Public Health Commons^™

Paidar: Private Sector Allied For Inclusive Delivery Of Accessible Reproductive Health, Population Council Pakistan

Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Choices

Pakistan continues to face critical challenges in increasing contraceptive use and reducing the unmet need for family planning (FP). While public-sector facilities remain key providers, a substantial proportion of healthcare seekers rely on private family physicians as their initial point of contact.

Recognizing this strategic opportunity, the PAIDAR study was designed to strengthen the role of private- sector male family physicians in FP service delivery. Implemented across six diverse districts of Punjab, supported by Health Care Commission Punjab and Department of Health and Population Punjab, the intervention enhanced providers' capacity to deliver quality FP counselling, contraceptive services, structured referrals, and …

Making Better Use Of Data For Improved Health Service Delivery In Punjab: Transforming Data Into Action Evidence, Population Council Pakistan

Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Choices

Strong health systems depend not only on collecting data, but on using it effectively for planning, monitoring, and decision-making. To strengthen evidence-based management across Punjab's health sector, the Population Council partnered with the Health and Population Department, Punjab, particularly the Health Information and Service Delivery Unit (HISDU), to improve the utilization of routine health information. This brief summarizes the collaboration's focus on three complementary areas: (1) Development of the ASET (Analytics for Service Efficiency and Tracking) platform to transform routine data into actionable information; (2) Strengthening the Capacity of Data Users through specialized training in data analytics, visualization, and use …

From Evidence To Action: Case For Further Investment In Family Planning For Faster Fertility Decline, Population Council Pakistan

Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Choices

For over three decades, the Population Council Pakistan has generated evidence and supported governments in designing innovative approaches to address population and reproductive health challenges. Building on evidence around fertility transition, reproductive health, and the nationally endorsed Tawazun (balance) narrative, the Population Council supported the Government of Punjab through the FCDO-funded Delivering Accelerated Family Planning in Pakistan (DAFPAK) initiative and other strategic partnerships to implement scalable solutions for strengthening family planning services. This brief outlines five high-impact, proven interventions ready for institutional scale-up and provides an actionable path forward to transform routine health encounters into sustainable health system reforms.

Voucher Model For Family Planning: Empowering Poor Women And Expanding Access To Family Planning Services In Punjab, Population Council Pakistan

Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Choices

Pakistan continues to face significant inequalities in access to family planning (FP) services, with the poorest women bearing a disproportionate burden of unmet need. Financial constraints, transportation costs, limited mobility, restricted decision-making power, and inadequate access to quality services often prevent women from obtaining the family planning services they need.

To address these barriers, the Population Council, in partnership with the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and the Punjab Population Innovation Fund (PPIF), designed and rigorously evaluated an innovative Family Planning Voucher Scheme.

The model linked social protection with reproductive health services, enabling poor women from Rahim Yar Khan (RYK) …

Inadequate Healthcare For Women In The United States, Grace Loveless

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Barriers to adequate healthcare for women stem from a lack of research on their specific health needs, gender-based biases in healthcare, and harmful societal norms. One key aspect highlighting these disparities is the menstrual cycle—a topic unique to women. Menstrual health, defined as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, illustrates the urgent need for greater focus on reproductive health. Despite its significance, the dialogue and knowledge about reproductive health remain limited; an issue which is exacerbated by societal attitudes of secrecy and shame. These attitudes create barriers that hinder many women in the United States from accessing …

Abortion Training In Family Medicine: A Post-Dobbs Examination, Innes Tounkel, Lauren Kasoff, Brittany Macdonald, Krys Foster, Allison Casola, Glen Atlas

Cooper Rowan Medical Journal

No abstract for this article type.

Why A Healthy Diet Is Important For Women's Health, Halley Doster

Theses and Dissertations

Nutrition plays a critical role in women’s reproductive health, yet many women face barriers to maintaining a balanced diet. This study aimed to examine the relationship between nutritional intake and reproductive health outcomes among women of reproductive age, as well as to assess their knowledge and challenges related to healthy eating. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 50 women at a community health center and analyzed using SPSS to generate descriptive statistics and explore patterns through chi-square and regression analyses. Findings revealed that most participants had moderate to low fruit and vegetable intake, and fewer than half …

Refugee Women’S Receptiveness For Virtual Engagement On Reproductive Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Heike Thiel De Bocanegra, Zahra Goliaei, Nossin Khan, Sereen Banna, Rawnaq Behnam, Sheila K Mody

Faculty Publications & Research of the TUC Public Health Program

BACKGROUND: Refugee women who leave their country due to persecution and violence have multiple barriers to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. The COVID-19 pandemic added an additional barrier to in-person reproductive health education, dialogue, and clinical care. This study aimed to assess the potential of using virtual group meetings as a forum for refugee women to learn about and discuss reproductive health concerns such as cervical cancer screening, family planning, childbirth, and postpartum care.

