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- Reproductive Health (8)
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- IUD/IUS (Intrauterine devices or systems) (1)
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Articles 1 - 21 of 21
Full-Text Articles in Women's Health
Contributing Towards Efforts To Abandon Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Kenya: A Situation Analysis, Humphres Evelia, Maryam Sheikh Abdi, Carolyne Njue, Ian Askew
Contributing Towards Efforts To Abandon Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Kenya: A Situation Analysis, Humphres Evelia, Maryam Sheikh Abdi, Carolyne Njue, Ian Askew
Reproductive Health
The Kenyan Ministry of Gender, Sports, Culture and Social Services, with support from UNFPA/Kenya, commissioned the Population Council to conduct a situation analysis of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) programs in Kenya, with the overall objective of documenting the current status of and trends in FGM/C programming and to help identify crucial elements that need to be prioritized for support. Results show marked declines in prevalence nationally between generations, suggesting a decline in the practice as well as trends toward “medicalization” in recent years. The practice still continues for different reasons, such as rite of passage, for marriageability, controlling sexuality, religious …
Assessing The Feasibility, Acceptability And Cost Of Introducing Postabortion Care In Health Centres And Dispensaries In Rural Tanzania, Monica Wanjiru, Ian Askew, Nzoya Munguti, Saumya Ramarao, Rick Homan, Reheme Kahando, John M. Pile
Assessing The Feasibility, Acceptability And Cost Of Introducing Postabortion Care In Health Centres And Dispensaries In Rural Tanzania, Monica Wanjiru, Ian Askew, Nzoya Munguti, Saumya Ramarao, Rick Homan, Reheme Kahando, John M. Pile
Reproductive Health
The EngenderHealth ACQUIRE Project has been supporting the Tanzanian Ministry of Health (MOH) since early 2005 to decentralize the management of postabortion care (PAC) services to primary healthcare facilities (health centers and dispensaries), with the intention of bringing services closer to women who are unable to access them at district hospitals. Findings from this study were provided to the MOH and ACQUIRE to address issues arising from introduction of the intervention; and in September 2006, to assess the feasibility, cost, and effectiveness of the intervention. Findings show that the intervention appears to have broadened service providers’ range of clinical skills …
Provider Perspectives On Informed Consent In Female Sterilisation Services: Findings From A Facility-Based Study In Chennai, Raja Lakshmi
Provider Perspectives On Informed Consent In Female Sterilisation Services: Findings From A Facility-Based Study In Chennai, Raja Lakshmi
Reproductive Health
The objective of this paper is to explore the perceptions and experiences of providers with regard to the process of informed consent in the provision of female sterilization services in Chennai, south India. It describes the quality of information provided to clients of sterilization, providers’ attitudes toward clients and the quality of decisionmaking, as well as the quality of the consent-taking process in this setting. In addition, providers’ perceptions of the importance of informed consent are discussed. Findings strongly suggest the need to train and sensitize providers in public as well as private facilities on their ethical responsibilities of ensuring …
Informed Consent In Sterilisation Services: Evidence From Public And Private Health Care Institutions In Chennai, Raja Lakshmi
Informed Consent In Sterilisation Services: Evidence From Public And Private Health Care Institutions In Chennai, Raja Lakshmi
Reproductive Health
The objective of this paper is to explore the experiences of women undergoing a particular form of fertility regulation, namely sterilization or tubal ligation, in a variety of facilities in Chennai, India. The paper examines specifically the nature of information provided to clients, the consent-taking process, the nature of its documentation, and the extent to which clients made an informed choice. The findings underscore that although all the women respondents did wish to practice a method of contraception, and did want to adopt sterilization, several limitations were noted in the process of providing informed consent: inadequate information was provided to …
Mainstreaming Emergency Contraception In Ethiopia's Public Sector: Final Project Report, Jill Keesbury, Hailegiorgis Aytenfisu, Spike Bradford
