Adolescent Pregnancy In Zambia,
2017
Population Council
Adolescent Pregnancy In Zambia, Population Council
Reproductive Health
In 2015, the Population Council in conjunction with UNFPA conducted a study that drew on data from the 2013–14 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey and the 2010 Census of Population and Housing to identify where adolescent pregnancy is most likely to occur in Zambia. Using a literature review, key informant interviews among organizations working with adolescents, and in-depth interviews with adolescent girls, the study also identified key factors that lead to adolescent pregnancy. Study findings reaffirmed that adolescent pregnancies are high in Zambia, potentially undermining girls’ human rights and compromising their opportunity to fully realize their socioeconomic development potential. This …
Adolescents In Bangladesh: A Situation Analysis Of Programmatic Approaches To Sexual And Reproductive Health Education And Services,
2017
Population Council
Adolescents In Bangladesh: A Situation Analysis Of Programmatic Approaches To Sexual And Reproductive Health Education And Services, Sigma Ainul, Ashish Bajracharya, Laura Reichenbach, Kate Gilles
Reproductive Health
The health of Bangladesh’s 29.5 million adolescents, who make up nearly one-fifth of the country’s total population, is critical to the country’s future, but issues surrounding adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) remain taboo. ASRH initiatives have been implemented by both the Government of Bangladesh and nongovernmental organizations, but with limited coordination, documentation, or evaluation, making it difficult to know what worked well and what did not. This report presents findings from a comprehensive review and situation analysis of ASRH programming in Bangladesh, carried out by the Evidence Project/Population Council, with financial support from USAID/Bangladesh, as part of a larger …
Assessing Community Midwives' Knowledge Of Pe/E Management In Sindh, Pakistan,
2017
Population Council
Assessing Community Midwives' Knowledge Of Pe/E Management In Sindh, Pakistan, Population Council
Reproductive Health
The Population Council conducted a landscape analysis in Pakistan to assess the knowledge and practices of trained community midwives in Tando Allahyar, a rural district of Sindh, India on the prevention, detection, and management of pre-eclampsia, severe pre-eclampsia, and eclampsia, as well as gaps and challenges around the prevention and treatment at the provincial and district levels. This brief shares the findings of that assessment, and provides recommendations that would minimize the gaps in maternal health services. In order to implement the key recommendations, the Ending Eclampsia project suggests the establishment of a task force comprised of members of professional …
Assessment Of The Implementation And Achievements Of The 3d Approach In Senegal’S National Family Planning Action Plan—Part 2: Summary Report,
2017
Population Council
Assessment Of The Implementation And Achievements Of The 3d Approach In Senegal’S National Family Planning Action Plan—Part 2: Summary Report, Fatou Mbow, Leslie Dubent, Nafissatou Diop, Fatou Ndiaye Turpin, Bocar Mamadou Daff, Babacar Mane
Reproductive Health
Senegal’s 2012–15 National Family Planning Action Plan (NFPAP) is based on the 3D approach (Democratization, Demedicalization, and Decentralization). As the plan came to an end and a new one was being developed, the Evidence Project/Population Council conducted a study to document the implementation and achievements of the 3D approach in relation to the NFPAP. The study documents the approach using a desk review and qualitative research. It describes lessons learned from the implementation of the approach, and shares good practices that can be adopted by other countries, particularly those of the Ouagadougou Partnership. Finally, the study provides evidence for decisionmaking, …
Assessment Of The Implementation And The Achievements Of The 3d Approach Within Senegal’S National Family Planning Action Plan (Nfpap),
2017
Population Council
Assessment Of The Implementation And The Achievements Of The 3d Approach Within Senegal’S National Family Planning Action Plan (Nfpap), Fatou Mbow, Nafissatou Diop
Reproductive Health
Senegal’s 2012–2015 National Family Planning Action Plan (NFPAP) is based on the 3D approach (Democratization, Demedicalization, and Decentralization). As the plan came to an end and a new one was being developed, the Evidence Project/Population Council conducted a study to document the implementation and achievements of the 3D approach in relation to the NFPAP. This brief offers highlights of the study which used a desk review and qualitative research. It describes lessons learned from the implementation of the approach, and shares good practices that can be adopted by other countries, particularly those of the Ouagadougou Partnership. Finally, the study provides …
