Women's Health Commons^™

Are Differences In Exposure To A Multicomponent School-Based Intervention Associated With Varying Dietary Outcomes In Adolescents?, Amanda S. Birnbaum, Leslie A. Lytle, Mary Story, Cheryl L. Perry, David M. Murray

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Multicomponent interventions are recommended for health behavior change among adolescents. However, it is difficult to disentangle the effects of multiple intervention components. This article reports outcomes associated with varying levels of exposure to a school-based nutrition intervention, Teens Eating for Energy and Nutrition at School (TEENS). Four incremental exposureswere possible: (1) control group, (2) school environment interventions only, (3) classroom plus environment interventions, and (4) peer leaders plus classroom plus environment interventions. Patterns suggesting dose response were observed, with peer leaders reporting the largest increases in fruit, vegetable, and lower fat food consumption. Students exposed to classroom plus environment interventions …

Clinical, Pathological And Molecular Factors Predicting Axillary Node Involvement In Primary Breast Cancer In Pakistani Women, T. Siddiqui, A. Salam, S. Khan, N. Kayani, Shahid Pervez

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background:

Axillary lymph node involvement in primary breast cancer is one of its most important prognostic features. Thus any factors that may predict axillary lymph node involvement in this setting could be potentially helpful in treatment planning and other interventions.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to evaluate clinical, pathological and immuno-histochemical markers in univariate and multivariate analysis, which may be helpful predictors of axillary lymph node involvement in breast cancer.

Method:

A retrospective analysis of 555 cases. Of these 58% had axillary nodal positivity and 42% were negative.

Conclusion:

Factors of no significance included patient’s age, height, weight, …

Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (Egfr) As A Prognostic Marker: An Immunohistochemical Study On 315 Consecutive Breast Carcinoma Patients, S. A. Aziz, Shahid Pervez, N. Kayani, M. H. Rahbar, S. Khan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Objective: To assess the independent and interdependent prognostic value of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in carcinoma of breast in female population. The Type I family of growth factor receptors includes epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR also known as EGFRI).

Methods: The expression of EGFR protein was analysed immunohistochemically on 315 tumour specimens of infiltrating ductal carcinoma of breast. These patients also had axillary lymph nodes sampling.

Results: Overexpression and/or amplification of EGFR was observed in 70 (22.00%) tumours. Eleven (16%) were grade I, 43 (61%) grade II and 16 (23%) grade Ill tumours. Axillary lymph node metastasis had significant …

Chronic Aerobic Exercise Training May Improve The Cardiovascular Risk Profile For Obese African American Women And Their Daughters By Shortening Qt Interval Duration And Reducing Qt Dispersion, C. Brahler

C. Jayne Brahler

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 …

Women, Poverty, Access To Health Care, And The Perils Of Symbolic Reform, Mary Anne Bobinski, Phyllis Griffin Epps

Faculty Articles

This article looks at health care through gendered eyes. We sift though available data on access to health care, health status, and health treatments to determine whether men and women experience health care differently in the United States. While we do not doubt that overt gender-based discrimination occasionally occurs in health care, this article focuses on the importance of unintended consequences and unconscious bias. We also explore the impact of symbolism about women's roles on the process of health care reform. The results have important implications for policy makers, advocates, and health care providers.

The United States has a large …

Sustainability Of Postabortion Care In Peru, Janie Benson, Victor Huapaya

Reproductive Health

The goal of this study was to determine the sustainability of the postabortion care (PAC) training and service delivery intervention introduced in the Hospital Nacional Daniel Alcides Carrión in Lima, Peru, and the extent to which the outcomes of the intervention have continued. The objectives of the study were to assess changes over time in the following outcomes: the use of manual vacuum aspiration for incomplete abortion, provision of family planning information to postabortion patients, acceptance of contraception by postabortion patients prior to discharge, provision of medical care information to patients, length of hospital stay, and resources used by the …

Best Practices In Cbd Programs In Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons Learned From Research And Evaluation, Frontiers In Reproductive Health, Family Health International, Advance Africa

Reproductive Health

Community-based distribution (CBD) is the use of nonprofessional local distributors or agents to provide family planning (FP) methods—typically condoms, pills, and spermicides—and referral for other services. FP programs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America have implemented CBD programs for the past 30 years. There is a large body of evidence on the effectiveness, cost, and sustainability of CBD models. Most evidence supports using CBD where appropriate conditions exist. However, major changes have taken place in the context in which programs operate, including the onset of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, enhanced access to FP services, and increased demand for related reproductive health …

Zimbabwe: Cbd Roles Modified To Address Zimbabwe's Hiv/Aids Crisis, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

In September 1999, the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) and the Population Council initiated a one-year study to assess the performance of ZNFPC’s community-based distribution (CBD) program. A continual decline in the program’s productivity, combined with the expanding HIV/AIDS epidemic, indicated a need to reconsider ZNFPC’s objectives and revise the roles and responsibilities of its full-time, salaried CBD agents. The study examined the productivity, costs, and potential sustainability of the CBD program. Researchers gathered information by reviewing program documents through 1999. They also interviewed program managers, district and community nurses, and community leaders and CBD agents from eight regions. …

Prevalence And Risk Factors For Vaginal Candida Colonization In Women With Type 1 And Type 2 Diabetes, Ella M. De Leon, Scott J. Jacober, Jack D. Sobel, Betsy Foxman

Wayne State University Associated BioMed Central Scholarship

Abstract

Background

Diabetes mellitus increases the rate of vaginal colonization and infection with Candida species

Methods

We surveyed women with diabetes receiving care at either an urban or suburban diabetes clinic to examine the relationship between vaginal Candida colonization, diabetes type and duration, and HbA_1c level. 101 participants completed the self-administered questionnaire and self-collected a vaginal swab for Candida culture. Candida colonization was similar by age and race.