Mainstreaming Emergency Contraception In Ethiopia's Public Sector: Final Project Report, Jill Keesbury, Hailegiorgis Aytenfisu, Spike Bradford
Reproductive Health
The Ethiopian Ministry of Health, the Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and ECafrique launched a two-year project in 2004 to mainstream emergency contraception (EC) in the country’s public sector. The project aimed at improving reproductive health care among young women and reducing the country’s abortion rate by expanding access to EC. Overall, its goal was to demonstrate the feasibility of integrating EC within the public sector’s broader contraceptive mix and was guided by the following objectives: to scale-up and promote public sector EC services in five of Ethiopia’s most populated regions; to document the characteristics and use patterns of …
Kenya: Begin Community Dialogue On Fgm/C By Discussing Cultural Justification, Frontiers In Reproductive Health
Kenya: Begin Community Dialogue On Fgm/C By Discussing Cultural Justification, Frontiers In Reproductive Health
Reproductive Health
Female genital cutting is strongly supported among the Somali ethnic community in Kenya, and the severest form (infibulation) is primarily practiced. This type of cut is associated with increased incidence and seriousness of obstetric and gynecological problems relative to uncut women and those with less severe forms of FGM/C. As stated in this brief, efforts to encourage abandonment should begin with community discussion about the socio-cultural reasons for cutting. Simultaneously, health-care providers need training in how to manage complications of FGM/C. In 2004, FRONTIERS collaborated with UNICEF on a four-month diagnostic study on FGM/C practices among the Somali community in …
Kenya: Mobilize Health Care Providers To Advocate Against Fgm/C, Frontiers In Reproductive Health
Kenya: Mobilize Health Care Providers To Advocate Against Fgm/C, Frontiers In Reproductive Health
Reproductive Health
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is illegal in Kenya. The practice has declined slightly, yet it is nearly universal among the Abagusii, a relatively affluent ethnic group residing in the Nyanza province in western Kenya. Half of cut women reported that they had been cut by a health worker, however providers express willingness to advocate against the practice. This study, launched in 2004 by the Population Council’s FRONTIERS Program, examined the role of health providers in FGM/C in Kenya’s Abagusii community. As noted in this brief, the objectives were to understand the motivations behind the medicalization of FGM/C and determine the …
Exploring The Choices Of Contraception And Abortion Among Married Couples In Tret, Rural Punjab, Pakistan, Muhammad Shafique Arif, Iram Kamran
Exploring The Choices Of Contraception And Abortion Among Married Couples In Tret, Rural Punjab, Pakistan, Muhammad Shafique Arif, Iram Kamran
Reproductive Health
In Pakistan, the contraceptive prevalence rate is 28 percent, unmet need for family planning services is 33 percent, and unwanted pregnancies are on the rise. A national study showed a fairly high induced abortion rate of 29 per 1,000 married women of reproductive age, and 1 out of 6 pregnancies resulted in induced abortion. This study explored how contraception and induced abortion are perceived as options for avoiding unwanted births by Pakistani men and women, to what extent they deliberately choose one over the other, and the language they use to talk about reproductive behavior decision-making. As noted in this …
Technical Assistance To The Institute Of Reproductive Health, Georgetown University In Researching Introduction Strategies For The Standard Days Contraceptive Method (Sdm), Saumya Ramarao, James R. Foreit
Technical Assistance To The Institute Of Reproductive Health, Georgetown University In Researching Introduction Strategies For The Standard Days Contraceptive Method (Sdm), Saumya Ramarao, James R. Foreit
Reproductive Health
The Institute of Reproductive Health (IRH), Georgetown University tested the impact of introducing the standard days contraceptive method (SDM) with the technical assistance (TA) of Population Council staff. FRONTIERS technical assistance had the immediate effect of allowing IRH to carry out evaluations of the SDM in Asia and Latin America. The IRH studies also produced important lessons learned on strategies for the introduction of natural methods. IRH staff responsible for the India and Ecuador projects learned specific skills in cost-analysis and research instrument design.
