Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

International Public Health Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 91 - 119 of 119

Full-Text Articles in International Public Health

The Changing Context Of Sexual Initiation In Sub-Saharan Africa, Barbara Mensch Jan 2007

The Changing Context Of Sexual Initiation In Sub-Saharan Africa, Barbara Mensch

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The magnitude of the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa puts young women at particularly high risk for HIV infection and calls for a better understanding of reproductive behavior, including sexual initiation and premarital sex. An increase in premarital sex is an inevitable consequence of later marriage in the developing world, if for no other reason than that the period during which girls are sexually mature and unmarried is prolonged when marriage is postponed. A recent Population Council project investigated the links between changing age at marriage and premarital sexual behavior in 27 sub-Saharan African countries. After documenting the decline in …


Le Contexte De L’Initiation Sexuelle En Évolution Dans La Région Subsaharienne De L’Afrique, Barbara Mensch Jan 2007

Le Contexte De L’Initiation Sexuelle En Évolution Dans La Région Subsaharienne De L’Afrique, Barbara Mensch

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L'ampleur de l'épidémie du SIDA en Afrique subsaharienne expose particulièrement les jeunes femmes au risque de l'infection par le VIH et requiert une meilleure compréhension des comportements reproductifs, y compris l'initiation sexuelle et les relations sexuelles pré-maritales. La croissance des relations sexuelles pré-maritales est une conséquence inévitable des mariages tardifs dans les pays en développement, en particulier à cause du fait que la période pendant laquelle les filles sont sexuellement mûres et non mariées est prolongée quand le mariage est retardé. Un récent projet du Population Council a fait des recherches sur les liens entre le changement d'âge au mariage …


Addressing The Sexual And Reproductive Health Needs Of Young People: Perspectives And Experiences Of Stakeholders From The Health And Non-Health Sectors, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Saswata Ghosh, Nicole Haberland Jan 2007

Addressing The Sexual And Reproductive Health Needs Of Young People: Perspectives And Experiences Of Stakeholders From The Health And Non-Health Sectors, K.G. Santhya, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Saswata Ghosh, Nicole Haberland

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

In India, recent policies have underscored the right of adolescents and youth to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) counseling and services. Despite recent policies and programs, little information is available on the extent to which policy recommendations and program strategies have been implemented, and the extent to which services serve the disparate needs of married and unmarried young women and men. Also, there is limited evidence about the extent to which health-care providers at different levels of service delivery and stakeholders from other sectors are involved in providing SRH and HIV/AIDS-related information and services to young people, or their perceptions …


The Role Of Schools In Promoting Sexual And Reproductive Health Among Adolescents In Developing Countries, Cynthia B. Lloyd Jan 2007

The Role Of Schools In Promoting Sexual And Reproductive Health Among Adolescents In Developing Countries, Cynthia B. Lloyd

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This Population Council working paper reviews the state of knowledge about relationships between schooling and adolescent reproductive health. With the spread of mass schooling and the growing share of adolescents who attend school, the opportunities for synergies between health and education policies and programs are growing. Data on cross-country variations in health conditions on the one hand, and variations in attendance and attainment patterns and school systems on the other hand, provide a framework for assessing alternative approaches to the promotion of adolescent sexual and reproductive health in different contexts. Disappointing findings from recent school-based reproductive health interventions in poor …


Fewer And Better-Educated Children: Expanded Choices In Schooling And Fertility In Rural Pakistan, Zeba Sathar, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Minhaj Ul Haque, Mumraiz Khan, Monica J. Grant Jan 2006

Fewer And Better-Educated Children: Expanded Choices In Schooling And Fertility In Rural Pakistan, Zeba Sathar, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Minhaj Ul Haque, Mumraiz Khan, Monica J. Grant

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report presents the results of a longitudinal study of changing educational opportunities in rural Punjab and N.W.F.P. from 1997 to 2004. The purpose of the study was to answer two major research questions: what were the effects of changes in schooling opportunities in the community over the past six years on enrollment and attainment, and what were the effects on family planning and fertility behavior? This study builds on an earlier study undertaken in 1997. As noted in this report, the study is innovative in several ways: (1) it is longitudinal; (2) it combines consideration of three dimensions of …


