Women's Health Commons^™

Workshop Report: Launching Of The Revised Reproductive Health Policy Guidelines And Standards, Division Of Primary Health Care, Kenya Ministry Of Health

Reproductive Health

The Government of Kenya recently revised its Policy Guidelines and Standards for family planning (FP) and other reproductive health (RH) services to encourage service providers to undertake a more comprehensive approach to service delivery. Some of the recommendations, especially those relating to the integration of STI/HIV/AIDS services into MCH/FP services, and to safe motherhood, include new practices and procedures. A number of research studies have been conducted in Kenya and elsewhere that provide data pertinent to many of these recommendations, and the Division of Primary Health Care (DPHC) used the results to provide a framework within which the guidelines were …

Covert Contraceptive Use: Prevalence, Motivations, And Consequences, Ann E. Biddlecom, Bolaji M. Fapohunda

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper examines women’s covert use of contraceptives, that is, use without the knowledge of their husbands. Covert use may highlight conflict between husbands and wives about family planning, or it may reflect behaviors that spouses find difficult to discuss together. This study addresses three questions: 1) How is covert use measured in different settings? 2) How prevalent is it? and 3) What are the factors underlying covert use? We examine these questions by drawing on existing studies and detailed survey and qualitative data collected in 1997 in an urban setting in Zambia from married women and a subsample of …

La Familia En La Mira: Nuevas Perspectivas Sobre Madres, Padres E Hijos, Judith Bruce, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Ann Leonard, Patrice L. Engle, Niev Duffy

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

A pesar de la retórica de los últimos años que lamenta la pérdida de la "familia tradicional," las familias jamás se han podido encajonar en modelo único. "Familia" puede referirse a la gente que se ha vinculado entre sí por matrimonio o parentesco, o a los que pretenden descender de antecesores comunes. Las personas pueden formar y extender familias, ya sea mediante la adoptación o crianza de niños, o definiendo como familiares a gente no emparentada o mediante el establecimiento de sociedades consensuales. Las familias son tan adaptables como diversas, pues se reconfiguran a sí mismas en el transcurso de …

Increasing Demand For Reproductive Health Services In A Peruvian Clinic, Federico R. Leon, Anibal Velasquez, Lissette Jimenez, Alicia Calderon

Reproductive Health

Over the past few years, well-established family planning (FP) organizations in developing countries, such as INPPARES, the IPPF affiliate in Peru, have strived to implement the Cairo Agenda. In the process of including reproductive health (RH) in FP care, they have dedicated human resources and infrastructure to provide RH services seldom offered in the past. The problem these organizations now face is to increase use of the newly available RH care. Currently, clients seeking FP services may leave clinics unaware of the other RH care provided. At a time when international donors are phasing out financial assistance, the partially idle …

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

Reproductive Health

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

Management Support For Postabortion Operations Research At The Egyptian Fertility Care Society, Population Council

Reproductive Health

The ANE OR/TA Project started its first five-year phase in 1991 addressing increased choice and accessibility of contraceptive use, promoting quality of family planning (FP) services in Asia and the Near East, and promoting the use of operations research (OR) to solve service-delivery problems. The first phase emphasized human resource development. During the years leading up to the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, there was increased global attention to issues related to reproductive health (RH), and in particular the adverse health implications of harmful RH practices, including unsafe abortion. OR was being called upon to help implement this …

Postabortion Case Load Study In Egyptian Public Sector Hospitals, Egyptian Fertility Care Society, Population Council

Reproductive Health

There is an absence of reliable data on the incidence of incomplete abortion in Egypt. A diagnostic, descriptive study that neither tests an experimental intervention nor evaluates in a comprehensive manner the quality of postabortion medical care was undertaken to address this issue. The study is a cross-sectional observation of the volume and nature of the postabortion case load in Egyptian public-sector hospitals, and it responds to the following objectives: 1) Accurately estimate the number of women who present for postabortion treatment in ob/gyn in-patient facilities as a percentage of ob/gyn admissions in a representative sample of Egyptian public-sector hospitals …

