesses en inhibant la croissance folliculaire et, par conséquent, empêchant l'ovulation; renforçant les effets inhibiteurs de l'allaitement maternel sur l'ovulation; étendant l'aménorrhée post-partum; et épaississant la glaire cervicale, et donc en empêchant les spermatozoïdes d'atteindre l'ovule. L'AVP donc étend la gamme …

Delivering Contraceptive Vaginal Rings, Population Council

Reproductive Health

To bolster sustainable contraceptive delivery and use, USAID recently proposed a renewed focus, articulating five key areas to address unmet need for family planning: Method Choice, Total Market Approach, Family Planning Workforce, Social and Behavior Communication Change, and Strengthened Supply Systems. In its Delivering Contraceptive Vaginal Rings project, the Population Council has entered into a cooperative agreement with USAID to introduce two new modern contraceptive methods in developing markets: the progesterone contraceptive vaginal ring (PCVR), a three-month ring designed specifically for spacing while breastfeeding, and an investigational one-year contraceptive vaginal ring—the Nestorone®/EthinylEstradiol contraceptive vaginal ring (NES/EE CVR)—that can be used …

Marie Stopes International's Sifpo Project—Strengthening International Family Planning Organizations, October 2010–September 2015, Population Council

Reproductive Health

The Population Council was a partner in the Strengthening International Family Planning Organizations (SIFPO) project implemented by Marie Stopes International. SIFPO’s mandate was to increase use of voluntary family planning (FP) services globally by strengthening selected international FP organizations with global reach and an extensive, multicountry network of FP clinics for achieving maximum program impact and synergies. This report outlines the Council’s role within the project: evaluate effectiveness of MSI’s FP programs to identify successful best practices and approaches; assist MSI to disseminate the findings of some or all evaluations; strengthen MSI’s internal research and metrics capacity with thematic workshops …

Union Health And Family Welfare Centers In Chittagong And Munshiganj: Are They Ready To Provide 24-Hour Normal Delivery Services? (Brief), Population Council

Reproductive Health

To date, the Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP) of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has established approximately 3,900 Union Health and Family Welfare Centers (UHFWCs) in rural areas providing: family planning; menstrual regulation; vaccinations; and general, reproductive, and maternal health services six days a week. About 1,500 UHFWCs have been upgraded with the necessary staff and equipment to provide normal delivery services round-the-clock in rural areas. In rural areas, public-sector health facilities, including UHFWCs, contribute to only 12 percent of institutional deliveries. Until now, Family Welfare Visitors (FWVs) posted at UHFWCs performed only 0.3 percent of deliveries. …

Progesterone Vaginal Ring: Prevents Pregnancy, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This fact sheet provides information about how the progesterone vaginal contraceptive ring works to prevent pregnancy. The progesterone vaginal ring (PVR) offers a novel way of delivering safe and effective contraceptives for lactating women. When used by such women it prevents pregnancy by inhibiting follicular growth, hence preventing ovulation; reinforcing the inhibitory effect of breastfeeding on ovulation; extending postpartum amenorrhea; and thickening the cervical mucus, thus inhibiting sperm from meeting the egg. The PVR expands the range of contraceptives available to lactating women and has the potential to contribute to improving maternal and infant health.

Progesterone Vaginal Ring: Safe For Mothers And Babies, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This fact sheet provides basic information on the safety and effectiveness of the progesterone vaginal contraceptive ring. It works as a contraceptive by reinforcing the inhibitory effect of breastfeeding on ovulation and extending postpartum amenorrhea. The PVR is an effective and safe contraceptive for mothers, their babies, and their sexual partners. This method vastly expands the range of contraceptive choices available for nursing women.

Progesterone Vaginal Ring: Beneficial Role In Birth Spacing, Population Council

Reproductive Health

As a result of growing urbanization and changing social norms concerning the role of women in developing countries, the duration of exclusive breastfeeding and its impact as a contraceptive strategy has been reduced. This has given rise to the need for a contraceptive method that can extend the infertile period following delivery, especially in countries where access to other contraceptives is limited and where longer duration of breastfeeding is a social norm and a major benefit to infant health. This project brief provides information on the progesterone vaginal ring (PVR), which can enhance the effect of breastfeeding on birth spacing. …

Union Health And Family Welfare Centers In Chittagong And Munshiganj: Are They Ready To Provide 24-Hour Normal Delivery Services?, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Ubaidur Rob, A.K.M. Zafar Ullah Khan, Forhana Rahman Noor, Shongkour Roy, Afsana Fatema Noor

Reproductive Health

To date, the Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP) of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has established approximately 3,900 Union Health and Family Welfare Centers (UHFWCs) in rural areas providing: family planning; menstrual regulation; vaccinations; and general, reproductive, and maternal health services six days a week. About 1,500 UHFWCs have been upgraded with the necessary staff and equipment to provide normal delivery services round-the-clock in rural areas. Yet, Family Welfare Visitors (FWVs) posted at UHFWCs perform only 0.3 percent of deliveries. This means that UHFWCs and FWVs are not optimally utilized to increase the rate of institutional deliveries. …

Introduction Of Dmpa In Public Health Facilities Of Uttar Pradesh And Rajasthan: An Evaluation, M.E. Khan, Anvita Dixit, Jaleel Ahmad, G. Pillai

Reproductive Health

India is committed to achieving the goals of FP2020, which, besides substantially increasing new contraceptive users, also demands adopting a rights-based approach and ensuring easy access, choice, and good quality services. The contraceptive method mix in India has been dominated by female sterilization for a long time. No new contraceptive method has been added to the national family welfare program for decades. Use of injectable contraceptives was approved in 1994 in the private sector, but is still not part of the national program. Recently some initiatives have been taken to make Depo Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA) available through the public sector …

Reasons For Low Modern Contraceptive Use—Insights From Pakistan And Neighboring Countries, Batool Zaidi, Sabahat Hussain

Reproductive Health

This literature review forms part of an extensive research project to determine why, despite evident demand, contraceptive prevalence remains so low in Pakistan, especially for modern methods. The research has been conducted by the Population Council with the support of the Research and Advocacy Fund (RAF) and comprises four component studies: review of relevant academic, program, and policy literature; qualitative study of perspectives of men, women, and service providers in the country on family planning; situation analysis of contraceptive quality, supply, and access factors at health facilities; and examination of supply-chain issues affecting the availability of contraceptives. This review presents …

Willingness To Pay For Contraceptive Vaginal Rings In Nigeria, Salisu Mohammed Ishaku, Ayodeji Oginni, Godwin Unumeri, Deepa Rajamani

Reproductive Health

During the last two decades, Nigeria’s contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) for modern methods remained at 10 percent, one of the lowest rates in sub-Saharan Africa. Following the renewed global commitments culminating in the 2012 London Summit on Family Planning with promises to reach an additional 120 million new users of modern contraceptives worldwide, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health set a new target of raising Nigeria’s CPR to 36 percent by 2018. One way to accomplish this is by meeting the contraceptive needs of women in the immediate postpartum period and beyond. Attention is being focused on making proven contraceptive methods …