Women's Health Commons^™

Assessment Of The Availability And Use Of Maternal Health Supplies In The Primary Health Care System In Amhara Region, Ethiopia, Sarah Raifman, Sisay Mellese, Kelemua Hailemariam, Ian Askew, Annabel Erulkar

Reproductive Health

Maternal mortality in Ethiopia remains among the highest in the world. A UN Commission Report in 2012 identified 13 life-saving commodities—defined as medicines, medical devices, and health supplies—that effectively address avoidable causes of death during pregnancy and childbirth that, if more widely accessed and properly used, could significantly reduce preventable deaths among women. This assessment, conducted by the Population Council, evaluates the availability of these life-saving commodities that are essential for basic emergency obstetric and neonatal care, and safe and clean delivery services within primary health care in Ethiopia. The report concludes that Ethiopia’s pharmaceutical procurement and supply system is …

Introducing Medical Mr In Bangladesh: Mrm Final Report, Ismat Ara Hena, Ubaidur Rob, Nargis Sultana, Md. Irfan Hossain, Reena Yasmin, Tapash Ranjan Das, Farid Uddin Ahmed

Reproductive Health

The Population Council Bangladesh, in collaboration with the Directorate General of Family Planning and Marie Stopes Bangladesh, with funding from the World Health Organization and the DFID-supported STEP UP project, conducted an 18-month operations research study from January 2012 to June 2013. This operations research tested the feasibility of introducing menstrual regulation with medication (MRM) in Bangladesh and assessed accessibility of the combination regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol in urban and rural health facilities. Based on this study’s results, the feasibility of introducing MRM services in Bangladesh is clear, and women receiving MRM were satisfied with their overall quality of …

Understanding Unintended Pregnancy In Bangladesh: Country Profile Report, Fauzia Akhter Huda, Sabiha Chowdhuri, Yolande Robertson, Noushin Islam, Bidhan Krishna Sarker, Ashrafi Jahan Azmi, Laura Reichenbach

Reproductive Health

The objective of this report is to identify the determinants of unintended pregnancy and unmet need for family planning in Bangladesh and therefore provide a strong body of evidence that will contribute to issue identification, evidence generation, and communication for use of evidence in policy and programming. The evidence generated can be used to find ways to reduce the rate of unintended pregnancy and hence reduce the risk of abortion-related morbidity and mortality; ultimately this will aid Bangladeshi couples in reaching their fertility goals. Results demonstrate that Bangladesh has shown progress and promise in several areas of family planning and …

Insights Into Unmet Need In Ghana, Kazuyo Machiyama, John C. Cleland

Reproductive Health

This study aims to establish the relative importance of lack of access and attitudinal resistance toward use of family planning for different population and geographical strata in Ghana. It is intended to inform policymakers on the priority that should be given to behavior change communication or improved access/information, and also helpful to interventions to reduce health concerns and fear of side effects, such as provision of broader method mix and better counseling. The most far reaching implication concerns the reproductive behavior of the best educated women and those living in the capital or surrounding areas. The results suggest an enduring …

Insights Into Unmet Need In Senegal, Kazuyo Machiyama, John C. Cleland

Reproductive Health

Results presented in this STEP UP Research Report show that over half of women having unmet need for family planning in Senegal did not intend to use family planning in the future and this was consistent across all population strata. Reasons for non-use confirm the existence of widespread opposition to the use of modern contraception. Unfamiliarity and lack of information is likely to be a reason for such opposition; initial suspicion of contraception has also been documented. Thus a first policy priority, and one that is relatively easy to achieve, is to increase knowledge through the mass media and localized …

Unmet Need And Unintended Pregnancy: The Bigger Picture, Ian Askew

Reproductive Health

Prevention of unintended pregnancy is often considered the key outcome of reducing unmet need; it is the basic right of women and couples to become pregnant only when intended. This paper explores this relationship by reviewing the definition and measurement of unintended pregnancy, identifying key trends in its distribution within and between populations, and analyzing the relationship between unintended pregnancy, demand for family planning, and family planning program performance. The determinants and consequences of unintended pregnancy are reviewed to further understand the implications of using it as a policy and programming goal. The paper concludes by reviewing the broader policy …