Charity: A Health Volunteer Success Story,
2017
Population Council
Charity: A Health Volunteer Success Story, Amy Dempsey
Reproductive Health
Results from Ending Eclampsia’s landscape analysis of seven states in Nigeria served as the catalyst for a training with Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) in Nigeria. Researchers conducted observations of client–provider interactions during antenatal care (ANC) visits and assessed healthcare providers’ knowledge of proven risk factors for pre-eclampsia, including chronic hypertension, previous history of PE/E, obesity, pre-existing diabetes or diabetes in pregnancy, advanced maternal age, sickle cell diseases, and connective tissue diseases. The training’s objective was to teach CHEWs how ANC providers can prevent pregnancy-related complications like pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (PE/E). Following the training the CHEWs felt that they can …
Child Marriage In Zambia,
2017
Population Council
Child Marriage In Zambia, Population Council
Reproductive Health
In 2015, following the 2013–14 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey, the Population Council and UNFPA conducted a study to establish the areas where child marriage is most likely to occur in Zambia. Findings reaffirm that child marriage is very high in Zambia and that child marriage affects more girls than boys. Protecting girls from child marriage is a national priority in protecting girls’ rights and achieving progress in national development. The brief recommends that government efforts be accelerated and effectively supported to reduce and eventually eradicate child marriage. Recommended actions include: harmonizing statutory laws and customary laws on marriage, engaging …
Community Engagement In Sgbv Prevention And Response: A Compendium Of Interventions In The East And Horn Of Africa And The Great Lakes Region,
2017
Population Council
Community Engagement In Sgbv Prevention And Response: A Compendium Of Interventions In The East And Horn Of Africa And The Great Lakes Region, Zahra Mirghani, Joanina Karugaba, Nicholas Martin-Achard, Chi-Chi Undie, Harriet Birungi
Reproductive Health
This document captures efforts by UNHCR and its partners in promoting community engagement to combat sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in the East & Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes Region. The compendium of tools reflected here is drawn from the responses of several actors to various forms of SGBV. The diversity of these efforts involves a range of demographic groups (in terms of gender and age), geographic contexts (rural, urban), and intended outcomes (SGBV prevention, response, or both). The interventions described are also at various stages of development or maturity, and varied in scope, with a few having …
Contribution Of Contraceptive Discontinuation To Unintended Births In 36 Developing Countries,
2017
Population Council
Contribution Of Contraceptive Discontinuation To Unintended Births In 36 Developing Countries, Population Council
Reproductive Health
High contraceptive discontinuation results in millions of women having an unmet need for contraception. This Population Council study using data from 36 Demographic and Health Surveys shows that contraceptive discontinuation also results in millions of unintended pregnancies and births. This brief recommends attention to issues related to quality of care, such as counseling, to ensure that each woman has the method she needs/wants and uses it correctly. This will help women avoid contraceptive discontinuation and associated unmet need and unintended fertility right from the beginning. As programs become more successful, quality of care will become key to expanding contraceptive use …
Enhancing Access To Post-Rape Care For Child Survivors In The Context Of Police And Health Services In Zambia: A Feasibility Assessment Of A Police Response Model,
2017
Population Council
Enhancing Access To Post-Rape Care For Child Survivors In The Context Of Police And Health Services In Zambia: A Feasibility Assessment Of A Police Response Model, Nachela Chelwa, Kshipra Hemal, George Msipu Phiri, Michael Mbizvo, Chi-Chi Undie
Reproductive Health
This study builds on previous interventions by the Population Council and the Zambia Police Service to mitigate unintended pregnancy and HIV among survivors of sexual violence by involving trained police in task-sharing interventions. These previous efforts have involved police providing emergency contraceptive pills and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis to survivors reporting to police stations, in addition to referrals to health facilities. The objective of the current study was to assess the feasibility of implementing a transportation intervention within police stations, coupled with training and sensitization for police officers to perform their government-mandated roles in post-rape care. This intervention was developed as …