Integrating Adolescent Livelihood Activities Within A Reproductive Health Programme For Urban Slum Dwellers In India, Population Council Jan 2006

Integrating Adolescent Livelihood Activities Within A Reproductive Health Programme For Urban Slum Dwellers In India, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Although a wide variety of livelihood programs for adult women exist in India, they rarely include adolescent girls. Of those that do, few employ rigorous scientific methods to evaluate program impact. This brief describes a project conducted in slum areas of Allahabad, in Uttar Pradesh. The Population Council, in collaboration with CARE-India, tested the feasibility and impact of adding four livelihoods and life-skill components to a reproductive health program for adolescent girls (both school-going and out-of-school) aged 14–19. Using a quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design that contrasted the experimental group with a comparison group of adolescents, the project investigated whether …


Formation Of Partnerships Among Young Women And Men In Pune District, Maharashtra, Mallika Alexander, Laila Garda, Savita Kanade, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Bela Ganatra Jan 2006

Formation Of Partnerships Among Young Women And Men In Pune District, Maharashtra, Mallika Alexander, Laila Garda, Savita Kanade, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Bela Ganatra

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Young people in India face traditional age- and sex-stratified norms that espouse gender double standards. Premarital partnerships are taboo and anecdotal evidence suggests that in many settings in India, the hint of a romantic relationship or even social interaction between young girls and boys is sufficient to damage a family's reputation and/or result in accelerated arranged marriage, particularly for the girl. While there is a prevailing perception at the community level that in these circumstances, premarital partnerships are rare, there is a small body of literature that suggests that such partnerships are indeed formed and sexual relations experienced, among, typically, …


Tuko Pamoja: Adolescent Reproductive Health And Life Skills Curriculum, Path, Population Council Jan 2006

Tuko Pamoja: Adolescent Reproductive Health And Life Skills Curriculum, Path, Population Council

Reproductive Health

As they move through adolescence, young people begin to have different kinds of relationships with their peers, family members, and adults; good communication and other skills can help ensure that these relationships are satisfying and mutually respectful. Young people need to learn to manage new feelings about sexuality to make responsible decisions about their health, reproduction, and parenthood. This manual, the second edition of the Kenya Adolescent Reproductive Health Curriculum, is for teachers; community, religious, and youth group leaders; health care professionals; and anyone working with young people. The curriculum is designed to delay sexual debut and promote sexual and …


Formation Of Partnerships Among Young Women And Men In Pune District, Maharashtra, Population Council Jan 2006

Formation Of Partnerships Among Young Women And Men In Pune District, Maharashtra, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Aside from their educational attainment, economic activity levels, and age at marriage, little is known about the lives of young people in India, especially the extent to which and the contexts in which they form romantic, marital, and other partnerships or the nature of these partnerships. At a time when India's youth policy and reproductive and child health programs have acknowledged the need to focus on youth, it is central that these gaps in understanding are filled. The KEM Hospital Research Centre and the Population Council conducted a study in Maharashtra in 2003–05 to obtain information on romantic and sexual …


Scaling Up A Reproductive Health Curriculum In Youth Training Courses, Laila Rahman, M. Mazharul Islam, Ubaidur Rob, Ismat Bhuiya, M.E. Khan Jan 2006

Scaling Up A Reproductive Health Curriculum In Youth Training Courses, Laila Rahman, M. Mazharul Islam, Ubaidur Rob, Ismat Bhuiya, M.E. Khan

Reproductive Health

The Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) program, in collaboration with the Bangladesh Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the Urban Family Health Partnership, and two nongovernmental service delivery partners, carried out the Global Youth project in northwestern Bangladesh from 1999–2003. The important lesson learned from that project was that reproductive health education could increase reproductive health knowledge in adolescents, particularly in areas related to reproductive biology, family planning, pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and AIDS. The population-based surveys further showed that contrary to common belief, reproductive health education does not increase sexual activity; instead it increases the use …


Evaluation Of Community Education Interventions In Sexual And Reproductive Health Services In Urban-Marginal Areas Of La Paz, Bolivia, Maria Dolores Castro Mantilla, Mariel Loayza Antezana Jan 2004

