Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons^™

Effective Engagement Of Male Partners Of Adolescent Girls And Young Women In Uganda, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

The Population Council is conducting implementation research in Uganda, in collaboration with local partner organizations, to learn more about men’s relationships with adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and how HIV services can better engage them—two neglected areas of research. Similar studies are being conducted in South Africa, Swaziland, and Malawi. Learnings from these studies will be valuable for informing ongoing programming in Uganda and the region, as well as HIV prevention, care, and treatment efforts for AGYW and their male partners globally, particularly in this era of test and start.

Evaluation Of The “One Community” Program In Malawi, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

“One Community” is the United States Agency for International Development’s flagship community-based response to Malawi’s HIV epidemic. The primary objective of One Community is to support the government’s efforts to reduce new infections and to mitigate the impact of HIV among orphans and vulnerable children, out-of-school adolescent girls and young women, and other at-risk populations in eight districts in the southern region of Malawi. Project SOAR is conducting a rigorous evaluation of One Community in five of the eight program districts. The results from this evaluation will be used to inform Malawi’s support strategies for at-risk populations, improve the United …

Introducing Oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis To Adolescent Girls And Young Women In Tanzania: Overview Of Findings From Implementation Science Research, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

The Population Council in collaboration with Tanzania’s National AIDS Control Program and CSK Research Solutions Limited conducted implementation science research in one urban district and one rural district in the country, to provide needed evidence for informing decisionmaking on whether and how to introduce oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Tanzania. The aims of the research were to: assess the acceptability of PrEP among AGYW, their male partners, their parents/guardians, healthcare providers, and policymakers; determine the feasibility of and opportunities for providing PrEP to AGYW; and identify key facilitators and barriers to PrEP introduction …

Improving Uptake Of Hiv Testing Services And Linkage To Care After Diagnosis In Kenya, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

Project SOAR is conducting two complementary research activities in Kenya, to 1) understand the barriers to and facilitators of HIV testing among men seeking HIV testing services, and 2) to develop and pilot test an HIV post-test assessment tool to promote linkage to HIV care and treatment among newly diagnosed HIV-positive clients. This study will provide needed information to help Kenya and other countries that are scaling up test and start programs to develop effective strategies to increase uptake of HIV testing services among men and linkage to care and treatment among all newly diagnosed HIV-positive clients.

Optimizing Community Services For An Improved Continuum Of Hiv Care, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

Project SOAR, together with Aurum Institute, is conducting research in Ekurhuleni District and Bojanala District in South Africa to improve the availability of effective care continuum services to meet the communities’ HIV treatment needs. The two districts have a combined population of 3.6 million inhabitants and approximately 350 public clinics and hospitals. Through improved information on community HIV care services and their relationship to care continuum outcomes, the study will provide valuable new knowledge about service gaps and approaches to planning and delivering services that best achieve HIV treatment goals.

Preventing Pediatric Tuberculosis: A Randomized Trial Of Symptom-Based Screening Of South African Children Exposed To Tuberculosis, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

In South Africa, a country with one of the highest levels of HIV prevalence, HIV-positive adults are the source case for a large proportion of pediatric tuberculosis (TB) cases. Unfortunately, TB index cases are not consistently asked about their child contacts, not all child contacts present to the clinic for TB screening, and it remains unknown what proportion of child contacts receive isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT)—a highly effective treatment for preventing TB in these children, long recommended by the World Health Organization. Project SOAR is assessing whether a symptom-based screening approach by TB nurses in community health clinics is more …

Men's Perceptions Of Prep Use By Their Adolescent And Young Adult Female Partners In Tanzania In Tanzania: Findings From Implementation Science Research, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

Prevailing gender norms about sexuality and relationship power dynamics have been shown to affect how women make decisions about the use of sexual and reproductive health products, including microbicides, condoms, and other contraceptives. It is therefore important to understand male partners’ views of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to inform how to effectively introduce PrEP among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Tanzania to ensure they use it correctly and consistently. The Population Council, in collaboration with the National AIDS Control Programme and CSK Research Solutions Ltd., conducted implementation science research in Tanzania to identify key considerations for introducing PrEP …

Providers' Views On Prep For Adolescent Girls And Young Women In Tanzania: Findings From Implementation Science Research, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

In collaboration with the Tanzania National AIDS Control Programme and CSK Research Solutions Ltd., the Population Council conducted an implementation science research study to identify key considerations among healthcare providers for oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) introduction to adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in an urban and a rural setting in Dar Es Salaam and Mbeya districts, respectively. This brief presents results from a survey and in-depth interviews conducted with healthcare providers in each setting, assessing their knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions about PrEP; willingness to prescribe PrEP to AGYW; and perceived barriers and facilitators to providing PrEP to AGYW. The …