METHOD: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 36 refugee women and stakeholders to assess factors that impact refugee women's receptiveness for virtual platforms to obtain information …

Intimate Conversations: A Mixed-Methods Study Of African American Father-Adolescent Sexual Risk Communication, Shanda A. Vereen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Approximately 50% of African American (AA) high school students are sexually active and a large proportion of sexually active AA students report engaging in sexual risk behaviors such as not using condoms at last intercourse. Consequently, AA adolescents in the United States experience outcomes of risky sexual behaviors at high rates. Evidence shows parents have an effect on shaping adolescent attitudes, values, and beliefs regarding sex through sexual risk communication (SRC). Although parent-adolescent SRC is associated with reductions in sexual risk behaviors among AA adolescents, research has primarily focused on mothers. While parents acknowledge that SRC is traditionally viewed …

Anti-Abortion Crisis Pregnancy Centers In Central Florida, Isabel Adamus

Honors Program Theses

Anti-abortion pregnancy centers, also known as crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), are nonprofit organizations that target pregnant women and aim to dissuade them from considering abortion. In the U.S., CPCs are increasing in prevalence, accumulating government/state funding and support, and becoming more medicalized. Medicalization includes offering limited medical services, such as pregnancy testing, limited ultrasounds, and testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). CPCs are largely unlicensed and unregulated, frequently advertising in misleading ways and providing inaccurate health information. The goal of this research is to (1) understand how CPCs in Central Florida utilize rhetorical strategies to frame their services and health …

Understanding Community Health Volunteer Incentive Preferences In Kenya, Frontline Health Project, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health

Reproductive Health

In Kenya, community health services are implemented through community health units. Community health volunteers (CHVs) who serve these units are chosen by the community and trained by community health extension workers. This brief summarizes qualitative and quantitative findings from the Frontline Health project’s discrete choice experiment study in Kenya, which aimed to understand incentive preferences of CHVs with the aim of improving motivation, performance, and retention of CHVs.

Identifying Factors That Support Community Health Worker Motivation, Job Satisfaction, And Retention In Haiti, Frontline Health Project, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health

Reproductive Health

Community health workers (CHWs) play a critical role in Haiti’s health system, by connecting communities—particularly rural and hard-to-reach populations—to healthcare services. The Frontline Health project conducted a study to better understand the types of incentive structures that can best support the CHWs in Haiti and this brief summarizes those findings.

Women's Perceptions On The Effects Of Covid-19 On Access And Use Of Private Sector Family Planning Services In Nigeria: The Integrate Project, The Integrate Project

Reproductive Health

In Nigeria, Community Pharmacists (CPs) and Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) are the first point of care for many common illnesses. Although CPs and PPMVs are not formally recognized as family planning (FP) service providers, 22% of modern contraceptive users report receiving their last method from a PPMV and 12% from a private pharmacy. PPMVs are popular for FP because of their widespread availability, consistent drug stocks, extended hours, personable interactions, and lack of separate fees for consultations. As in many places, the COVID-19 pandemic poses unprecedented challenges to health services in Nigeria. By limiting person-to-person contact, especially during …

Integrate Project Results: Family Planning Knowledge And Quality Of Care Received From Community Pharmacists And Patent And Proprietary Medicine Vendors, The Integrate Project

Reproductive Health

In Nigeria, Community Pharmacists (CPs) and Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) are the first point of care for many common illnesses. Although CPs and PPMVs are not formally recognized as family planning (FP) service providers, 22% of modern contraceptive users report receiving their last method from a PPMV and 12% from a private pharmacy. PPMVs are popular for FP because of their widespread availability, consistent drug stocks, extended hours, personable interactions, and lack of separate fees for consultations. As the Federal Ministry of Health explores expanding its task sharing policy to include CPs and PPMVs, evidence is needed on …

Health And Ideations Of Married Female Adolescents, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

This brief provides rigorous evidence-based insights to implementers and researchers of social and behavior change (SBC) programs that seek to improve knowledge, attitudes, norms, and behaviors of married female adolescents. The brief focuses on married adolescents’ uptake of services and health knowledge in Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara states in northwestern Nigeria using a subset of data from a household survey of married women ages 15–49 years. It is one of a series of briefs that present findings from a Breakthrough RESEARCH study that uniquely captures data on a wide range of psychosocial drivers of behavioral outcomes in the areas of …