Enhancing Frontline Health Workers' Abilities To Improve Mnch Services In Bauchi State Through Task Shifting/Sharing,
2017
Population Council
Enhancing Frontline Health Workers' Abilities To Improve Mnch Services In Bauchi State Through Task Shifting/Sharing, Sylvia Adebajo, Ekechi Okereke, Friday Joseph
Reproductive Health
Frontline health workers (FLHWs), including nurses, midwives, community health extension workers, and community health officers, are healthcare providers with the greatest access to clients and patients, and provide initial care to persons in need of health services. In 2014, Nigeria’s 57th National Council on Health approved a task-shifting and sharing (TSS) policy for essential healthcare services as a promising strategy for improving access and efficiency in Nigeria’s health system. Subsequently, FLHWs in Nigeria have been trained for new roles and functions traditionally reserved for mid- or high-level cadres, to optimize available providers and their capacities. This brief reviews the strategy …
Enhancing Frontline Health Workers' Abilities To Improve Mnch Services In Cross River State Through Task Shifting/Sharing,
2017
Population Council
Enhancing Frontline Health Workers' Abilities To Improve Mnch Services In Cross River State Through Task Shifting/Sharing, Sylvia Adebajo, Ekechi Okereke, Friday Joseph
Reproductive Health
There is a shortage of qualified and skilled health professionals providing cost-effective maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) services in Cross River State, Nigeria. Frontline health workers (FLHWs) have the potential to learn new skills as part of a task-shifting and sharing (TSS) policy. This brief highlights the results of the TSS policy in Cross River state: village health workers identify and refer pregnant women in their communities to antenatal clinics and provide oral medications; community health workers perform initial case management and ensure quick referrals to secondary facilities for specialized care; nurses and midwives deliver MNCH interventions that are …
Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of The Herhealth Model For Improving Sexual And Reproductive Health And Rights Knowledge And Access Of Female Garment Factory Workers In Bangladesh,
2017
Population Council
Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of The Herhealth Model For Improving Sexual And Reproductive Health And Rights Knowledge And Access Of Female Garment Factory Workers In Bangladesh, Md. Irfan Hossain, Abdullah Al Mahmud Shohag, Ashish Bajracharya, Ubaidur Rob, Laura Reichenbach
Reproductive Health
The Population Council, under its USAID-funded Evidence Project, partnered with Bangladesh’s Business for Social Responsibility program to conduct operational research to evaluate the effectiveness of the HERhealth model for improving female factory workers’ health, and to find ways to optimize program inputs and processes to support future scale-up of the intervention. This report presents findings from a pre- and post-intervention quantitative study of female factory workers from 10 factories; a qualitative study with factory managers, service providers, and implementing partners; and self-administered retention assessments of the Peer Health Educators from six factories in Dhaka, Gazipur, and Narayanganj districts. Findings from …
Evaluation Of The Herhealth Intervention In Bangladesh: Baseline Findings From An Implementation Research Study,
2017
Population Council
Evaluation Of The Herhealth Intervention In Bangladesh: Baseline Findings From An Implementation Research Study, Md. Irfan Hossain, Abdullah Al Mahmud Shohag, Ashish Bajracharya, Ubaidur Rob, Laura Reichenbach
Reproductive Health
The Business for Social Responsibility's (BSR) HERproject is a collaborative initiative that strives to empower low-income women working in global supply chains in 14 countries worldwide. One of the HERproject’s three pillars is HERhealth, which seeks to improve the health-related knowledge and behaviors, and access to health services and products, of low-income working women. In Bangladesh, HERhealth specifically addresses reproductive health and family planning needs. BSR asked the Evidence Project/Population Council to conduct an implementation science study assessing the effectiveness of BSR’s HERhealth model in Bangladesh. This study is one of the first studies of female garment workers in Dhaka …
Exploring The Association Between Fgm/C And Early/Child Marriage: A Review Of The Evidence,
2017
Population Council
Exploring The Association Between Fgm/C And Early/Child Marriage: A Review Of The Evidence, Jamlick Karumbi, David Gathara, Jacinta Muteshi-Strachan
Reproductive Health