Clinic-Based Investigation Of The Typology And Self-Reporting Of Fgm In Egypt, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This clinic-based study of female genital mutilation (FGM) was designed and carried out by the Egypt Fertility Care Society to gather detailed information on the types of FGM practiced in Egypt. The study involved interviews with clinic clients to elicit information about their experience and attitudes concerning FGM, and gynecological examinations by specially trained OB/GYN physicians. In all, 93% of the women in this study were found to have some type of FGM. The study's findings were incorporated in the final report of the 1995 Egyptian Demographic and Health Survey, with the aim of contributing to the scientific understanding of …

Living On A Fault Line: Political Violence Against Women In Algeria, Leila Hessini

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This study raises three questions to better comprehend the crisis women face in Algeria today: how are the state and the opposition groups addressing and defining women’s contemporary status, what is the link between women’s status and violence against them, and what are the tactics both of resistance and accommodation that Algerian women are using to survive in such a context? Throughout this study, the term “Islamic Fundamentalists” refers to movements and people in Algeria who use the “recovery” of early principles of the Ideal Muslim Community to develop their idea of a future Islamic “social order,” with the ultimate …

Dmpa Injectable Use: Findings From The 21-Month Dmpa Monitoring Study, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This report presents the results of the DMPA Monitoring Study undertaken by the Population Council, Manila, as a technical assistance project for the DMPA Reintroduction Program of the Department of Health. The primary objective is to provide data on DMPA utilization and continuation rates to project the logistical needs of the program during the next three years. Data on availability of DMPA supplies and IEC (information, education, and communication) materials relating to DMPA were also monitored to provide some measure of effectiveness of the program's distribution system. The study covers a 21-month observation period from April 1994 to December 1995 …

Women's Perceptions Of Sexuality In Rural Giza, Hind Khattab

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This study on sexuality among women in rural Giza, Egypt, is part of a broader project on women's health and reproductive morbidity conducted by the Population Council’s Reproductive Health Working Group. Reproductive tract infections (RTIs) and other ailments associated with reproduction among women in the rural community surveyed suggest that a heavy burden of disease is being borne by women living in underprivileged areas in this region. This research on sexuality has been conducted within a conceptual framework that uses a socio-cultural approach to health and illness. The investigation is an assessment of women's perception of and knowledge about sexuality …

Reintroducing Dmpa To The Philippine Family Planning Program: A Longitudinal Study Of Continuing Users And Drop-Outs, Population Council

Reproductive Health

In 1994, the Population Council, Manila, conducted an operations research (OR) project entitled “DMPA Monitoring and Follow-up Studies.” The activity was undertaken to provide accurate and timely support to the DMPA Reintroduction Program of the Department of Health. Commonly known as Depo-Provera, DMPA stands for Depo-Medroxy Progesterone Acetate, an extremely effective injectable contraceptive given every three months. This report focuses on the survey component of these studies which aims to comprehensively examine the influence on DMPA use of factors classified into the following eight major areas: socioeconomic and demographic characteristics; reproductive history; contraceptive history; adoption of DMPA; quality of care …

What We Do And Do Not Know About The Menstrual Cycle Or, Questions Scientists Could Be Asking, Sioban D. Harlow, Sara A. Ephross

Reproductive Health

The objective of this paper is to consider from a public health perspective the types of questions researchers might be asking about the relationship between menstrual function and women’s health, and to evaluate to the extent to which these questions have or have not been addressed by the scientific community. Based on the findings in this report, it is obvious that a comprehensive program of research is needed in order to begin filling the myriad gaps in scientific knowledge about the menstrual cycle. Given the lack of knowledge about many fundamental aspects of menstrual function and about linkages between the …

Sexual Coercion And Reproductive Health: A Focus On Research, Lori L. Heise, Kirsten Moore, Nahid Toubia

Reproductive Health

Gender-based violence is ignored or denied in most societies and neglected by health professionals and researchers, yet it persists in almost all societies, and, in some, it is on the increase. This report is aimed at those in the family planning/reproductive health field who desire to conduct research or implement programs to address sexual violence and its impact on women's reproductive health. Furthermore, it contributes to a better understanding of the context of sexual coercion as well as its causes and consequences. The ideas presented herein are derived largely from a two-day meeting jointly organized by the Ebert Program in …