Assessing Retention And Motivation Of Public Health-Care Providers (Particularly Female Providers) In Rural Pakistan, Ali M. Mir, Gul Rashida Shaikh, Saleem Shaikh, Neha Mankani, Anushe Hassan, Maqsood Sadiq

Reproductive Health

The main objectives of this project in Pakistan were to explore the core issue of availability of health providers, especially female providers who are required for provision of maternal and neonatal healthcare, and to determine the range of factors that either constrain or motivate providers to serve in key positions in public facilities in rural areas. The study, conducted by the Population Council with funding from the Maternal and Newborn Health Programme ‐ Research and Advocacy Fund, identifies a number of problems faced by healthcare providers working in the public healthcare system in Pakistan and makes the following recommendations for …

Does Breastfeeding Offer Protection Against Maternal Depressive Symptomatology? A Prospective Study From Pregnancy To 2 Years After Birth, Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook, Martie G. Haselton, Christine Dunkel Schetter, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Depression is the leading cause of disability in women (Nobel 2005) and is the most prevalent of all childbearing-related illnesses, affecting approximately 13% of women worldwide within the first 12 [...] Mothers who breastfeed typically exhibit lower levels of depressive symptomatology than mothers who do not. However, very few studies have investigated the directionality of this relationship. Of the prospective studies published, all but one focus exclusively on whether maternal depression reduces rates of subsequent breastfeeding. This study again examines this relationship, but also the reverse--that breastfeeding might predict lower levels of later depression. Using multilevel modeling, we investigated the …

Untangling Neoliberalism’S Gordian Knot: Cancer Prevention And Control Services For Rural Appalachian Populations, George F. Bills

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

In eastern Kentucky, as in much of central Appalachia, current local storylines narrate the frictions and contradictions involved in the structural transition from a post-WWII Fordist industrial economy and a Keynesian welfare state to a Post-Fordist service economy and Neoliberal hollow state, starving for energy to sustain consumer indulgence (Jessop, 1993; Harvey, 2003; 2005). Neoliberalism is the ideological force redefining the “societal infrastructure of language” that legitimates this transition, in part by redefining the key terms of democracy and citizenship, as well as valorizing the market, the individual, and technocratic innovation (Chouliaraki & Fairclough, 1999; Harvey, 2005). This project develops …

Sexual And Reproductive Health Care Access And Utilization By Mexican Immigrant Women In New York City – A Descriptive Study, Gabriela Betancourt

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This study examines reproductive health care access and utilization by Mexicans in New York City.

Methods: This report uses data collected by Planned Parenthood of New York City (PPNYC) as part of a larger sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs assessment. We analyzed various demographic factors and barriers to describe SRH access and utilization of services among Mexican immigrant women residing in New York City (NYC). We purposely sampled 151 adult women seeking assistance from the Mexican Consulate of New York City and other community-based organizations (CBOs). Women choosing to participate were administered an anonymous survey. Data collected included …

Providers' And Key Opinion Leaders' Attitudes, Beliefs, And Practices Regarding Emergency Contraception In Nigeria, Babatunde A.O. Ahonsi, Salisu Mohammed Ishaku, Araoyinbo Idowu, Ayodeji Oginni

Reproductive Health

Despite significant progress in product development, procurement, and distribution in the past few decades, emergency contraception’s (EC) capacity to benefit many women in countries such as Nigeria is hampered by a number of potential barriers, that are not well understood. The Population Council, with support from the International Consortium for Emergency Contraception, documented EC-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices among providers in Nigeria as well as perceptions of key opinion leaders who help shape the policy environment for EC and family planning in general. Findings suggest significant gaps in Nigeria, potentially necessitating continuous training and re-training to help dispel misperceptions and …

The Health Of Vulnerable Adolescent Girls: A Strategic Investment For Double Return, Jennifer Catino

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Worldwide there are 1.2 billion adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19. Nearly 90 percent of them live in developing countries, and approximately 600 million are female. While adolescence is normally a time of good health, numerous developmental and social changes occur during this period, many of which have health implications, especially for girls. Most of the girls and young women in the developing world live in conditions that make them vulnerable to health and social risks. They are often poor, out-of-school, married, migrants, members of ethnic minorities, or engaged in unsafe labor. Girls from many of the poorest …