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) has been frequently linked to marriageability and thought to be associated with child marriage, yet there is remarkably little rigorous research to clarify the relationship between these two practices to inform discussions and responses. Furthermore, trends are also shifting in the timing of FGM/C from adolescence to early childhood, and the implications this might have on the links between early/child marriage and FGM/C are not well understood. This review of current available evidence aims to assess the association between FGM/C and early/child marriage in contexts where both practices are carried out. The social and cultural norms …
Exploring The Association Between Fgm/C And Fistula: A Review Of The Evidence,
2017
Population Council
Exploring The Association Between Fgm/C And Fistula: A Review Of The Evidence, Pooja Sripad, Charity Ndwiga, Kaji Tamanna Keya
Reproductive Health
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and fistula are both conditions that have a range of health, socioeconomic, and lifestyle causes and consequences for women globally. There have been sparse empirical and conceptual efforts to look at how these two conditions manifest and relate to one another. This rigorous review of the literature aims to fill this research gap by assessing the state of evidence on the association of FGM/C and fistula and conceptually mapping this association within broader social, political, and health-systems contexts. Based on the findings, the authors of this report have developed a conceptual mapping framework to situate the …
Female Genital Cutting In Somaliland: Baseline Assessment,
2017
Population Council
Female Genital Cutting In Somaliland: Baseline Assessment, Katy Newell-Jones
Reproductive Health
This report summarizes research findings into the prevalence and attitudes around female genital cutting (FGC) in 20 communities across five regions of Somaliland. There was a specific focus on young people, who accounted for 47 percent of the interviewees, and also on the role of schools in promoting abandonment of cutting. This research found that the prevalence of FGC in the five regions studied is 98.9 percent across all age groups in city, semi-city, and village communities. The findings indicate that decisionmaking in relation to FGC has less to do with having accurate knowledge, and more to do with the …
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Kenya: Is Change Taking Place? Descriptive Statistics From Four Waves Of Demographic And Health Surveys,
2017
Population Council
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Kenya: Is Change Taking Place? Descriptive Statistics From Four Waves Of Demographic And Health Surveys, Bettina Shell-Duncan, David Gathara, Zhuzhi Moore
Reproductive Health
Nationally representative survey data on female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in Kenya are available from four waves of Demographic and Health Surveys. These survey data provide a rich and detailed picture of when, where, and how FGM/C has been carried out, and trends in changes in the practice. National prevalence data from successive waves of surveys show a steady decrease in the prevalence of FGM/C among women aged 15–49. While the data reported here are descriptive, they provide useful insights on the progress of FGM/C abandonment at national and subnational levels. These findings are useful for policymakers in steering discussions on …
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Nigeria: A Scoping Review,
2017
Population Council
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting In Nigeria: A Scoping Review, Blessing U. Mberu
Reproductive Health
This report’s overarching objective is the examination of key trends in the evidence base of female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) and gaps in knowledge for Nigeria, building on a scoping review of peer-reviewed and "grey" literature along with quantitative analysis of relevant data. What is clear from prevalence levels identified over the last 15 years is how widespread different types of FGM/C are, in Nigeria’s different ethno-geographical zones, and the little change that has taken place over time, despite increased international, and renewed national, political commitment to eradicate the practice. The findings show that much work remains to be …
Florence: A Midwife Success Story,
2017
Population Council
Florence: A Midwife Success Story, Amy Dempsey
Reproductive Health
Ebonyi State is one of three states in Nigeria where the Ending Eclampsia project provides trainings, mentoring, and supportive supervision focused specifically on pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (PE/E) detection, prevention, and treatment measures. This brief reports on the success of one nurse/midwife who attended an Ending Eclampsia–led training on proper detection of pre-eclampsia, administration of the magnesium sulphate for severe cases, and referral of PE/E patients to secondary facilities for management. When there are gaps in providers’ skill sets, partners like Ending Eclampsia, UNICEF, and UNFPA help to bring them up to standard by providing supportive supervision and on-the-job trainings that span a …