Rates Of Hiv And Hsv-2 Among Young People In Machinga, Malawi, Barbara Mensch, Erica Soler-Hampejsek

HIV and AIDS

To better understand the epidemiological context for the DREAMS programming, Project SOAR analyzed previously collected quantitative cohort data from the Population Council’s Malawi Schooling and Adolescent Study (MSAS) to identify the prevalence and incidence of HIV and the herpes simplex virus, commonly referred to as genital herpes. SOAR’s analysis provides a deeper understanding of the changing epidemiological and gendered context of the HIV epidemic in Machinga. The youth cohort data from the MSAS provide accurate estimates of HIV prevalence over time and HIV incidence, thereby filling important data gaps.

Strengthening Capacity In Hiv Operations Research: Reflections On A Project Soar Workshop In Johannesburg, South Africa, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

Capacity strengthening (CS) to support rigorous scientific research is a globally recognized need and central to Project SOAR. Over a four-day period, SOAR conducted a CS workshop to strengthen individual and institutional capacity in HIV operations research, with a particular emphasis on the research utilization process. This brief summarizes the CS activities conducted, insights from the workshop’s organization, and participants’ views of the workshop.

Growing Portland: Not Whether, But How, Richard Barringer Phd, Joseph Mcdonnell Phd

Faculty Publications

In the 400 years since European settlement, Portland has survived the ravages of war, invasion, pestilence, conflagration, and economic depression and recession. Once a renowned manufacturing, trade, and shipping center, it now enjoys what might be called a post-industrial renaissance as a vibrant center for the arts, education, entertainment, and banking, legal, and medical services; and is frequently cited as one of America’s best small cities. As a result, Portland is growing today and is positioned for more growth.

The question, then, is not whether Portland will grow, but how well it will grow; or, how best to manage the …

A Content Analysis On Two Different Immigrants’ Stories In California From Two Novels: A Step From Heaven: A Korean Girl And Esperanza Rising: A Mexican Farm Worker, Claudia Guerrero Barrera

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study intends to compare and analyze two stories of young immigrants coming to California from Korea and Mexico. The themes through thematic analysis on migration motives, ethnic customs, family interactions, and assimilation process are identified and analyzed. The two novels also pointed out the importance of using young adult narratives as a means that libraries, schools, and cultural centers could use to promote cultural understandings.

Measuring Gender Equality In Education: Lessons From 43 Countries, Stephanie Psaki, Katharine Mccarthy, Barbara Mensch

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Through the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), governments committed to achieving universal secondary school completion, including eliminating gender disparities, by 2030. The period from 1997 to 2014 saw considerable progress in closing gender gaps in school enrollment and attainment in many, but not all, low- and middle-income countries. However, as this research brief explains, claims that gender parity in primary education now exists are premature, especially in the poorest countries and new gender gaps, or gender-related challenges, may emerge as attainment increases. Moreover, the extremely low levels of secondary school enrollment—and even moreso completion—demonstrate that the SDG target of universal …

Updating The People Living With Hiv Stigma Index, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

In October 2015, supported by USAID/PEPFAR, Project SOAR established a small working group (SWG) with representatives from a variety of nongovernmental organizations, and several experts within and external to SOAR. The SWG outlined a process for evaluating and updating the Stigma Index, launched in 2008, that would be transparent and incorporate as many perspectives as possible in the process. The Stigma Index is both a data collection tool and an empowering intervention for the interviewers collecting data and the interviewees who are sharing their experiences of stigma. Since the Stigma Index was launched, there have been shifts in the HIV …

Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (Nasis) 2016-2017 Methodology Report, Bureau Of Sociological Research

Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey (NASIS)

2016-2017 NASIS Methodology Report

Contents

Introduction 3

Mode Selection 3

Design and Item Selection 3

Sampling Design 4

Experimental Design Treatment 4

Data Collection Process 4

Response Rate 5

Data-Entry Training, Supervision, and Quality Control 5

Processing of Completed Surveys 5

Data Cleaning 5

NASIS Sample Weights 6

Design Effects 6

Questions 6

Estimate of Sampling Error 9

Appendices 10

Appendix A: Cover Letters 10

First Mailing – Version 1 (Long version with incentive) 10

First Mailing – Version 2 (Short version with incentive) 11

First Mailing – Version 3 (Long version with no incentive) 12

First Mailing – Version …

Considerations For Prep Introduction To Adolescent Girls And Young Women: Implementation Science Research In Tanzania, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

