International Family Planning Perspectives articles from December 2003

International Family Planning Perspectives archives from December 2003

In this issue.(Editorial)
December 1, 2003... Policies and programs intended to improve reproductive health are based on available information and designed with care and commitment. Why, then, do they often either fail to achieve their intended results or have only a limited effect?...

The population gap widens.(Update)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Although the world's population is expected to increase by 46% between 2000 and 2050, the increase in less-developed countries (excluding China) is projected at 71%, compared with 5% in more developed countries. (1) According to a report from...

HIV contributes to fertility decline in Zimbabwe.(Update)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... HIV infection may account for one-quarter of the fertility decline in Zimbabwe since the late 1980s, according to an analysis of data from a cross-sectional, population-based study conducted in Manicaland province between July 1998 and January...

Vitamin a reduces early infant mortality.(Update)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Giving vitamin A to low-birth-weight babies within the first two days of life reduces their risk of dying before age six months. (1) Between June 1998 and March 2001, all infants born in Tamil Nadu, India, were randomized to receive either two...

Domestic abuse of pregnant women in Mexico.(Update)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Partner abuse during pregnancy is common, and its likelihood is increased if a woman or her partner has a childhood history of domestic violence, according to a survey of 914 women in the third trimester of pregnancy who attended prenatal...

Hong Kong students' experience of menarche.(Update)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... When asked about their first menstruation, large proportions of female students at six high schools in Hone Kong, China, reported having had negative emotional experiences. (1) Of 1,573 female students who had already had their first period,...

Multiple partnerships among South African men.(Update)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Factors that predict whether men have more than one partner include perceptions about gender norms regarding sexual behavior, according to a study of sexual attitudes and practices among male attendees at sexually transmitted infection (STI)...

High risk of genital herpes among Tanzanian women.(Update)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... A substantial proportion of women aged 15-49 in urban Tanzania have herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), an infection associated with HIV infection, according to a study of 382 randomly selected women who attended three primary health care...

Africa has now begun to manufacture generic AIDS drugs.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Africa has now begun to manufacture generic AIDS drugs. The South African company Aspen Pharmacare announced it is producing antiretrovirals containing stavudine--the generic version of Bristol-Meyers Squibb's Zerit. One month's supply will...

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs and the Advocacy for Population Program have launched a Spanish-language Web site for adolescents, called Entra en Accion (Act Now).
December 1, 2003... The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs and the Advocacy for Population Program have launched a Spanish-language Web site for adolescents, called Entra en Accion (Act Now). In addition to providing...

The Emergency Contraception Website has now been translated into Arabic.
December 1, 2003... The Emergency Contraception Website has now been translated into Arabic. The site, created by the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, Ibis Reproductive Health and the Office of Population Research at Princeton University, is a...

Unmet need and unintended fertility: longitudinal evidence from Upper Egypt.
December 1, 2003... CONTEXT: Although unmet need for family planning is a standard measure for evaluating programs' effectiveness in meeting the reproductive needs of individuals, its validity and accuracy in identifying women most at risk of unintended pregnancy...

Using network analysis to understand community-based programs: a case study from highland Madagascar.
December 1, 2003... CONTEXT: Programs using community-based distribution (CBD) of family planning services have had mixed success in Sub-Saharan Africa. Knowledge about why these programs succeed or fail is limited. METHODS: In 1999, a total of 159 women and...

The psychosocial context of young adult sexual behavior in Nicaragua: looking through the gender lens.
December 1, 2003... CONTEXT: Understanding the nature and magnitude of gender differences in sexual norms among young adults in Nicaragua, and how these differences affect sexual behavior, is important for the design of reproductive health programs. METHODS:...

Where do rural women obtain postabortion care? The case of Uttar Pradesh, India.
December 1, 2003... CONTEXT: Although Indian law permits abortion for a broad range of social and medical indications, millions of unsafe and illegal abortions and countless subsequent complications occur annually. Nonetheless, in the central Indian state of Uttar...

The Standard Says Method of family planning: a response to Cairo.(Viewpoint)
December 1, 2003... As a result of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, reproductive health policy has expanded to include a more comprehensive view of health and development. No longer merely a response to concerns...

Misconceptions about condom efficacy linked to high risk of unprotected sex among Chinese STD patients.(Digests)
December 1, 2003... In southern China, 71% of males and 28% of females with a newly diagnosed sexually transmitted disease (STD) had had sex with a nonregular partner in the previous six months, according to a survey conducted in public clinics. (1) Most...

Health of children in rural India may reflect whether parents have met their goals for family composition.(Digests)
December 1, 2003... One in three rural Indian children are severely stunted, and nearly two in five have not had all of the recommended vaccinations by age five, according to an analysis of data from the 1992-1993 National Family Health Survey. (1) The gender mix...

Women who know a person with AIDS do not have elevated condom use rates.(Digests)
December 1, 2003... In South Africa, women who know someone who has received a diagnosis of HIV infection or who died of AIDS are no more likely than other women to have used a condom at last sex, according to an analysis of nationally representative data from...

In Zimbabwe, substantial minorities of women are accepting of wife-beating.(Digests)
December 1, 2003... Half of Zimbabwean women believe that in some situations, a man is justified in beating his wife, according to an analysis of data from the 1999 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey.1 Although the proportion who see some justification for...

In Asia, child mortality is not linked to women's autonomy or religion.(Digests)
December 1, 2003... An analysis of 15 Muslim and non-Muslim community pairs in four countries in Asia shows no consistent relationship between differences in levels of female autonomy and child mortality. (1) In many areas, Muslim women do not have lower levels of...

In South Africa, having one Pap smear lowers women's chances of cervical cancer.(Digests)
December 1, 2003... Ever having had a Pap smear significantly reduces the risk of cervical cancer, according to a study of women in South Africa. (1) Compared with women who had never had the test, those who had ever had one had odds of cancer that were 70% lower....