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Full-Text Articles in Women's Health

Improving Health Care Providers' Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices In Reproductive Health In Rural Romania, Elaine Claire Himelfarb Jan 2004

Improving Health Care Providers' Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices In Reproductive Health In Rural Romania, Elaine Claire Himelfarb

Reproductive Health

To support new health reform initiatives undertaken by the Romanian Ministry of Health and Family, and in support of the USAID Romania strategy for improving women’s reproductive health, Project Concern International/Romania (PCI/R) was awarded a two-year grant to implement a reproductive healthcare project, Healthy Parents-Healthy Children (HP-HC). This project trained family physicians and nurses in rural dispensaries in techniques to improve pre- and postnatal care, including training on modern contraception, cervical and breast cancer screening, treating menopause and its symptoms, and the encouragement of healthy lifestyles. The goal of this OR project was to test the efficacy of interventions to …


Involving Men In Maternity Care: South Africa, Busi Kunene, Mags Beksinska, Simphiwe Zondi, Nobuhle Mthembu, Saiqa Mullick, Emma Ottolenghi, Immo Kleinschmidt, Susan E. Adamchak, Barbara Janowitz, Carmen Cuthbertson Jan 2004

Involving Men In Maternity Care: South Africa, Busi Kunene, Mags Beksinska, Simphiwe Zondi, Nobuhle Mthembu, Saiqa Mullick, Emma Ottolenghi, Immo Kleinschmidt, Susan E. Adamchak, Barbara Janowitz, Carmen Cuthbertson

Reproductive Health

The Reproductive Health Research Unit University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, in partnership with the FRONTIERS Program of the Population Council, and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health conducted a three-year operations research study titled “Men in Maternity” in the Ethekwini district. The intervention was clinic-based and included two broad strategies: improving antenatal care services by strengthening the existing antenatal package and service monitoring and supervision; and introducing couple counseling by providing training to health providers, inviting partners of antenatal women to attend counseling twice during pregnancy and once post delivery, and providing information to couples with a new antenatal booklet. …


Testing The Effectiveness Of Integrating Community-Based Approaches For Encouraging Abandonment Of Female Genital Cutting Into Care's Reproductive Health Programs In Ethiopia And Kenya, Jane Chege, Ian Askew, Susan Igras, Jacinta Muteshi-Strachan Jan 2004

Testing The Effectiveness Of Integrating Community-Based Approaches For Encouraging Abandonment Of Female Genital Cutting Into Care's Reproductive Health Programs In Ethiopia And Kenya, Jane Chege, Ian Askew, Susan Igras, Jacinta Muteshi-Strachan

Reproductive Health

CARE International, with technical support from the Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program completed a study in Ethiopia and Kenya designed to test the effectiveness of education activities using behavior change communication (BCC) approaches and advocacy activities by religious and other key leaders to abandon female genital cutting (FGC). In Ethiopia, the increased knowledge of harmful FGC effects and human rights issues translated to a positive attitude in support of FGC abandonment and an intention not to cut their daughters in the future. In Kenya, the analysis indicated mixed results in attitude and intended behavior change.


Promotion Of Lactation Amenorrhea Method Intervention Trial, Kazakhstan, Shamil Tazhibayev, Toregeldy Sharmanov, Ayan Ergalieva, Oksana Dolmatova, Orynkul Mukasheva, Aina Seidakhmetova, Raikhan Kushenova Jan 2004

Promotion Of Lactation Amenorrhea Method Intervention Trial, Kazakhstan, Shamil Tazhibayev, Toregeldy Sharmanov, Ayan Ergalieva, Oksana Dolmatova, Orynkul Mukasheva, Aina Seidakhmetova, Raikhan Kushenova

Reproductive Health

In order to expand the benefits of breastfeeding as a birth spacing option for women in the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kazakh Academy of Nutrition at the Academy of Preventive Medicine in Almaty conducted an operations research study to test the effectiveness of lactational amenorrhea method (LAM) promotion among women in Kazakhstan, as part of the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health Small Grants Program. Results show that the intervention programs implemented in experimental baby-friendly hospitals (BFHs) and ordinary hospitals (OHs) improved women’s knowledge, skills, and desire to breastfeed The report concludes that training activities should be strengthened and all …