Filles Eveillées ('Girls Awakened'): A Pilot Program For Migrant Adolescent Girls In Domestic Service In Urban Burkina Faso, Sarah Engebretsen, Gisele Kaboré, Leah Jarvis

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Young people in Burkina Faso, especially adolescent girls, have few economic opportunities, particularly in rural areas. This drives migration to urban areas in search of employment. In 2010, the Population council conducted formative research on migrant adolescent girls in domestic service in urban Burkina Faso. Findings revealed that girls typically live with their employers and spend long days performing arduous work, leaving little time for schooling, building social networks, and developing skills necessary for adulthood. Most programs designed for this population intervene after something has gone wrong rather than building girls’ protective assets. In response to these findings, the Population …

Baseline And Endline Findings Of Filles Eveillées ('Girls Awakened'): A Pilot Program For Migrant Adolescent Girls In Domestic Service. Cohort 1 (2011–2012), Bobo-Dioulasso, Sarah Engebretsen

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Burkina Faso has the tenth youngest population in the world, with 45 percent of the population below the age of 15. Young people in Burkina Faso, especially adolescent girls, have few economic opportunities, particularly in rural areas. This drives migration to urban areas in search of employment. On their own, girls are physically and economically vulnerable and many are at heightened risk for gender-based violence. The Population Council conducted formative research in 2010 to better understand the situation of migrant adolescent girls in domestic service in urban Burkina Faso, and subsequently designed a safe spaces intervention. The Filles Éveillées (“Girls …

Recours Aux Données Pour Révéler Et Sélectionner Les Adolescentes Les Plus Vulnérables, Sarah Engebretsen

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Il est crucial d’investir dans les adolescentes du monde en développement, où une proportion déjà importante et grandissante de la population tombe dans la catégorie des moins de 24 ans. Il est essentiel pour protéger les droits à la scolarité, à l'intégrité corporelle et au mariage légal et choisi, et pour réduire la fertilité tout en augmentant la capacité de production. Il est essentiel de rendre les filles visibles si l’on veut que l’investissement soit ciblé sur les groupes qui présentent le plus grand risque de bilans non favorables. Tel est le principe de ce compte rendu: son but est …

Observations Initiales Et Finales De Filles Eveillées : Programme Pilote De Renforcement Des Compétences Des Adolescentes Migrantes Employées De Maison. Cohorte 1 (2011–2012), Bobo-Dioulasso, Sarah Engebretsen

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Le Burkina Faso abrite la dixième population la plus jeune du monde, avec 45% de la population de moins de 15 ans. Les jeunes au Burkina Faso, en particulier les adolescentes, ont peu d'opportunités économiques, en particulier dans les zones rurales. Cela alimente la migration vers les milieux urbaines à la recherche de travail. Seules, les filles sont physiquement et économiquement vulnérables et beaucoup courent un risque élevé de violence sexiste. Le Population Council a mené une recherche formative en 2010 dans le but de mieux comprendre la situation des adolescentes migrantes employées de maison au Burkina Faso urbain, et …

Évaluation De Processus : Programme Filles Eveillées Pour Adolescentes Migrantes Employées De Maison Au Burkina Faso Urbain 2012, Leah Jarvis, Gisele Kaboré

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Le programme «Filles Éveillées» a été conçu pour apporter aux adolescentes migrantes employées de maison les compétences, les connaissances et le capital social qui leur permettent de réduire leurs vulnérabilités et de s’ouvrir de nouveaux débouchés. Les observations tirées de la collecte de données quantitatives et qualitatives ont révélé le succès considérable du programme: il est largement apprécié et a été bien reçu par les participantes, les mentors, les membres de la communauté et tous les autres intéressés. En sa qualité de programme pilote, les obstacles à une mise en œuvre sans incidents auraient été inévitables, mais par leur détermination …