Bangladesh: Rh Curriculum Enhances Vocational Students' Knowledge And Behavior, Frontiers In Reproductive Health
Bangladesh: Rh Curriculum Enhances Vocational Students' Knowledge And Behavior, Frontiers In Reproductive Health
Reproductive Health
In 2004, the Population Council’s FRONTIERS Program and the Bangladesh Ministry of Youth and Sports collaborated on an intervention to introduce reproductive health education into government-run vocational-training courses. The training, offered to males and females aged 15–30, includes livestock husbandry, electronics, and secretarial work. The intervention built upon the positive results of the 1999 Bangladesh Youth Reproductive Health Study, which introduced a life-skills curriculum into secondary schools. The interactive reproductive health curriculum was modified to suit older adolescents and youth attending courses at vocational training centers. Topics included reproductive biology, family planning, pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, critical thinking, and negotiation …
Health Systems And Maternal Mortality, Neonatal Mortality And Child Health: Review Of Selected Service Delivery Models, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Ubaidur Rob
Health Systems And Maternal Mortality, Neonatal Mortality And Child Health: Review Of Selected Service Delivery Models, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Ubaidur Rob
Reproductive Health
Effective maternal and child health services at the community level in developing countries are rarely available. In many developing countries the health systems cannot provide quality maternal and child health care services due to lack of adequate human resources; shortages of equipment, drugs, and supplies; and absence of proper referral mechanisms. Strengthening health systems is central to improving maternal and child health. A variety of targeted interventions have been implemented in the health systems of developing countries. This study was conducted to identify the health service delivery models that have contributed to the reduction of maternal, infant, and child mortality …
Leave No Woman Behind, Ethiopia: Baseline Report, Annabel Erulkar, Tekle-Ab Mekbib, Helen Amdemikael, Garry Conille
Leave No Woman Behind, Ethiopia: Baseline Report, Annabel Erulkar, Tekle-Ab Mekbib, Helen Amdemikael, Garry Conille
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
“Leave No Woman Behind, Ethiopia” is an experimental project being implemented in rural areas of Ethiopia’s Amhara region. The project uses the mobilization of women into groups and adult literacy as an entry point for reproductive health education and referrals. Measurement of the program’s impact is being undertaken using a quasi-experimental research design including baseline and endline surveys in six Kebele Associations in rural Amhara. This report presents findings from the baseline survey conducted among more than 3,000 girls and women aged 10–45 in rural Amhara region. The results cover a broad range of topics including education, work, livelihoods, social …
Ethnic Differentials In Parental Health Seeking For Childhood Illness In Vietnam, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan, James F. Phillips
Ethnic Differentials In Parental Health Seeking For Childhood Illness In Vietnam, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan, James F. Phillips
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
The recent introduction of user fees for Vietnam’s primary healthcare services has generated concern that economic policies may adversely affect health-seeking behavior and health outcomes of the poor, particularly among impoverished families who are members of socially marginalized minority groups. This Population Council working paper examines this debate by analyzing parental recall of illness and care-seeking for sick children under age 5 recorded by the 2001–02 Vietnam National Health Survey. Ethnic differentials are evident in all geographic and income levels, although adverse effects of minority status are most pronounced among poor households in remote areas. Results suggest that social equity …
Effect Of Introducing An 'Afternoon Pay Clinic' On Service Utilization And Cost Recovery (Nepal), Mahendra Pd. Shrestha, Rajesh Swar, Pradeep Panda, M.E. Khan, Rick Homan
Effect Of Introducing An 'Afternoon Pay Clinic' On Service Utilization And Cost Recovery (Nepal), Mahendra Pd. Shrestha, Rajesh Swar, Pradeep Panda, M.E. Khan, Rick Homan
Reproductive Health
An operations research study was initiated with financial and technical assistance from the FRONTIERS program to examine whether introducing an afternoon clinic at the Chhetrapati Family Welfare Center (CFWC) in Nepal with a substantially higher registration fee could improve cost recovery by adding more to program revenues than to program costs. The study showed, however, that premium pricing of afternoon services generated very little additional demand for services. Even with a premium price, the afternoon clinic could reach its cost recovery goal only if the volume of afternoon clients were to increase significantly. However, client perceptions about the ability of …
The Resolution Of Unintended Pregnancy Among Female Students At The University Of Ghana, Legon, Angela El-Adas
The Resolution Of Unintended Pregnancy Among Female Students At The University Of Ghana, Legon, Angela El-Adas
Reproductive Health
Little has been done to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of university students regarding unintended pregnancy likely because their middle-class status precludes their being considered a “deprived population.” Female students in tertiary institutions of higher learning are at an age and in a social context that makes them extremely susceptible to unintended pregnancy and the consequences of unsafe abortions. It is necessary to take steps to reduce the incidence of unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortions among this group of “high risk” women. This study sought to investigate the extent of knowledge that female students at the University of Ghana, …