Renforcement Des Capacites Villageoises: Comment 23 Villages S'Initient Aux Droits Humains Et Abandonnent La Pratique De L'Excision Au Burkina Faso, Nafissatou J. Diop, Edmond Bagde, Djingri Ouoba, Molly Melching Jan 2003

Renforcement Des Capacites Villageoises: Comment 23 Villages S'Initient Aux Droits Humains Et Abandonnent La Pratique De L'Excision Au Burkina Faso, Nafissatou J. Diop, Edmond Bagde, Djingri Ouoba, Molly Melching

Reproductive Health

This document is a summary of the process followed in implementing a community-based education program in Burkina Faso. The Population Council initiated a collaboration between two NGOs, Tostan in Senegal and Mwangaza Action in Burkina Faso, to replicate the program for improving women’s reproductive health and contributing to the end of female genital cutting (FGC). In Burkina Faso, the participants (men and women) held discussions to analyze the problems faced by their communities and to find appropriate solutions. Many positive changes occurred in the participating villages: the communities now promote reproductive health and human rights and work to improve public …


Improving Postpartum Care Among Low Parity Mothers In Palestine, Center For Development In Primary Health Care (Cdphc) Jan 2003

Improving Postpartum Care Among Low Parity Mothers In Palestine, Center For Development In Primary Health Care (Cdphc)

Reproductive Health

In an effort to improve the health status of Palestinian women and their children in the West Bank and Gaza, USAID, in collaboration with the Palestinian Ministry of Health and a number of NGOs, designed and funded a 28-month pilot activity, the Pilot Health Project (PHP), that was expected to have a positive impact on the health of women and children. This report describes the results of the intervention designed to measure the effectiveness of a second home visit on low-parity women in 1) improving their knowledge and practices regarding their own health as well as the health of their …


Assessment Of Pilot Health Project Outcome Indicators: West Bank/Gaza, Laila Nawar, Dale Huntington, Ibrahim Kharboush, Nancy Ali, Mahmoud Shaheen Jan 2003

Assessment Of Pilot Health Project Outcome Indicators: West Bank/Gaza, Laila Nawar, Dale Huntington, Ibrahim Kharboush, Nancy Ali, Mahmoud Shaheen

Reproductive Health

The Pilot Health Project (PHP) was designed to address Palestinian women’s most pressing reproductive health needs. This report presents results from a single cross-sectional study that was conducted by the Health, Development, Information and Policy Institute (HDIP) between May and August 2000 in order to determine the baseline measures for the PHP’s key outcome indicators among healthcare providers and clients in the PHP clinics. Based on the findings reflected by the study, a number of recommendations were made that need to be followed up and implemented by the Improved Village and Community Health Services Project. These include the need for …


Introducing Dmpa Injectable Contraceptives To Private Medical Practitioners In Urban Gujarat, Frontiers In Reproductive Health Jan 2003

Introducing Dmpa Injectable Contraceptives To Private Medical Practitioners In Urban Gujarat, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Many public, NGO, and private-sector service-delivery systems are suitably matched to the requirements of providing injectable contraceptives in India, including the ability to ensure choice and service delivery quality. This operations research study was designed to demonstrate the feasibility of providing injectable contraceptives in private medical practices and to contribute to the body of scientific literature on the acceptability of this method in India. DKT India and EngenderHealth formed a partnership with the Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health program to conduct this study in Gujarat. The ability to generate recommendations is limited, however, by the special characteristics of the …


Creation Of A Unified Management Information System For Three Ngos In The West Bank And Gaza, Health, Development, Information And Policy Institute Jan 2003

Creation Of A Unified Management Information System For Three Ngos In The West Bank And Gaza, Health, Development, Information And Policy Institute

Reproductive Health

The goal of the Pilot Health Project (PHP) has been to improve the health status of Palestinian women and children. To further this goal, the Health, Development, Information and Policy Institute (HDIP) was given the responsibility to develop a management information system (MIS) for the collection, storage, processing, and dissemination of information for PHP clinics. In cooperation with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MOH) and various healthcare providers and MIS professionals, HDIP worked through a carefully organized and highly participatory process to design and develop the MIS for the PHP. This report reviews that process and presents the features of …


Replication Of The Tostan Programme In Burkina Faso: How 23 Villages Participated In A Human Rights-Based Education Programme And Abandoned The Practice Of Female Genital Cutting In Burkina Faso, Nafissatou J. Diop, Edmond Bagde, Djingri Ouoba, Molly Melching Jan 2003