Improving The Counseling And Medical Care Of Postabortion Patients In Egypt, Population Council, Egyptian Fertility Care Society

Reproductive Health

This pilot study conducted in Cairo and Minya examined the effects of improving the medical care and counseling of post-abortion patients in Egypt. A pre-test/post-test, no control group study design was used to measure the effects of an intervention that upgraded physicians' clinical and interpersonal communication skills for the care of post-abortion patients, including counseling and family planning (FP). The study's surveys utilized direct interviews with staff working in the OB/GYN wards, structured observations of treatment procedures and counseling of post-abortion patients, and interviews with patients prior to discharge. Changes in the clinical management of post-abortion patients were introduced through …

Follow-Up Study Among Iud Acceptors Of Java, R. Hasan M. Hoesni, M. Hasan, Anthony Tan, Jayanti Tuladhar, Jusuf S. Effendi, Bantuk Hadijanto, Pudjo Hartono

Reproductive Health

As of April 1993, an estimated 5.3 million women in Indonesia were using IUDs. In 1991, the IUD was the second most commonly used family planning method in Indonesia (13.4 percent). According to the Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey, in 1994 it became the third most commonly used method among currently married women (10.3 percent), primarily on the islands of Java and Bali. The National Family Planning Coordinating Board (BKKBN), in collaboration with the Faculties of Medicine, Diponegoro University in Semarang, Airlangga University in Surabaya, and BKS-Penfin in Bandung, conducted a "Follow-up Study Among IUD Acceptors of Java,” from November …

Development Of Approaches To Community Based Family Planning Outreach In Egypt: Assessment Of Raidats Rifiats Program, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Egypt’s family planning program officially began in 1965. Impressive gains in contraceptive use have been made since 1980, and the contraceptive prevalence rate increased from 24 percent in 1980 to 47 percent in 1992. Egypt’s National Population Policy addresses the nation’s population growth through multiple interventions designed to reduce fertility, including family planning (FP) services. FP accessibility is promoted through a network of public and NG0 FP clinics. A number of years ago, the Egyptian Family Planning Program began using the Raidats Rifiats program to extend services into rural communities. There is concern regarding the program’s ability to recruit women …

Improving Community Based Family Planning Services And The Potential For Increasing Contraceptive Prevalence In Bangladesh, Amy Gale Dunston, Peter C. Miller

Reproductive Health

This report contains descriptions of 13 family planning (FP) projects recently implemented in Bangladesh. The results in terms of the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) are analyzed to investigate the degree to which improved FP service delivery in Bangladesh can increase contraceptive use in the present status of demand, investigate the programmatic factors most associated with increased prevalence, and make these projects more widely known. Criteria for inclusion included coverage of a geographic area where household distribution of contraceptive supplies was available, and where at least one measurement of CPR has been made through credible survey efforts since July 1988. The …

Families In Focus: New Perspectives On Mothers, Fathers, And Children, Judith Bruce, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Ann Leonard, Patrice L. Engle, Niev Duffy

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Despite the rhetoric of recent years lamenting the loss of the "traditional family," families have never fit nicely into any single model. "Family" may refer to people linked by marriage or kinship or to people claiming descent from common ancestors. People may form and extend families by adopting or fostering children, defining nonrelatives as family, or establishing consensual partnerships. Families are as adaptable as they are diverse, reconfiguring themselves over their life cycles and evolving to accommodate the myriad pressures of the external world. This book focuses on families with dependent children specifically—on the roles of mothers, fathers, and children, …

Addressing Women's Reproductive Health Needs: Priorities For The Family Welfare Programme, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy

Reproductive Health

India's national family welfare program has two objectives—to address the needs of families, notably women and children, and to reduce population growth rates. In reality, the program has been disproportionately focused on achieving demographic targets by increasing contraceptive prevalence. In this process, women's needs have been overlooked, in terms of poor reproductive health (RH). There is a need to reorient program priorities to focus more holistically on RH needs and on woman-based services that respond to health needs in ways sensitive to the sociocultural constraints women and adolescent girls face in acquiring services and expressing health needs. This report presents …