Filles Eveillées : Programme Pilote Pour Adolescentes Migrantes Employées De Maison Au Burkina Faso Urbain, Sarah Engebretsen, Gisele Kaboré, Leah Jarvis

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Les jeunes Burkinabè n’ont guère de débouchés économiques, en particulier dans les milieux ruraux. En 2010, le Population Council a mené une recherche formative dans le but de mieux comprendre la situation des adolescentes migrantes employées de maison au Burkina Faso urbain. L’étude révèle qu’arrivées à la ville, ces filles vivent généralement chez leurs employeurs et travaillent de longues journées laborieuses. Il leur reste très peu de temps pour aller à l’école, développer des réseaux sociaux et acquérir les compétences nécessaires à la vie adulte. Il s’avère du reste que les programmes destinés à cette population interviennent en majorité après …

Injectable Contraceptives: Perspectives And Experiences Of Women And Health Care Providers In India, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, A.J. Francis Zavier

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report is the result of a study that aimed to shed light on the feasibility and acceptability of making injectable contraceptives more widely available to women in India. The study focused on injectable contraceptive users, new method adopters, and healthcare providers drawn from the facilities of a range of reproductive health. Healthcare providers were, for the most part, in favor of offering injectable contraceptives, however, they argued strongly for certain prerequisites, such as comprehensive and sensitive counseling and effective follow-up. Findings further suggest that there is a demand for injectable contraceptives among women, and that both women and healthcare …

Using Data To See And Select The Most Vulnerable Adolescent Girls, Sarah Engebretsen

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Investment in adolescent girls is crucial in the developing world where a large proportion of the population is under the age of 24. It is critical to protecting rights to schooling, bodily integrity, and legal and chosen marriage, and to reducing fertility while increasing productive capacity. Making adolescent girls visible is essential so that investments can be targeted toward those at the highest risk of the poorest outcomes. This guide seeks to find and target vulnerable adolescent girls and shape policy context. It provides guidance on resources and tools that can reveal the internal diversity of adolescents, identify the onset …

La Santé Des Adolescentes Vulnérables : Un Investissement Stratégique Doublement Rentable, Jennifer Catino

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Le monde compte aujourd’hui 1,2 milliard d’adolescents âgés de 10 à 19 ans. Près de 90% d’entre eux vivent dans les pays en développement et environ 600 millions sont de sexe féminin. L’adolescence représente normalement une période de santé florissante bien que sujette à de nombreux changements socio-développementaux dont les implications affectent, tout particulièrement, la santé des filles. La plupart des centaines de millions de filles et jeunes femmes du monde en développement vivent dans des conditions et des circonstances qui les rendent vulnérables aux risques de santé et sociaux. Ces adolescentes sont souvent pauvres, déscolarisées, mariées, migrantes, membres de …

Réseaux Sociaux Et Les Capacités Financières Des Filles Employées De Maison À Bobo-Dioulasso, Gisele Kaboré

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Depuis plus d’une année, le Population Council assure la mise en œuvre du projet «Filles Éveillées» ciblant les travailleuses domestiques dans les zones urbaines au Burkina Faso. L’objectif de cette étude est d’avoir une meilleure connaissance des réseaux sociaux des filles—soit avec les personnes dans sa nouvelle communauté soit avec des personnes dans son village à travers la technologie—depuis leurs zones d’origine, sachant que la phase de transit n’est pas bien comprise mais que ça peut influencer le séjour de la fille en ville. Cette étude a pour objectif de cerner les capacités et les modes de gestion financières des …

Birth Spacing And Family Planning Uptake In Pakistan: Evidence From Falah, Arshad Mahmood

Reproductive Health

The Population Council was the lead implementing agency for the Family Advancement for Life and Health (FALAH) project in Pakistan. The project’s main objectives were to achieve a 10 percent increase in the use of moden contraceptives, to equip 80 service delivery points to provide family planning services, and to ensure birth-spacing understanding and ways to achieve it by three-quarters of the target population. The main conclusion of this research is that a sharp uptake of family planning is possible in a relatively short time, if certain investments are made to ensure better communication and greater access to quality family …

Increasing Parity Is Associated With Cumulative Effects On Memory, Laura M. Glynn

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this investigation was to determine if reproductive experience is associated with cumulative effects on human memory performance during pregnancy and if these effects persist into the postpartum period.