Replication Of The Tostan Programme In Burkina Faso: How 23 Villages Participated In A Human Rights-Based Education Programme And Abandoned The Practice Of Female Genital Cutting In Burkina Faso, Nafissatou J. Diop, Edmond Bagde, Djingri Ouoba, Molly Melching

Reproductive Health

This document is a summary of the process followed in implementing a community-based education program in Burkina Faso. The Population Council initiated a collaboration between two NGOs, Tostan in Senegal and Mwangaza Action in Burkina Faso, to replicate the program for improving women’s reproductive health and contributing to the end of female genital cutting (FGC). In Burkina Faso, the participants (men and women) held discussions to analyze the problems faced by their communities and to find appropriate solutions. Many positive changes occurred in the participating villages: the communities now promote reproductive health and human rights and work to improve public …


Female Circumcision In Indonesia. Extent, Implications And Possible Interventions To Uphold Women's Health Rights, Meiwita P. Budiharsana, Lila Amaliah, Budi Utomo Jan 2003

Female Circumcision In Indonesia. Extent, Implications And Possible Interventions To Uphold Women's Health Rights, Meiwita P. Budiharsana, Lila Amaliah, Budi Utomo

Reproductive Health

In Indonesia, the practice of female circumcision (FC) has long existed, but information concerning where and how it is carried out has been limited. The specific aims of the study conducted by the Population Council Jakarta were to provide research-based information on FC customary practices and their socio-cultural determinants, and if possible, to assess any long-term physical and psychological consequences. Study findings indicate that in general Muslim communities support the continuation of FC practice, because they perceive it as both a societal custom and a religious duty. The report strongly recommends that key donor agencies pressure the Ministry of Health …


Policy And Program Implications Of The Matching Grants Program In The Philippines, Marilou Palabrica-Costello, Nimfa Ogena, Alejandro N. Herrin Jan 2003

Policy And Program Implications Of The Matching Grants Program In The Philippines, Marilou Palabrica-Costello, Nimfa Ogena, Alejandro N. Herrin

Reproductive Health

In 1999, the Philippines Department of Health, with support from USAID and technical assistance from Management Sciences for Health (MSH), implemented the matching grants program (MGP) as a component of the local government performance program. The MGP aims to improve the capability of municipalities and component cities to expand service delivery, and to achieve significant increases in rates of fully immunized children, vitamin A supplementation, tetanus toxoid immunization for women, as well as in the use of family planning methods, especially modern methods. Upon the request of the USAID Mission, the Frontiers in Reproductive Health program worked closely with MSH …


Postabortion Family Planning Operations Research Study In Perm, Russia, Irina Savelieva, John M. Pile, Inna Sacci, Ratha Loganathan Jan 2003

Postabortion Family Planning Operations Research Study In Perm, Russia, Irina Savelieva, John M. Pile, Inna Sacci, Ratha Loganathan

Reproductive Health

EngenderHealth, the Population Council’s FRONTIERS program, and the Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, with support from the Perm Health Departments, undertook an operations research study to test models for increasing contraceptive use and reducing the repeat abortion rate among abortion clients in Perm, Russia. The study also assessed the direct and indirect costs of abortion and contraceptive use incurred by women in the year following their index abortion (the abortion which took place the day of entry into the study). The findings of the study were significant for the training interventions …


Taking Postabortion Care Services Where They Are Needed: An Operations Research Project Testing Pac Expansion In Rural Senegal, Engenderhealth Jan 2003

Taking Postabortion Care Services Where They Are Needed: An Operations Research Project Testing Pac Expansion In Rural Senegal, Engenderhealth

Reproductive Health

EngenderHealth, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, conducted an operations research project to examine the feasibility of introducing an integrated three-element model of postabortion care (PAC) services in secondary- and primary-level sites in two predominantly rural regions in Senegal. The intervention provided health personnel with: 1) training to improve clinical competence, counseling, infection prevention, and general care; 2) technical assistance, materials, and support to aid in overcoming challenges; and 3) ongoing monitoring and supervision. The project findings attest to the benefits of expanding existing PAC programs in rural settings and suggest that the advantages of such an expansion outweigh …


Institutional Support For A Program Of Activities Within The Pilot Health Project In The West Bank And Gaza, Health, Development, Information And Policy Institute Jan 2002