In collaboration with the National AIDS Control Programme and CSK Research Solutions Ltd., a Tanzania-based research organization, the Population Council is conducting implementation science research in Tanzania to build needed evidence to inform decisionmaking around the introduction of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), ages 15–24. This research will actively engage key stakeholders throughout the study, including gaining their insights on key study questions, interpreting the findings, crafting initial programming recommendations based on findings, and supporting their adoption in Tanzania and beyond. Findings from this study and other observational studies and demonstration trials in progress …

Parents' And Guardians' Perceptions Of Oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Introduction In Tanzania: Findings From Implementation Science Research, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

The Population Council, in collaboration with the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) and CSK Research Solutions Ltd., conducted implementation science research in two research sites in Tanzania to identify key considerations for introducing oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). The NACP and members of the study’s research utilization committee recognized the importance of learning about parents’ and guardians’ attitudes and perceptions of PrEP use by their adolescent and young adult daughters and peers to inform the PrEP implementation process in Tanzania. Moreover, existing research in Tanzania finds that parents communicate with their children about sexual …

Expanding Access To Integrated Family Planning Intervention Packages For Married Adolescent Girls In Urban Slums Of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Fauzia Akhter Huda, Hassan Rushekh Mahmood, Sadia Afrin, Anisuddin Ahmed, Nafis Al Haque, Bidhan Krishna Sarker

Reproductive Health

This research report describes an intervention study conducted among married adolescent girls aged 15–19 years in four urban slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Objectives of the study were to examine the acceptability and feasibility of forming married adolescent girls’ clubs, and involving community health volunteers (Shasthya Skebikas) and marriage registrars to increase access to family planning (FP) information and services, to promote the uptake of long-acting reversible contraceptive methods, and to provide FP information to newlywed couples at the time of marriage registration. The study findings revealed that a noteworthy number of married adolescent girls received FP-related information, mostly from the …

Creating A Culture Of Evidence Use: Using An Innovative Knowledge Translation Platform To Inform Hiv/Aids Programming For Women And Girls, Jill Gay, Melanie Croce-Galis, Karen Hardee, Amelia Peltz

Reproductive Health

Given that moving evidence from a study to policy, programs, and practice can often take a decade or more, what is the best way to get evidence into the hands of those developing policies and programs to speed its use? Enhancing the use of evidence in policies and programs through an innovative web-based knowledge platform, What Works for Women: Evidence for HIV/AIDS Interventions, resulted in major changes in National Strategic HIV Plans plus Concept Notes submitted to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in 14 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This paper documents how components …

Status Of Sexual And Reproductive Health And Rights In Zambia: Contraception And Family Planning, Preventing Unsafe Abortion And Accessing Post Abortion Care, And Maternal Health, Population Council

Reproductive Health

In 1994, the International Conference on Population and Development affirmed that sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are human rights. The Government of the Republic of Zambia has fully committed to fulfilling the SRHR of all people by ratifying 11 international instruments of law. This brief is Part 1 of a three-part series entitled “Status of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Zambia,” reporting on progress, gaps, and existing challenges in SRHR. Using a human rights–based approach, the Government of Zambia and collaborators, with technical facilitation by the Population Council, conducted an assessment of the status of SRHR …

Nature, Socio-Spatial Divisions And Connections: An Examination Of El Jardín De Guadalupe, Elizabeth Moreno

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Culture is often discussed in the content of social behavior but, how culture is spatially linked to landscapes is often overlooked. Points of social and cultural reproduction is not only tied to landscapes, but there are constantly challenged as new cultures are introduced into a space. Latino culture in the United States has, and continues to, reshape America’s landscapes. For purpose of this thesis, the reshaping of landscapes will be observed in a community. This project examines the perception that Latinos avoid participation in a community garden. This perception is not entirely true, as there was one Latina participating. As …

Visions For Waterville's Future: Perceptions Of Its Residents, Alex Wolansky

Honors Theses

Mills and factories in the United States have steadily been closing down as industry is outsourced in the globalized economy. Cities that were once prosperous face decay and often have no hopeful future outlook. Post-industrial towns face major unemployment and poverty and are not typically places for re-investment. But Rust Belt cities like Baltimore, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Milwaukee and St. Louis are not the only post- industrial hubs that are struggling. Many small towns in rural areas once thrived from manufacturing and are becoming forgotten. Local governments, policy makers, urban planners, developers and scholars are working to figure …

A Systems Approach To Improving Delivery And Update Of Facility-Based Hiv Testing And Linkage To Care In South Africa, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