Evaluation Of Community Education Interventions In Sexual And Reproductive Health Services In Urban-Marginal Areas Of La Paz, Bolivia, Maria Dolores Castro Mantilla, Mariel Loayza Antezana

Reproductive Health

The purpose of this study was to strengthen community strategies to improve quality-of-care services first implemented as part of a Bolivian Ministry of Health and Prevention and World Health Organization (WHO) project in 1997–98. To reach groups that do not regularly attend health facilities and improve community demand for services, the Centro de Información y Desarrollo de la Mujer (Center for Information and Development of Women) implemented a community education intervention focusing on sexual and reproductive health and rights targeting adolescents, men, and women with older or no children. Results showed that the interventions improved access to and utilization of …


Improving The Reproductive Health Of Adolescents In Senegal, Nafissatou J. Diop, Heli Bathidja, Isseu Diop Toure, Thierno Dieng, Babacar Mane, Saumya Ramarao, Susan E. Adamchak, Emelita Wong, Adama Ndoye, Aboubacry Sy, Babacar Fall Jan 2004

Improving The Reproductive Health Of Adolescents In Senegal, Nafissatou J. Diop, Heli Bathidja, Isseu Diop Toure, Thierno Dieng, Babacar Mane, Saumya Ramarao, Susan E. Adamchak, Emelita Wong, Adama Ndoye, Aboubacry Sy, Babacar Fall

Reproductive Health

In October 1999, the Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) program began a three-year collaboration with the World Health Organization, the Senegal Ministries of Health, Education, and Youth, the Center for Research and Training in Health and Population, and the Population Training Group to test interventions to improve the reproductive health of youth aged 10–19. The community-based intervention included sensitization on adolescent reproductive health for community and religious leaders, reaching parents through women’s groups, and education sessions led by peer educators using a life-skills curriculum. As part of the clinic-based intervention, providers and peer educators were trained to offer youth-friendly services. …


Effects And Cost Of Implementing A Gender-Sensitive Reproductive Health Program In Bolivia, Erica Palenque, Lizzy Montano, Ricardo Vernon, Fernando Gonzales Salguero, Patricia Riveros, John H. Bratt Jan 2004

Effects And Cost Of Implementing A Gender-Sensitive Reproductive Health Program In Bolivia, Erica Palenque, Lizzy Montano, Ricardo Vernon, Fernando Gonzales Salguero, Patricia Riveros, John H. Bratt

Reproductive Health

The Integral Health Coordination Program (Programa de Coordinación en Salud Integral or PROCOSI), a network of 24 Bolivian NGOs, and the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) program evaluated the effects of interventions on clinic clients and their partners, and estimated the costs of incorporating a gender perspective into service delivery. Results show that sexual and reproductive health service organizations can implement action plans to change organizational policies and service delivery practices and to improve their infrastructure and equipment to make them more convenient for clients. The results further show that the intervention made modest but important changes in …


Culturally Appropriate Information, Education And Communication Strategies For Improving Adolescent Reproductive Health In Cusco, Peru, Marco Florez-Arestegui Cornejo, Rosalinda Barreto Silva Jan 2004

Culturally Appropriate Information, Education And Communication Strategies For Improving Adolescent Reproductive Health In Cusco, Peru, Marco Florez-Arestegui Cornejo, Rosalinda Barreto Silva

Reproductive Health

The project Culturally Appropriate Information, Education and Communication Strategies for Improving Adolescent Reproductive Health in Cusco, Peru was designed in response to the evident lack of information and education on adolescent reproductive health in the country and, in particular, in the rural areas of the department of Cusco. Research revealed that a great need for sexual and reproductive health information still exists among indigenous adolescents in the rural areas of the region and that sexual education programs have to be sustainable. This report recommends that the Ministry of Education train more teachers in sexual and reproductive health topics, taking into …


Improving The Reproductive Health Of Youth In Mexico, Ricardo Vernon, Maricela Dura Jan 2004

Improving The Reproductive Health Of Youth In Mexico, Ricardo Vernon, Maricela Dura

Reproductive Health

This project assessed the impact of the Mexican Foundation for Family Planning’s Young People Program (YPP) on: a) the attitudes of community stakeholders toward informing youth about reproductive health issues and making reproductive health services available for sexually-active youth; b) the sexual and reproductive health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of adolescents; and c) the way that providers offer reproductive health services to adolescents. In addition, the project determined whether adding a school-based sex education component increased the impact of community interventions on the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of adolescents. Survey results showed that the reproductive health knowledge and attitudes of …