Institutional Support For A Program Of Activities Within The Pilot Health Project In The West Bank And Gaza, Health, Development, Information And Policy Institute

Reproductive Health

This document contains reports on three activities undertaken by the Pilot Health Project (PHP) in order to upgrade antenatal and postpartum services for Palestinian women. Specifically, it includes results of a survey and a comprehensive assessment of the antenatal and postpartum care services, including family planning, that are currently provided at the project clinics. The findings show that the shortage of care provided to women during the perinatal period could be partially overcome by conducting home visits to provide information on many reproductive health issues, to help women and their families make decisions regarding their future fertility, and to provide …


An Assessment Of The Alternative Rites Approach For Encouraging Abandonment Of Female Genital Mutilation In Kenya, Jane Chege, Ian Askew, Jennifer Liku Jan 2001

An Assessment Of The Alternative Rites Approach For Encouraging Abandonment Of Female Genital Mutilation In Kenya, Jane Chege, Ian Askew, Jennifer Liku

Reproductive Health

Maendeleo Ya Wanawake (MYWO), with technical assistance from the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), has been implementing an Alternative Rite of passage programme as part of its efforts to eradicate the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) in five districts in Kenya. This study addressed the factors that influence some families and individuals to adopt the Alternative Rite while others, exposed to the same messages discouraging FGM, decide not to. It also evaluated the effect of the training component of the Alternative Rite on the girls who participated.


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 …


Special Studies Program Of The Pilot Health Project: West Bank And Gaza, Mahmoud Shaheen, Laila Nawar, Dale Huntington, Sahar Hegazi Jan 2001

Special Studies Program Of The Pilot Health Project: West Bank And Gaza, Mahmoud Shaheen, Laila Nawar, Dale Huntington, Sahar Hegazi

Reproductive Health

The Special Studies Program was implemented as part of the Pilot Health Project in the West Bank and Gaza to provide small grants to Palestinian researchers, research organizations, and advanced graduate students to conduct research that examines critical reproductive health topics related to maternal and child health care, including family planning. The research implemented under the Special Studies Program covered a range of topics including male involvement in reproductive health, clients' satisfaction with family planning programs, the relationship between early marriage and the delivery of premature infants, factors affecting compliance for iron supplementation, and diabetes mellitus during pregnancy. The research …


Integrating A Reproductive Health Framework Within Primary Care Services: The Experience Of The Reproductive Health Intervention Study, Karima Khalil, Abdel Moneim Farag, Assem Anwar, Dina Galal, Olfia Kamal, Karraze Shorbagi, Miral Breebaart, Hind Khattab, Nabil Younis, Huda Zurayk Jan 2000

Integrating A Reproductive Health Framework Within Primary Care Services: The Experience Of The Reproductive Health Intervention Study, Karima Khalil, Abdel Moneim Farag, Assem Anwar, Dina Galal, Olfia Kamal, Karraze Shorbagi, Miral Breebaart, Hind Khattab, Nabil Younis, Huda Zurayk

Reproductive Health

This paper is part of the Policy Series in Reproductive Health, which shares research undertaken by the Reproductive Health Working Group (RHWG). It describes the Reproductive Health Intervention Study, which designed and tested a model of essential reproductive health (RH) services. RHWG was established in 1988 as part of a special program on the health of women and children within the context of the family and community initiated by the Population Council’s Regional Office for the West Asia and North Africa region. The paper identifies a framework of basic service components that address RH and shows that their delivery is …


The Tostan Story: Breakthrough In Senegal Ending Female Genital Cutting, Population Council Jan 2000

The Tostan Story: Breakthrough In Senegal Ending Female Genital Cutting, Population Council

Reproductive Health

In Senegal, elements of the Tostan education program were fundamental to the ending of the practice of female genital cutting (FGC) which has persisted for centuries, despite outside efforts to abolish such a dangerous and harmful operation. This paper is an attempt by those who lived through these events to share the experience with others. At a time when there has been little reduction in the numbers of women ending FGC in 28 African countries, when different programs and strategies have rarely succeeded in making an impact on the number of women still practicing FGC despite laws abolishing the tradition, …


The Tostan Story: Breakthrough In Senegal Ending Female Genital Cutting [Arabic], Population Council Jan 1999

The Tostan Story: Breakthrough In Senegal Ending Female Genital Cutting [Arabic], Population Council