Partnership For Prevention: A Report Of A Meeting Between Women's Health Advocates, Program Planners, And Scientists, Population Council

Reproductive Health

In May 1994, the Population Council, in conjunction with the Pacific Institute for Women's Health and the International Women's Health Coalition, hosted a meeting for women's health advocates from around the world to discuss the development of microbicides. This process was the first step in building greater understanding and mutual respect among women's health advocates and Population Council staff and scientists with regard to the technology of microbicides. Participants hoped that the recommendations resulting from this initiative would have a positive influence not only on the development of microbicides, but on all reproductive health technologies. This report aims to reproduce …

Arab Women: A Profile Of Diversity And Change [Arabic], Nahid Toubia, Amira Bahyeldin, Nadia Hijab, Heba Abdel Latif

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The status of Arab women is the subject of much speculation, generalization, and stereotyping by those inside and outside the region. The paucity of objective, accessible information makes Arab women one of the least understood social groups. The aim of this book is to help correct misconceptions about Arab women by introducing systematic information for 21 Arab countries. Widely published international statistical data, mostly from the United Nations and the World Bank, were used for the comparisons. These datasets are compiled from country reports, national surveys, and aggregated smaller studies. They are by no means comprehensive or devoid of inaccuracies, …

Arab Women: A Profile Of Diversity And Change, Nahid Toubia, Amira Bahyeldin, Nadia Hijab, Heba Abdel Latif

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The status of Arab women is the subject of much speculation, generalization, and stereotyping by those inside and outside the region. The paucity of objective, accessible information makes Arab women one of the least understood social groups. The aim of this book is to help correct misconceptions about Arab women by introducing systematic information for 21 Arab countries. Widely published international statistical data, mostly from the United Nations and the World Bank, were used for the comparisons. These datasets are compiled from country reports, national surveys, and aggregated smaller studies. They are by no means comprehensive or devoid of inaccuracies, …

Prevention Of Morbidity And Mortality From Induced And Unsafe Abortion In Nigeria, Friday E. Okonofua, Toun Ilumoka

Reproductive Health

These proceedings are from a seminar organized by the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology, and Perinatology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (Nigeria) in collaboration with the Population Council. The primary purpose of the multidisciplinary seminar was to identify the determinants of the high rate of mortality and morbidity from unsafe abortion in Nigeria. The specific objectives were: 1) to identify measures that could be undertaken on a short- and long-term basis to reduce the rate of abortion-related mortality, and 2) to set an agenda for research into abortion in Nigeria. The seminar consisted of oral presentations on related topics by researchers and …

Patterns Of Infant Mortality In The Upper St. John Valley French Population: 1791-1838, Marcella H. Sorg, Beatrice C. Craig

Anthropology Faculty Scholarship

The purpose of this paper is to provide a descriptive analysis of infant mortality patterns in a pre-industrial North American population, the Madawaska French of the upper St. John Valley. A synchronic approach was taken in examining a series of 320 infant deaths identified through family reconstitution. The infant mortality rate for the series is 132 per 1000, low compared to other pre-industrial populations. The large average completed family size of 11.34 is associated with short birth intervals averaging 21.9 months. Women who experience infant mortality were found to have significantly larger completed families that those who did not. Infant …

Ua68/10/1 Sociological Symposium No. 8 – Childbirth & Infancy Life Cycle Series, Wku Sociology

WKU Archives Records

Table of Contents:

• Hernandez, Pedro F. Catholic Church & Birth Control in Latin America
• Kovit, Leonard. Labor is Hard Work: Notes on the Social Organization of Childbirth
• McNurlen, Lewis J. Childbirth: A Family Affair
• Miller, Rita Seiden & Ron Miller. Social Values Supporting Pregnancy: Dilemma for Population Control
• Newman, John F. & William L. Graves. Neo-Natal Mortality & Socio-Economic Status
• Newman, Lucille F. The Anthropology of Birth
• Rutzen, S. Robert. Urban Life & Breast Feeding: A Sociological Analysis
• Schulz, Barbara & Richard Schulz. Family Size Preferences & Sex Composition
• Steinhoff, Patricia G., Roy G. Smith & Milton Diamond. Characteristics & …