Premarital Sex And Schooling Transitions In Four Sub-Saharan African Countries, Ann E. Biddlecom, Richard Gregory, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Barbara Mensch
Premarital Sex And Schooling Transitions In Four Sub-Saharan African Countries, Ann E. Biddlecom, Richard Gregory, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Barbara Mensch
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Using data from the 2004 National Survey of Adolescents conducted in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, and Uganda, this Population Council working paper investigates the timing of two key transitions in adolescence—school exit and premarital sex—among those who remain enrolled in school at the beginning of adolescence (age 12). Girls appear more vulnerable to dropout once they become sexually mature and once they engage in premarital sex. While girls were found to be less likely than boys, at any given age and controlling for other covariates, to have had premarital sex (except in Ghana), school enrollment and the timing of school …
Developing And Testing Strategies For Increasing Awareness Of The Iud As A Contraceptive Option, Ricardo Vernon, M.E. Khan, Harriet Birungi, Ian Askew, William Stones
Developing And Testing Strategies For Increasing Awareness Of The Iud As A Contraceptive Option, Ricardo Vernon, M.E. Khan, Harriet Birungi, Ian Askew, William Stones
Reproductive Health
A workshop was held in England in 2004 to identify the most promising interventions for increasing access to the IUD and to generate protocols for small-scale operations research projects to be undertaken in selected countries. Participants were academics, policymakers, program staff, and service providers from Bangladesh, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Kenya, and Nepal. The workshop objectives were to review international experiences with approaches to increase access to and use of the IUD; identify factors explaining the decline in IUD use in many countries; identify factors favoring client demand for IUD; review barriers to effective IUD service delivery; identify issues of …
The Role Of Schools In Promoting Sexual And Reproductive Health Among Adolescents In Developing Countries, Cynthia B. Lloyd
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 …
Community-Based Approaches To Prevention Of Mother-To-Child Transmission Of Hiv: Findings From A Low-Income Community In Kenya, Susan Kaai, Carolyn Baek, Scott Geibel, Peter Omondi, Benson Ulo, Grace Muthumbi, Carol Nkatha, Naomi Rutenberg
Community-Based Approaches To Prevention Of Mother-To-Child Transmission Of Hiv: Findings From A Low-Income Community In Kenya, Susan Kaai, Carolyn Baek, Scott Geibel, Peter Omondi, Benson Ulo, Grace Muthumbi, Carol Nkatha, Naomi Rutenberg
HIV and AIDS
The Horizons program, in partnership with International Medical Corps and Steadman Research Services International, conducted an intervention study in Kibera, an urban slum in Nairobi, Kenya to determine what effect three different community-based activities had on utilization of key prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services. The interventions included moving services closer to the population via mobile clinics, as well as increasing psychosocial support through the use of traditional birth attendants and peer counselors as PMTCT promoters. Data from the study showed that there were positive trends during the study period in most of the PMTCT indicators, including knowledge of MTCT, …
Continuum Of Care For Hiv-Positive Women Accessing Programs To Prevent Parent-To-Child Transmission: Findings From India, Vaishali Sharma Mahendra, Rupa Mudoi, Archana Oinam, Venkat Pakkela, Avina Sarna, Sucheta Panda, Ashok Rau, L. Birendrajit Singh, Naomi Rutenberg
Continuum Of Care For Hiv-Positive Women Accessing Programs To Prevent Parent-To-Child Transmission: Findings From India, Vaishali Sharma Mahendra, Rupa Mudoi, Archana Oinam, Venkat Pakkela, Avina Sarna, Sucheta Panda, Ashok Rau, L. Birendrajit Singh, Naomi Rutenberg
HIV and AIDS
This study examined the efforts of PPTCT programs in different cities in India to offer women a continuum of care, and shows that the programs have both strengths and shortcomings. The government launched a national treatment program that offers antiretroviral therapy (ART) to HIV-positive women, children below 15 years of age, and men. However, since the start-up of the ART program there have been concerns about limited access to and utilization of these services by women and children. To address these shortcomings, the PPTCT programs studied should strengthen their referral systems to public and private treatment and family planning services, …
Key Findings From An Evaluation Of The Mothers2mothers Program In Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, Carolyn Baek, Vuyiswa Mathambo, Sibongile Mkhize, Irwin Friedman, Louis Apicella, Naomi Rutenberg
Key Findings From An Evaluation Of The Mothers2mothers Program In Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, Carolyn Baek, Vuyiswa Mathambo, Sibongile Mkhize, Irwin Friedman, Louis Apicella, Naomi Rutenberg
HIV and AIDS
The Horizons program of Population Council, in collaboration with Health Systems Trust, completed the first evaluation of mothers2mothers (m2m) as part of its introduction in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. It is the first external evaluation that provides quantitative evidence about the role of the well-known m2m program in complementing services to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT). m2m is a peer support program that aims to provide education and psychosocial support to HIV-positive pregnant women and new mothers, help women access existing health care, and follow up with mothers and babies to ensure they receive appropriate medical care after delivery. …