Actions That Protect: Promoting Sexual And Reproductive Health And Choice Among Young People In India, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Mary Philip Sebastian Jan 2003

Actions That Protect: Promoting Sexual And Reproductive Health And Choice Among Young People In India, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, Mary Philip Sebastian

Reproductive Health

This paper synthesises the evidence on the sexual and reproductive health situation of young people in India, and explores what we know about underlying factors that place them at risk of or protect them from unsafe and unwanted sexual and reproductive health experiences. The picture that emerges suggests that substantial proportions of young people experience risky or unwanted sexual activity, do not receive prompt or appropriate care, and experience adverse reproductive health outcomes. Contextual factors such as poverty, gender imbalances and lack of education or livelihood opportunities clearly increase the vulnerability of youth. Other factors at the family, community and …


Consistency In The Reporting Of Sexual Behavior Among Adolescent Girls In Kenya: A Comparison Of Interviewing Methods, Paul C. Hewett, Barbara Mensch, Annabel Erulkar Jan 2003

Consistency In The Reporting Of Sexual Behavior Among Adolescent Girls In Kenya: A Comparison Of Interviewing Methods, Paul C. Hewett, Barbara Mensch, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper explores the consistency in reporting of sexual behavior in a household survey of adolescents aged 15-21 in the Kisumu district of Kenya. Respondents were randomly assigned to different interviewing modes: face-to-face interviews, paper-and-pencil self-administered interviews, and audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI). The analysis focuses on the reporting of sexual behavior by adolescent girls in the face-to-face and ACASI modes and compares responses to a variety of questions about sexual activity, including sexual initiation, risky sexual behavior, and coerced sex. All sexual behavior questions were asked of each adolescent girl even if she answered “no” to the initial question about …


Peer Education As A Strategy To Increase Contraceptive Prevalence And Reduce The Rate Of Stis/Hiv Among Adolescents In Cameroon, Institut De Recherche Et Des Etudes Des Comportements (Iresco) Jan 2002

Peer Education As A Strategy To Increase Contraceptive Prevalence And Reduce The Rate Of Stis/Hiv Among Adolescents In Cameroon, Institut De Recherche Et Des Etudes Des Comportements (Iresco)

Reproductive Health

The Institute for Behavioral Studies and Research completed an operations research project entitled “Among Youth” targeting adolescents in the Mokolo neighborhood of Yaoundé, Cameroon. The results presented in this report show that adolescents in Mokolo, more often than their counterparts in the control site, adopted behavioral changes to prevent STI/HIV transmission and unwanted pregnancies as a result of the intervention. The report concludes that peer education combined with mass media campaigns form an important strategy for targeting youth with reproductive health and family planning messages and can help adolescents translate knowledge into healthy lifestyles. Integration of reproductive health messages into …


An Assessment Of Youth Centres In South Africa, Annabel Erulkar, Mags Beksinska, Queen Cebekhulu Jan 2001

An Assessment Of Youth Centres In South Africa, Annabel Erulkar, Mags Beksinska, Queen Cebekhulu

Reproductive Health

Within South Africa there is much interest in expanding youth center programs, particularly in the nongovernmental sector, in part because of recognition that the HIV/AIDS crisis is disproportionately affecting young South Africans. This study was designed to give implementing agencies and donors a broad view of how the youth centers function, who they reach, and the quality of information and services. The assessment underscored the importance of monitoring the performance of programs and understanding who is being reached with what interventions. Youth centers that focus on providing recreational facilities attract a large number of clients, often boys who are repeat …


Transitions To Adulthood In The Context Of Aids In South Africa: Report Of Wave I, Naomi Rutenberg, Cathrien Kehus-Alons, Lisanne Brown, Kate Macintyre, Anthea Dallimore, Carol E. Kaufman Jan 2001

Transitions To Adulthood In The Context Of Aids In South Africa: Report Of Wave I, Naomi Rutenberg, Cathrien Kehus-Alons, Lisanne Brown, Kate Macintyre, Anthea Dallimore, Carol E. Kaufman