Project SOAR is examining the current delivery of HIV testing (HTS) and linkages to care (LTC) services—including barriers, facilitators, and infrastructure—in Ekurhuleni District, South Africa which has the second-highest district-level HIV prevalence in the country. Based on these formative findings, the project will develop and test tailored approaches to increase patients’ uptake of HTS and subsequent LTC, if positive. The project expects to find evidence of HTS coverage outside of antenatal care; document key systems-level barriers to HTS and LTC; assess potentially generalizable clinic-level strategies to increase HTS delivery and assess LTC needs; and identify the added value for implementation …

Effect Of A Family-Centered Model Of Hiv Care On Viral Suppression And Care Retention Among Hiv-Positive Children In Swaziland, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) has been supporting the Kingdom of Swaziland since 2003 to prevent mother-to-child transmission and to provide care and treatment services to HIV-positive children and adults. Project SOAR and the Swaziland Ministry of Health are leveraging EGPAF’s establishment of a family-centered care service delivery program (FAM-CARE) and a national rollout of viral load monitoring to assess their implementation and effect on viral suppression and retention in care among children living with HIV. This implementation science study is important because it will provide critical data to national and global policymakers about the model’s feasibility, acceptability, …

Evaluating Community-Facility Linkage Models To Promote Mother-Infant Retention Along The Hiv Care Continuum, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

In Malawi, and other resourced-constrained, sub-Saharan African countries with a high HIV burden, several service delivery models have emerged to increase prevention of mother-to-child transmission care retention by strengthening connections between health facilities and their surrounding communities. Yet there has been little documentation of the unique characteristics of each model and their comparative impact on mother-infant pair (MIP) care retention and other health outcomes. This brief describes how Project SOAR is responding to these knowledge gaps by conducting research to identify components of community-based MIP support that are associated with maternal care retention and infant HIV-free survival. This research will …

Evaluation A Depression Treatment Program On Hiv Care And Mental Health Outcomes In Malawi, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

This brief outlines a Project SOAR study which will provide critical evidence on the feasibility, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of an integrated depression treatment model for improving retention in and adherence to HIV care in Malawi. Among people initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART), those with depression are a large and especially vulnerable population. Depression affects 18–30 percent of patients receiving HIV care in Africa and is an important barrier to early ART retention. Evidence revealed by the study will have implications not only for the applicability of the model in Malawi but for other countries in sub-Saharan Africa as well.

Project Yes! Youth Engaging For Success: A Peer Mentoring Program To Transition Youth To Hiv Self-Management In Zambia, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

This activity brief describes an operational study that responds to challenges and evidence gaps in Zambia about how to support adolescents and young adults living with HIV (YLHIV) in having a greater and more effective role in the management of their own care. The study aimed to refine and test a peer-mentoring strategy in Zambia to strengthen the capacity of health systems and families to support youth as they transition to, and engage in, self-management and adult HIV care and treatment. This approach builds on previous Ministry of Health–approved research at Arthur Davison Children’s Hospital with YLHIV and their families. …

Reducing Hiv Risk Among Adolescent Girls And Young Women, And Their Partners Through The Dreams Partnership In Malawi, Project Soar

HIV and AIDS

Project SOAR is conducting implementation science research in Malawi to build needed evidence to inform decisionmaking about effective programming to reduce HIV risk among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and their male partners. Specifically, SOAR is: examining approaches to identify the most at-risk girls, particularly those out of school, and enroll and retain them in DREAMS programming; assessing HIV-risk and health-seeking behaviors before and after AGYW’s engagement in DREAMS interventions; exploring how to reach AGYW’s male sexual partners and increase their uptake of HIV services; and assessing facilitators and barriers to HIV service uptake by men living with HIV. …

Essays On Health Disparities And Income-Related Health Inequality In Sub-Saharan Africa, Marshall Makate

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This dissertation comprises of five empirical essays. Essay one assesses the impact of prenatal care quality and its components on child mortality using nationwide data from the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Surveys (ZDHS), 1999-11. Results indicate that increasing prenatal care quality by one unit improves neonatal, infant and under-five survival by about 42.33, 30.86, and 28.65%, respectively and all statically significant at the 1% level.

Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (Agep): Evaluation—Round 4 Update, Karen Austrian, Paul C. Hewett, Erica Soler-Hampejsek, Jean Digitale

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

To assess the impact of the Adolescent Girls Empowerment Program (AGEP) on mediating and longer-term demographic, reproductive, and health outcomes, Population Council researchers designed and implemented a longitudinal, cluster randomized controlled trial across all program areas. A baseline survey was conducted in 2013 prior to program implementation and data have been collected annually. A third round of data collection in 2015 produced the midline findings, measuring the program effect immediately at the end of AGEP. Details of the midterm results were published in a full technical report, executive summary, and brief. The focus of this brief is to provide an …