Maternal and Child Health Commons^™

Impact Of Peer Education And On-Site Clinical Services For Female Sex Workers In Bangladesh Brothels: A Link Up Evaluation Study, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

This brief describes an evaluation of a brothel-based HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) intervention that combined peer outreach with the provision of on-site clinical services in several Bangladesh brothels. The aim of this evaluation was to assess whether peer educator one-on-one or group sessions and on-site satellite clinics improved SRHR knowledge and behaviors among women who sell sex in three Bangladesh brothels. The study was conducted by the Population Council as part of the Link Up project, a global consortium led by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance aimed at improving the SRHR of young people. The findings …

Reducing Provider-Held Stigma And Improving Young Client Satisfaction In Bangladesh: Findings From A Link Up Evaluation, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

To address HIV stigma in Bangladesh, a training program was designed and evaluated among service providers as part of Link Up, a global project led by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance designed to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of young people. These trainings aimed at sensitizing healthcare providers to the needs and rights of young people at high risk of stigmatization—such as sex workers, sexual minorities, or young people who engage in premarital sex. The Population Council collaborated with Marie Stopes International Bangladesh (MSIB) to evaluate whether stigma-reduction trainings improved provider attitudes toward these young marginalized populations, …

Sexual And Reproductive Health And Rights Needs Of Young Men Who Live In The Streets In Dhaka City: A Link Up Exploratory Study, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

Under the Link Up project—a global consortium led by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance and supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs—the Population Council conducted an exploratory study of the HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) needs of young men who live in the streets of Dhaka City, Bangladesh. The study investigated their knowledge, behaviors, needs, and service utilization related to HIV and SRHR. The findings elucidate the substantial vulnerabilities and risks faced by young men who live in the streets of Dhaka City, most notably in terms of sexual risk and physical violence. Participants reported very …

Building Evidence To Guide Prep Introduction For Adolescent Girls And Young Women, Nanlesta Pilgrim, Sanyukta Mathur, Ann Gottert, Naomi Rutenberg, Julie Pulerwitz

HIV and AIDS

This document was developed by the Population Council, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to provide DREAMS country teams with practical guidance on building evidence to guide pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) introduction for adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). The primary audiences for this document are health policymakers and program planners who will be making decisions about how PrEP is introduced and the researchers who will assess AGYW’s specific needs and experiences. Our aim is to complement emerging global guidance on PrEP and ongoing work regarding delivery platforms, marketing, and policy and regulatory frameworks for PrEP introduction more …

Container Culture: An Educational Program To Reduce The Overuse, Ashleigh R. Toy

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

The increased pace of society, improved safety, mobility and the need for parent efficiency have created a vast market of infant products to meet these demands: car seats that clip in and out of everything from the car to the grocery cart, jumpers, walkers, exersaucers, swings, bouncers and bumbos. These infant equipment products are helpful and can be beneficial if used effectively, however, the problem synthesized from the literature and clinical observation is that these containers designed to support safety and mobility are being overused causing a decrease in tummy time and human interaction which is leading to delays in …

Organizing For Women And Children: Advocating For The ‘Reach Every Mother And Child’ Campaign, Laura E. Leslie

Capstone Collection

Every day families are left without mothers and children. Not only does this affect the family but it can have ramifications on the community. There is a link between the wellbeing of moms and that of their children, yet we lose thousands of women to maternal complications each year. Moreover, each day, thousands of children die before reaching their fifth birthday. The most tragic part is that most of these deaths are preventable. While these deaths have been halved in the last 15 years, there is still a lot of work to be done. There have been several initiatives which …

Barriers To Fistula Repair In Nigeria: A Formative Study, Population Council

Reproductive Health

A formative research study was conducted in Nigeria to better understand the barriers and enabling factors for fistula repair care delivery and access. This brief presents results from a literature review conducted to identify and understand the delays in accessing and receiving treatment and corresponding barriers, to document interventions that help to overcome barriers, and to specify gaps in the literature that require further research. The report concludes that women’s concern over healing and reintegration reflects their expectation that the holistic approach of hospitals will bring them back to normal life incorporating physical, sexual, psychosocial, and economic rehabilitation. Awareness, financial, …