Reproductive Health

In Senegal, elements of the Tostan education program were fundamental to the ending of the practice of female genital cutting (FGC) which has persisted for centuries, despite outside efforts to abolish such a dangerous and harmful operation. This paper is an attempt by those who lived through these events to share the experience with others. At a time when there has been little reduction in the numbers of women ending FGC in 28 African countries, when different programs and strategies have rarely succeeded in making an impact on the number of women still practicing FGC despite laws abolishing the tradition, …


Emergency Contraception In Zambia: Setting A New Agenda For Research And Action, Yusuf Ahmed, M. Ketata, John P. Skibiak Jan 1998

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 …


Integration Of Sti And Hiv/Aids With Mch-Fp Services: A Case Study Of The Nakuru Municipal Council's Project On Strengthening Std/Aids Control, James Kariba Wabaru, Bedan Kiare Kariuki, Baker Ndugga Maggwa Jan 1997

Integration Of Sti And Hiv/Aids With Mch-Fp Services: A Case Study Of The Nakuru Municipal Council's Project On Strengthening Std/Aids Control, James Kariba Wabaru, Bedan Kiare Kariuki, Baker Ndugga Maggwa

Reproductive Health

Kenya’s Nakuru Municipal Council (NMC) operates five clinics located primarily in residential areas with high concentrations of people. The clinics provide basic antenatal, child welfare, STI, and other curative services, and family planning services are available at four of the clinics. One provincial referral hospital operated by the Ministry of Health also provides MCH-FP and HIV/STI services in a special STI treatment clinic. The seven public health facilities in Nakuru Municipality are participating in a collaborative project with the Department of Community Health at the University of Nairobi, the University of Manitoba in Canada, and the Nairobi Municipal City Council. …


An Assessment Of Community-Based Family Planning Programs In Kenya, Jane Chege, Ian Askew Jan 1997

An Assessment Of Community-Based Family Planning Programs In Kenya, Jane Chege, Ian Askew

Reproductive Health

Kenya has a long history of using community-based distribution (CBD) as an integral part of its family planning (FP) program. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of CBD programs in terms of providing information and services, to learn more about the determinants of program effectiveness, and to attempt to compare the programs’ cost-effectiveness. Fieldwork was undertaken in mid-1995 when data were collected from seven of the major CBD programs in Kenya. Four rural and three urban programs were included, as were programs that remunerated their agents and those that did not, and programs that had full-time …


Integrating Rti Services In Primary Health Care System: Observations From An Operations Research In Uttar Pradesh, India, M.E. Khan, Saumya Ramarao, R.B. Gupta, Bella C. Patel, Leila Caleb-Varkey, Jayanti Tuladhar, Sanjeev Kumar, John Townsend Jan 1997

Integrating Rti Services In Primary Health Care System: Observations From An Operations Research In Uttar Pradesh, India, M.E. Khan, Saumya Ramarao, R.B. Gupta, Bella C. Patel, Leila Caleb-Varkey, Jayanti Tuladhar, Sanjeev Kumar, John Townsend

Reproductive Health

Evidence from community studies indicates that significant proportions of Indian women (30 percent) may have reproductive tract infections (RTIs). Given that women are in general asymptomatic and that even symptomatic women may not seek care, the estimates are the minimum levels of prevalence. Most women do not seek treatment for RTIs for such reasons as lack of awareness, acceptance that RTIs are part of women's lives, and lack of treatment facilities. On the supply side, in the public sector the treatment for RTIs is limited with most services provided through STD clinics in urban areas. Seeking treatment at STD clinics …


Clinic-Based Investigation Of The Typology And Self-Reporting Of Fgm In Egypt, Population Council Jan 1996

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 …


Rethinking Postpartum Health Care, Martha Brady, Beverly Winikoff Jan 1993

Rethinking Postpartum Health Care, Martha Brady, Beverly Winikoff

Reproductive Health

These proceedings come from papers and discussions as part of the Population Council invitational seminar entited "Rethinking Postpartum Health Care," in 1992. The seminar on postpartum reproductive health was the fifth in a series of seminars convened by the Population Council as part of its Robert H. Ebert Program on Critical Issues in Reproductive Health and Population. The program focuses on four topics: 1) improving and devising new approaches to postpartum care; 2) improving the quality of care in family planning and reproductive health services; 3) managing unwanted pregnancy and preventing the consequences of unsafe abortion; and 4) bringing attention …