Preferred Incentives For Improving Community Health Worker Satisfaction And Retention In Bangladesh, Frontline Health Project, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School Of Public Health

Reproductive Health

Community health workers (CHWs) are critical actors within community health systems, providing a range of reproductive, maternal, child, and primary health information, counseling, and services. To better understand factors that influence CHWs’ work motivation and satisfaction in Bangladesh, the Frontline Health project, implemented with collaborators from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and supported by the government of Bangladesh’s Directorate General of Health Services and the Directorate General of Family Planning, conducted a discrete choice experiment (DCE) study. This brief presents key qualitative findings from the DCE study in Bangladesh and implications for program and policy stakeholders.

Effectiveness Of Interventions Designed To Prevent Or Respond To Female Genital Mutilation: Evidence Brief, Dennis Matanda, Melanie Croce-Galis, Jill Gay, Karen Hardee

Reproductive Health

Despite intensified efforts to conduct research globally that informs strategies to address female genital mutilation (FGM), there has been limited rigorous high-quality evidence on interventions that are effective in ending the practice. As we begin the final decade of acceleration toward zero new cases of FGM by 2030, increasing the rigor, relevance, and utility of research for programming, policy development, and resource allocation is critical. This brief highlights key findings from an evidence review that synthesized and assessed the quality and strength of existing evidence on FGM interventions from 2008 to 2020. A number of studies have collated evidence on …

Effectiveness Of Interventions Designed To Prevent Or Respond To Female Genital Mutilation: A Review Of Evidence, Dennis Matanda, Melanie Croce-Galis, Jill Gay, Karen Hardee

Reproductive Health

Girls are one-third less likely to be subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) today than 30 years ago. However, rapid population growth in some of the world’s poorest countries, where FGM persists, threatens to roll back progress. In 2020 alone, an estimated 4.1 million girls were at risk of being subjected to FGM. Without concerted and accelerated actions to end the practice, an estimated 68 million additional girls will have been subjected to FGM by 2030. Despite intensified global research efforts to inform strategies to address FGM, there has been little synergy between evidence generation and the implementation of programs …

Issues For Consideration In The Scale-Up Of The Inclusion Of Family Planning In The National Health Insurance Benefits Package In Ghana, Kamil Fuseini, Augustine Ankomah

Reproductive Health

Ghana is working toward achieving universal health coverage (UHC). This is driven, in part, by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 3—Good Health and Well-Being, which seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Achieving this feat will improve equity of access as people, especially the poor can access quality health services without financial hardships. Ensuring equitable access to family planning (FP) is essential to securing the well-being of women and supporting the health and development of communities. One pathway to ensuring equity is the inclusion of FP in affordable insurance. While the inclusion …

Inclusion Of Family Planning Within The National Health Insurance Benefits Package In Ghana: A Health Facility Assessment, Population Council, Ministry Of Health, Ghana Health Service, National Health Insurance Authority, Marie Stopes International Ghana

Reproductive Health

In Ghana, National Health Insurance Act 852 of 2012 ensures that health-care benefits include family planning (FP) services, however people continue to pay for FP services because the policy is yet to be implemented in practice. Under the leadership of the Ministry of Health, the National Health Insurance Authority in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, Marie Stopes International-Ghana and the Population Council implemented a pilot project to remove FP service out-of-pocket costs. All modern clinical FP methods were added to national health insurance and expensed by health facilities through the national health insurance claims process. The intervention significantly increased …

Diet Diversity Among Pregnant Women And Young Children—Insights For Improving Malaria, Family Planning, And Maternal And Child Health Outcomes In Northwestern Nigeria Through Social And Behavior Change Programming, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

This research brief provides rigorous, evidence-based insights to policy-makers, implementers, and researchers of social and behavior change (SBC) programs on maternal and child nutrition during the 1,000-day period between a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday. It is one of a series of briefs presenting findings from a Breakthrough RESEARCH study that uniquely captures data on a wide range of psychosocial drivers of behavioral outcomes in family planning, malaria, and maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition (MNCH+N) in the three northwestern states of Nigeria.