Landscape Analysis Of The Family Planning Situation In Pakistan—District Profile: Sukkur, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This district profile of Sukkur is part of the Landscape Analysis of the Family Planning Situation in Pakistan. The factsheet provides a detailed picture of use of antenatal and delivery care services; use of family planning; other socioeconomic indicators; availability of health facilities, pharmacies, and lady health workers; distribution of public static and private facilities by cadre; provision of specific family planning methods by sector; and presence and provision of family planning services/products. The factsheet concludes with a review of consumers’ perspectives on barriers to use of family planning and a chart listing district-specific donors, projects, and implementing partners. The …

Sexual And Reproductive Health Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Among Early Adolescents And Young Adults In Uganda: Findings From A Link Up Exploratory Study, Population Council

HIV and AIDS

The Population Council collaborated with Makerere University’s Child Health and Development Centre to conduct a study of males and females ages 10–24 to help inform future programs and policies affecting these young people. This study was conducted as part of the Link Up project, a global consortium led by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance that aims to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of young vulnerable people. Results indicate that adolescents and young adults have broad gaps in their knowledge about HIV and SRHR; early adolescents fared significantly worse in these areas than their older counterparts, suggesting that …

Icook 4-H: 0 To 24-Month Accelerometer-Derived Physical Activity And Sedentary Time In Youth, Emily Hofer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To assess accelerometer-derived physical activity and sedentary time from 0 to 24- months in youth in the iCook 4-H program. The iCook 4-H Program was a 5-state, randomized, control-treatment, family-based childhood obesity prevention intervention promoting cooking, eating and playing together. Youth, 9-10 years old, and their main adult meal preparer, participated in the 12-week program followed by monthly newsletters and bi-yearly booster sessions until 24-months. Physical activity and sedentary time were determined for youth who wore an Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometer for 7 days at 0, 4, 12, and 24-months and met defined accelerometer compliance standards. Mean daily minutes of sedentary …

Abortion, Informed Consent, And Regulatory Spillover, Katherine A. Shaw, Alex Stein

Indiana Law Journal

The constitutional law of abortion stands on the untenable assumption that any state’s abortion regulations impact citizens of that state alone. On this understand-ing, the state’s boundaries demarcate the terrain on which women’s right to abortion clashes with state power to regulate that right.

This Article uncovers a previously unnoticed horizontal dimension of abortion regulation: the medical-malpractice penalties imposed upon doctors for failing to inform patients about abortion risks; the states’ power to define those risks, along with doctors’ informed-consent obligations and penalties; and, critically, the possi-bility that such standards might cross state lines. Planned Parenthood v. Casey and other …

The Africa Regional Sgbv Network Learning Brief Series: Learning Updates From Swaziland (Brief #3), Population Council

Reproductive Health

Nearly half of girls aged 13–24 in Swaziland suffer some form of sexual violence, according to the country’s 2007 Violence Against Children (VAC) survey. About 10 percent of girls reported experiencing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in school in particular. The Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) is recognized as Swaziland’s leading SGBV prevention, response, and advocacy organization. This Learning Brief describes how SWAGAA is tackling SGBV in schools in three different ways: 1) helping girls take more control of their school experience through a new self-efficacy module in the Girls’ Empowerment Clubs; 2) encouraging girls, and giving them the …

Operationalizing National Protocol For Preventing And Managing Pe/E In Community Facilities In Bangladesh, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Considering the maternal deaths associated with pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (PE/E), the Bangladesh Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with technical assistance from the Obstetrical and Gynecological Society of Bangladesh, developed a national protocol allowing community providers to provide a magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) loading dose. With the approval of the National Technical Committee of the Directorate General of Family Planning, this study operationalized and assessed the ability of community providers to detect and treat PE/E, and administer the loading dose of MgSO4 before referral to higher-level facilities. The study results presented in this brief indicate that with national protocol, training, and …

Formative Research On Factors Influencing Access To Fistula Care And Treatment In Uganda, Pooja Sripad, Charlotte E. Warren

Reproductive Health

This formative research builds upon the results of a systematic review by the Population Council for better understanding of the barriers and enabling factors for fistula repair care and access in Uganda. The study focuses on Fistula Care Plus project-supported treatment facilities where fistula camps are routinely held. Results reveal the nuances of women’s experiences, along with the additional perspectives of their spouses, family members, community stakeholders, and fistula camp care providers including nurses/counselors, surgeons, and facility and district managers. Barriers and enablers to fistula repair care are clustered around the following factors: psychosocial, cultural, social, financial, transportation, facility shortages, …