HIV and AIDS

This is a prospective study of reproductive behavior and sexual health of adolescents in South Africa as well as their education and employment experiences, family and environmental conditions, and other factors in their lives that may influence their sexual behavior and choices. This report is designed to inform educators, policymakers, and the public in South Africa and beyond of the initial findings of the study, with the ultimate goal of helping to design and refine policies and programs that will improve opportunities and capacities of adolescents and may contribute to changing behaviors and choices. The report focuses on describing the …


The Reporting Of Sensitive Behavior Among Adolescents: A Methodological Experiment In Kenya, Barbara Mensch, Paul C. Hewett, Annabel Erulkar Jan 2001

The Reporting Of Sensitive Behavior Among Adolescents: A Methodological Experiment In Kenya, Barbara Mensch, Paul C. Hewett, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper assesses whether audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (audio-CASI), a technique designed in the United States to collect data on sensitive behaviors, is a feasible method of survey data collection in a developing-country setting and whether it produces more valid reporting of sexual activity and related behaviors than traditional survey methods. The analysis is based on interviews with nearly 4,400 unmarried adolescents aged 15-21 in Nyeri, a rural district of Kenya that was selected because previous research had indicated a wide discrepancy in the reporting of premarital sexual behavior between boys and girls. The study was based on a quasi-experimental design …


Integrating Issues Of Sexuality Into Egyptian Family Planning Counseling, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Laila Nawar, Hala Youssef, Dale Huntington Jan 2000

Integrating Issues Of Sexuality Into Egyptian Family Planning Counseling, Nahla G. Abdel-Tawab, Laila Nawar, Hala Youssef, Dale Huntington

Reproductive Health

The Population Council studied the acceptability of including sexuality issues in family planning (FP) in Egypt, a conservative society with social restrictions around discussions of sex. The study results showed that sexuality counseling is acceptable to family planning clients in Egypt; in fact, sexuality-related problems and concerns were found to be very common in the study group. Similarly, training family planning service providers on issues of sexuality is both feasible and acceptable to providers. The report offers recommendations for refining existing FP training programs and services including: integrating issues of sexuality into FP counseling, training FP service providers on the …


Sexual And Reproductive Health And Health Sector Reform In Latin America And The Caribbean: Challenges And Opportunities, Ana Langer, Gustavo Nigenda, Sandra G. Garcia, Rosario Valdez, Emanuel Orozco, Jennifer Catino Jan 2000

Sexual And Reproductive Health And Health Sector Reform In Latin America And The Caribbean: Challenges And Opportunities, Ana Langer, Gustavo Nigenda, Sandra G. Garcia, Rosario Valdez, Emanuel Orozco, Jennifer Catino

Reproductive Health

Most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are at varying stages of a reform process to improve the response capacity of health systems by upgrading the effectiveness and sustainability of programs and services. Changes promoted by the reform focus on priority health needs and underprivileged society groups. Some problems, such as sexual and reproductive health (SRH), can be tackled with cost-effective technologies. Reform projects offer a unique opportunity to reconsider policies, programs, and services aimed at facing the issues encompassed in the term SRH. Nonetheless, the formulation of a strategy and the identification of concrete measures represent a …


Investing In Youth: Testing Community-Based Approaches For Improving Adolescent Sexual And Reproductive Health, Tamara Fetters, Fines Munkonze, Julie Solo Jan 1999

Investing In Youth: Testing Community-Based Approaches For Improving Adolescent Sexual And Reproductive Health, Tamara Fetters, Fines Munkonze, Julie Solo

Reproductive Health

The world is now sustaining the largest number of youth in human history; today there are nearly 900 million 10–19-year-olds and their health and livelihood issues are becoming increasingly important to policymakers worldwide. In Zambia, as in many other countries, young people face severe problems, including limited access to jobs, secondary education, and health care. The social, economic, and peer pressures that youth face often lead to high levels of sexual activity, often with subsequent negative impacts on their sexual and reproductive health. In spite of the magnitude of the reproductive health problems facing youth, they still have limited access …


Strengthening The Research Capacity Of Planned Parenthood Association Of Ghana, Robert A. Miller Jan 1998

Strengthening The Research Capacity Of Planned Parenthood Association Of Ghana, Robert A. Miller