Results

Type 1 diabetics were three times as likely as type 2 diabetics to be colonized with any Candida species (OR = 3.4; 95% CI: 1.03, 11.41; p = 0.04); even …

Responding To Cairo: Case Studies Of Changing Practice In Reproductive Health And Family Planning, Nicole Haberland, Diana Measham

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo codified views long advocated by women’s health activists the world over. The conference marked a turning point in the history of the population field—one that brought reproductive health and women’s rights to the forefront of the international population agenda. The 22 case studies in this book document changes in practice in reproductive health and family planning programs within 18 countries. The case studies demonstrate the important strides that were made in the years following the conference and point to many challenges that remain. The abolition or modification of population policies …

What About Us? Bringing Infertility Into Reproductive Health Care, Okonofua Friday, Bishakha Datta

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Infertility is a major reproductive health problem throughout much of the world. Despite the prevalence and seriousness of infertility, the population and reproductive health field has largely neglected this problem. National policies and international donor organizations have been one-sided in their focus on programs designed to prevent unwanted pregnancies. This issue of Quality/Calidad/Qualité, with clinic-based narratives and case reports from India and Nigeria, illustrates what is involved in trying to address the problem of infertility in developing countries. A possible framework for incorporating limited infertility care into a family planning or reproductive health program includes providing education and counseling, preliminary …

Frontiers Capacity Building: An Overview, James R. Foreit

Reproductive Health

The Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program is a cooperative agreement with USAID to improve family planning and reproductive health service delivery through operations research (OR). Frontiers builds on more than 20 years of research to improve family planning service delivery programs. A major goal of Frontiers is to transfer skills in OR so that public and private agencies in developing countries can conduct OR and apply research findings to reproductive health programs and policies. OR addresses problems in operational effectiveness, access, quality, and efficiency by investigating facets of programs that managers can control and change. As concluded in …

Increasing Client Participation In Family Planning Consultations: "Smart Patient" Coaching In Indonesia, Young Mi Ki, Fitri Putjuk, Endang Basuki, Adrienne Kols

Reproductive Health

In Indonesia, paternalistic models of health care, social distance between clients and service providers, and cultural norms discourage family planning clients from playing an active role in consultations. This report discusses the interventions needed to encourage clients to communicate more openly and more vigorously with providers. The study confirmed that educational interventions directed to family planning clients can help them become effective partners in their own care, assuming they meet with receptive providers. Communication interventions like Smart Patient complement and reinforce provider interpersonal communication and counseling training by giving clients the confidence and the skills to take advantage of increased …

Predictors Of Young Women's Attitudes Toward Sexual Health Practices, Alison G. Dougall

Theses : Honours

The present study examined whether cognitive (beliefs), affective (emotions) and I or behavioural processes predicted young women's attitudes towards their sexual health practices. For pragmatic reasons, safer sex promotion has largely relied on the provision of factual information to promote behaviour change. Although the importance of emotional and behavioural influences has been indicated, these elements have not traditionally been included in sexual health interventions. In order to examine this issue, Zanna and Rempel's (1988) tripartite model of attitude formation was used. A convenience sample of female participants (N=98) aged 18 to 29 years was asked to rate their attitudes towards …

Jadelle® Levonorgestrel Rod Implants: A Summary Of Scientific Data And Lessons Learned From Programmatic Experience, Irving Sivin, Harold A. Nash, Sandra N. Waldman

Formulation/Product Development

This scientific monograph provides a comprehensive summary of the clinical characteristics of Jadelle levonorgestrel (LNG) rod implants, as observed during clinical trials conducted by the Population Council. The monograph also reviews lessons learned about how to provide Jadelle, based partly on conclusions gleaned from the extensive experience with Norplant, the earlier implant system, and suggests practical ways in which to introduce Jadelle into family planning programs.

Using Operations Research To Strengthen Programmes For Encouraging Abandonment Of Female Genital Cutting. Report Of A Consultative Meeting On Methodological Issues For Fgc Research, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

The Population Council’s Frontiers in Reproductive Health program, with funding from USAID, organized a consultative meeting on the practice of female genital cutting (FGC) in Nairobi, Kenya in April 2002. The meeting brought together a small group of researchers and program managers who are actively undertaking operations research and systematic program evaluations to review the state of the art concerning intervention research design and measurement issues. The deliberations at this workshop should stimulate interest both in undertaking operations research more routinely when programming anti-FGC activities and in furthering the development and application of research methods appropriate for this subject. Several …