METHODS: Verbal recall memory performance was assessed in 254 women four times during pregnancy and at 3 months postpartum. The relation between parity and memory function was evaluated with hierarchical linear modeling and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).

RESULTS: The data indicate that the previously documented adverse effects of pregnancy on memory performance are compounded with successive pregnancies. During gestation and postpartum, multiparity was associated with poorer memory function, …

Social Mobilization Strategy, Family Advancement For Life And Health (Falah)

Reproductive Health

This document outlines social mobilization strategies at the national and community levels of the Family Advancement for Life and Health (FALAH) project in Pakistan. The project aims to improve the health and well-being of women, men, and their children through tackling the major obstacles in adoption of birth spacing to improve maternal and child health outcomes and family well-being, by increasing knowledge of the benefits of birth spacing as well as knowledge, increased demand for, and effective use of contraceptive methods. The strategy aims to achieve a significant increase in couples’ knowledge and understanding of the need for and benefits …

Parent-Child Communication On Sexual And Reproductive Health Matters: Perspectives Of Mothers And Fathers Of Youth In India, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, K.G. Santhya

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report from the Population Council study “Youth in India: Situation and Needs” presents data from in-depth interviews with mothers and fathers of youth in six states of India regarding communication patterns. The content of parent-child—and parent-daughter—communication is typically intended to ensure that young people conform to prevailing social, gender, and relationship norms. This study, one of the first from India to probe parental perspectives, suggests that parents are indeed concerned about their children’s transition into sexual life, but are constrained by traditional norms, lack of information, and limited skills from communicating with and providing them the supportive environment needed …

Rethinking The Time Allocation Of Egyptian Females: A Matching Analysis, Rana Hardy

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This study explores the extremely biased division of labor within Egyptian households. The effects of marriage on women’s market and domestic labor supplies are important aspects of this study conducted by the Population Council for its working paper series on gender and work in the Mideast-North Africa region. New explanations for married women’s low participation rates are proposed. A matching model is estimated to determine how selection into marriage alters the time allocation of women. The empirical results show that marriage significantly affects both types of work with married women spending about eight hours less on market work weekly relative …

Sexual And Reproductive Health Of Young People In India: A Review Of Policies, Laws And Programmes, Shireen J. Jejeebhoy, K.G. Santhya

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper synthesizes the key policies, laws, and programs in India that focus on or have implications for the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people. It includes a summary of what is known about the sexual and reproductive health situation of young people, an assessment of the salient features of current policies, laws, and programs, and a discussion of the extent to which these policies, laws, and programs have responded to the sexual and reproductive health needs of young women and men. The review by the Population Council clearly shows that there is considerable recognition of the …

When Girls' Lives Matter: Ending Forced And Early Marriage In Cameroon, Sajeda Amin, Andrea Lynch

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The program presented in this case study, the Association for the Struggle Against Violence Against Women (ALVF, from its name in French) in Cameroon, provides counseling, language and literacy training, economic support, and empowerment activities for girls who have fled (or been thrown out of) early or forced marriages to help them overcome their adversities. ALVF also seeks to bring about broader social change by highlighting in the public sphere—as well as among parents and husbands—the plight of girls who were married early and/or by force. Hence, ALVF’s prevention strategy is based on a broad understanding of the perceptions, expectations, …

Female Genital Mutilation Practices In Kenya: The Role Of Alternative Rites Of Passage. A Case Study Of Kisii And Kuria Districts, Habil Oloo, Monica Wanjiru, Katy Newell-Jones

Reproductive Health

This research was undertaken by the Population Council to better understand female genital mutilation (FGM) as currently practiced by the Kuria and Kisii communities in Kenya. The study investigated current attitudes and practices in relation to FGM, awareness and attitudes toward the alternative rite of passage (ARP), and factors which encourage individuals to make decisions to abandon FGM. The findings show that FGM is still a celebrated public event among the Kuria, whereas in Kisii, it is a private family affair. The study suggests that the success of ARP as an approach to abandoning FGM is strongly dependent on the …