Breastfeeding Practices Among Native Hawaiians And Pacific Islanders, Ingrid K. Adams, Chizimuzo T.C. Okoli, Akilah Dulin Keita, Ana Maria Linares, Keiko Tanaka, Joshua R. Polanin, Annie Koempel

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

Background. Breastfeeding is associated with a decreased risk of obesity in the early and adult years. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) experience high rates of obesity which is often obfuscated with aggregated data. Using disaggregated data, we examined breastfeeding practices among NHPI. Methods. Seven databases and reference lists were searched. Two independent researchers extracted relevant studies based on predetermined criteria. Nine studies met our inclusion criteria and a meta-analysis was conducted using random-effects, inverse-various weighted models. Results. Few studies disaggregated NHPI populations when examining breastfeeding practices. Most studies were cross-sectional and our search yielded no randomized or quasirandomized control …

Contraceptive Provision To Adolescent Females Prescribed Teratogenic Medications., Stephani L. Stancil, Melissa K. Miller, Holley Briggs, Daryl Lynch, Kathy Goggin, Gregory Kearns

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Rates of adult women receiving contraceptive provision when simultaneously prescribed a known teratogen are alarmingly low. The prevalence of this behavior among pediatric providers and their adolescent patients is unknown. The objective of this study was to describe pediatric provider behaviors for prescribing teratogens concurrently with counseling, referral, and/or prescribing of contraception (collectively called contraceptive provision) in the adolescent population.

METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted examining visits in 2008-2012 by adolescents aged 14 to 25 years in which a known teratogen (US Food and Drug Administration pregnancy risk category D or X) was prescribed. The electronic …

Do Perceptions Of Classroom Physical Activity Breaks Vary By Size Of School District?, Tyler Patterson, Kailey Snyder, Danae M. Dinkel, Connie Schaffer, Jung-Min Lee

Research Presentations

Background: Classroom physical activity (PA) breaks offers a way for schools to increase children's PA, improve time on-task, and improve academic scores. Professional development delivery models, technology infrastructure, and opportunities for collaboration are influenced by school district size. These factors may impact teachers' perceptions of instructional issues, including PA. However, little is known on how the size of school districts may impact teachers' perceptions of classroom PA. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore if teachers' perceptions of classroom PA vary based on district size. Method: Sixty teachers from five school districts (1 large public, 3 medium …

Findings From Landscape Analysis In Nigeria On Pre-Eclampsia/Eclampsia, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Maternal and newborn deaths due to pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (PE/E) are preventable, yet in Nigeria this is the most significant direct cause of maternal mortality. The Population Council conducted a landscape analysis on PE/E in 2015 in seven states in Nigeria. This brief details the findings on national policy awareness, service provider knowledge and skills, facility capacity and preparedness, quality of care and community knowledge and perceptions. The brief concludes with recommendations based on these findings.

Adolescent Sexual And Reproductive Health Situation: Insights From The 2014 Kenya Demographic And Health Survey, Francis Obare, George Odwe, Harriet Birungi

Reproductive Health

The 2015 Kenya National Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy recognized the importance of addressing adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs for achieving the country’s development goals. Although estimates from the 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) show the country registered improvements in key reproductive, maternal, and child health outcomes, adolescent outcomes likely remain poor given the challenges associated with adequately addressing their sexual and reproductive health needs. This report presents findings of further analysis of the 2014 Kenya DHS on key SRH outcomes among adolescent girls and boys 15 to 19 years old in Kenya. Understanding the …

A Systematic Review Of The Treatment And Management Of Pre-Eclampsia And Eclampsia In Pakistan, Saleem Shaikh, Ali M. Mir

Reproductive Health

Pakistan is one of the six countries that account for more than 50 percent of the world’s maternal deaths. According to Population Council estimates, each year nearly 8.6 million women become pregnant in the country. Of these, 1.2 million women are likely to face obstetric complications. Each year, there are nearly 14,000 pregnancy-related deaths. Information is lacking on context-specific health-system barriers that prevent optimal use of the lifesaving medicine magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) in Pakistan. Although efforts in Pakistan both at the national and subnational level are ongoing on the prevention and treatment of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (PE/E), results are generally …