Chipatala Cha Pa Foni, Malawi's 'Health Center By Phone,' Improving Information Given About Pregnancy-Related Symptoms, Breakthrough Research, Villagereach

Reproductive Health

The Health Center by Phone, or "Chipatala cha pa Foni" (CCPF), was developed by Malawi’s Ministry of Health and VillageReach as a community-based hotline in the Balaka district of Malawi. CCPF was identified as an existing national health strategy with potential for providing Malawi’s women and their families important postpartum hemorrhage information. Because CCPF archives de-identified audio recordings of all calls, 28 telephone transcripts were qualitatively examined to assess whether women experiencing pregnancy-related complications such as postpartum bleeding call CCPF, and how hotline workers respond to them.

Considerations And Guidance For Using Routine And Program Monitoring Data For Social And Behavior Change Evaluation, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

This brief is intended for global, regional, and national social and behavior change program implementers, evaluators, and monitoring and evaluation teams who want to document their program impacts through routinely collected data. Use of routine and program monitoring data for evaluation presents many opportunities for evaluating program impacts on priority health outcomes, with advantages that include their greater frequency, broader geographic range, longer duration, and lower cost of acquisition. Routine and program monitoring data may not be under direct control of evaluators and thus may not always be appropriate for evaluation. Careful consideration of the appropriateness of routine data for …

Advancements In Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (Apphc): Overview Of Portfolio Development And Research Studies In Madagascar, Breakthrough Research, Usaid's Health Evaluation And Applied Research Development

Reproductive Health

Advancements in Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (APPHC) is a catalytic investment by USAID in Malawi and Madagascar to accelerate reductions in maternal deaths. This program brief presents APPHC’s portfolio of research activities in Madagascar.

Advancing Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (Apphc): Partnership Approach And Portfolio Overview, Breakthrough Research, Usaid's Health Evaluation And Applied Research Development

Reproductive Health

USAID has reinforced its longstanding efforts to accelerate reductions in maternal deaths with a catalytic investment in Malawi and Madagascar, Advancing Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (APPHC). This brief presents APPHC investment partnership, its approach, and expected results. The APPHC Partnership’s agenda and portfolio intensify the two major health system bilateral projects funded by USAID: Organized Network of Services for Everyone (ONSE) in Malawi and Accessible Continuum of Care and Essential Services Sustained (ACCESS) in Madagascar. These large implementation investments, with existing collaborations with ministries of Health and other key figures, offer optimal opportunities for embedding APPHC activities. The APPHC Partnership seeks …

Costing Social And Behavior Change Programming: The Role Of The Denominator, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

This is the first in a series of brief reports intended to complement Breakthrough RESEARCH's Costing Guidelines and support a social and behavior change community of practice by discussing important issues and practices for social and behavior change costing. Breakthrough RESEARCH is gathering, analyzing, and sharing evidence on the costs and impact of social and behavior change interventions to support social and behavior change investments, which are crucial for improving health and advancing development. A review of costing literature identified 147 studies on social and behavior change costs, methodological shortcomings, and knowledge gaps that can be addressed in new costing …

Advancements In Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (Apphc): Overview Of Portfolio Development And Research Studies In Malawi, Breakthrough Research, Usaid's Health Evaluation And Applied Research Development

Reproductive Health

Advancements in Postpartum Hemorrhage Care (APPHC) is a catalytic investment by USAID to accelerate reductions in maternal deaths in Madagascar and Malawi. This brief outlines the portfolio of research activities in Malawi.

Findings From The Merci Mon Héros Social Listening Endline Report, Breakthrough Research

Reproductive Health

No abstract provided.

Évaluation De La Performance Des Agents De Santé Communautaires En Haïti: Principales Conclusions D’Une Étude À Méthodologie Mixte, Frontline Health Project, Zanmi Lasante

Reproductive Health

Ce document résume les principales conclusions qualitatives et quantitatives de l'étude de référence du projet Frontline Health en Haïti. Les résultats révèlent que les ASC en Haïti sont des membres hautement fiables et appréciés de leurs communautés et fournissent des liens cruciaux vers les services d'orientation ; cependant, davantage de formation et de soutien concernant les références sont nécessaires.

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This brief summarizes key qualitative and quantitative findings from the Frontline Health project's referral study in Haiti. Findings reveal that CHWs in Haiti are highly trusted and valued members of their communities and provide crucial links to referral services; however, …

Assessing The Performance Of Community Health Workers In Haiti: Key Findings From A Mixed-Methods Study, Frontline Health Project, Zanmi Lasante

Reproductive Health

This brief summarizes key qualitative and quantitative findings from the Frontline Health project's referral study in Haiti. Findings reveal that CHWs in Haiti are highly trusted and valued members of their communities and provide crucial links to referral services; however, more training and support around referrals is needed.