Reproductive Health

The Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) is one of the most active nongovernmental organizations delivering reproductive health (RH) services in Ghana, focusing particularly on youth issues and services. USAID suggested to the Population Council’s Africa OR/TA Project II staff that PPAG might benefit from technical assistance. A large and well-funded IPPF program to promote sexual health among youth of the Volta Region offered a good opportunity to begin OR work. Earlier, the program was envisioned as a demonstration educational program of five years duration. Further discussions suggested that this program was unlikely to be duplicated anywhere, because of its …


Youth Centres In Ghana: Assessment Of The Planned Parenthood Association Of Ghana Programme, Evam Kofi Glover, Annabel Erulkar, Joana Nerquaye-Tetteh Jan 1998

Youth Centres In Ghana: Assessment Of The Planned Parenthood Association Of Ghana Programme, Evam Kofi Glover, Annabel Erulkar, Joana Nerquaye-Tetteh

Reproductive Health

The sexual and reproductive health of adolescents has become a major public concern, particularly with the advent of HIV/AIDS. Many organizations have tried to find strategies to reach youth with reproductive health (RH) information and services through various service delivery models. One such model has been the multipurpose youth center approach. Multipurpose youth centers typically include recreational or vocational services as entry points for RH and family planning (FP) information and services. There is some evidence in a variety of African settings (notably Kenya and Zimbabwe) suggesting that these centers are underutilized and not cost-effective. As a result, the Planned …


The Changing Social Environment For Adolescents In Kassena-Nankana District Of Northern Ghana: Implications For Reproductive Behavior, Barbara Mensch, Daniel Bagah, Wesley H. Clark, Fred N. Binka Jan 1998

The Changing Social Environment For Adolescents In Kassena-Nankana District Of Northern Ghana: Implications For Reproductive Behavior, Barbara Mensch, Daniel Bagah, Wesley H. Clark, Fred N. Binka

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This study reports on a primarily qualitative investigation of adolescent reproductive behavior in the Kassena-Nankana District, a rural isolated area in northern Ghana, where traditional patterns of marriage, family formation, and social organization persist. The study is based on in-depth interviews and focus groups with adolescents, parents, chiefs and traditional leaders, teachers, youth leaders, and health workers, supplemented by quantitative data from the 1996 wave of a panel survey of reproductive-aged women conducted by the Navrongo Health Research Centre. The social environment faced by adolescent boys and girls in the Kassena-Nankana District and its links to reproductive behavior are described. …


Youth Talk About Sexuality: A Participatory Assessment Of Adolescent Sexual And Reproductive Health In Lusaka, Zambia, Tamara Fetters, Evans Mupela, Naomi Rutenberg Jan 1998

Youth Talk About Sexuality: A Participatory Assessment Of Adolescent Sexual And Reproductive Health In Lusaka, Zambia, Tamara Fetters, Evans Mupela, Naomi Rutenberg

Reproductive Health

Thirty-six percent of Zambia’s 9 million inhabitants are between 10 and 19 years of age, and most adolescents are sexually active by their mid-teens. Pregnant teenagers have an elevated risk of maternal mortality and complications related to birth. In 1990, at Lusaka’s University Teaching Hospital, self-induced abortion accounted for up to 30 percent of maternal mortality, and one-quarter of these deaths occurred in women under 18 years. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a major health problem for adolescents, yet only a small proportion protect themselves from pregnancy and STIs. There are many barriers to improving the situation, including opposition by …


Learning About Sexuality: A Practical Beginning, Sondra Zeidenstein, Kirsten Moore Jan 1996

Learning About Sexuality: A Practical Beginning, Sondra Zeidenstein, Kirsten Moore

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

“Learning About Sexuality: A Practical Beginning” is divided into three main parts. The first includes approaches that program staff, activists, and researchers are taking to understand people’s experiences of sexuality. The second explores the explicit and implicit links among health-seeking behavior, contraceptive practice, reproductive health, and sexuality. The chapters in part three focus on activities that challenge entrenched attitudes and behavior about sexuality that have real and potentially harmful effects on women’s and men’s reproductive health. The book features program and research work in all regions of the world with women, men, girls, and boys. The chapters are written by …