International Family Planning Perspectives articles from June 2005

International Family Planning Perspectives archives from June 2005

In this issue.
June 1, 2005... Because sexual activity can result in negative consequences, such as unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), that affect both individuals and the communities in which they live, most societies attempt to control sexual...

More than half of child deaths could be avoided.(UPDATE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Worldwide, more than half of child deaths result from a few preventable and treatable causes, according to new estimates by the World Health Organization. (1) Using various methods, including single- and multiple-cause proportionate mortality...

Vaccine protects against HPV infection and disease.(UPDATE)
June 1, 2005... Women vaccinated against the four types of human papillomavirus (HPV) responsible for the majority of genital disease associated with the virus (types 6, 11, 16 and 18) had a significantly lower incidence of persistent infection or genital...

Women make some gains, but have a long way to go.(UPDATE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Women in the developing world have seen improvements in various educational, occupational and reproductive health measures in the past decade, according to a data sheet published by the Population Research Bureau. (1) Some 51% of women in...

Requests for cesareans increase with women's age.(UPDATE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... In Taiwan, older women are more likely than younger women to request a delivery by cesarean section, according to a population-based study of more than 900,000 singleton births between 1997 and 2001. (1) In an analysis of data from the National...

Poor maternal and child health in developing world.(UPDATE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The health and well-being of mothers, infants and children are still in need of improvement, especially in countries with severe poverty, according to the World Health Organization's annual report. (1) More than four million babies die within...

Early marriage is linked to disadvantage for women.(UPDATE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Early marriage continues to be a reality for women in much of the developing world, according to an analysis of Demographic and Health Survey data from countries with surveys conducted between 1995 and 2003. (1) For example, among women aged...

Menstrual irregularities lead to IUD discontinuation.(UPDATE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Indian women who experience irregular menstrual bleeding before or after IUD insertion have an elevated likelihood of early discontinuation of the method, according to a study conducted in a rural northern region of the country. (1) Of the...

Beijing Betrayed.(IN BRIEF)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Beijing Betrayed, a report from the Women's Environment and Development Organization, finds that even though some progress has been achieved by the world's governments in regard to the commitments made to women 10 years ago at the United...

United Nations Children's Fund.(IN BRIEF)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Worldwide, substantial progress has been made toward raising girls' level of education to parity with that of boys, according to a report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). However, three regions--Middle East/North Africa, South...

HIV-Related Stigma, Discrimination and Human Rights Violations.(IN BRIEF)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... In its report, HIV-Related Stigma, Discrimination and Human Rights Violations, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) examines the barriers that stigmatization, discrimination and human rights violations pose to the prevention...

Global Monitoring Report 2005: Millennium Development Goals: From Consensus to Momentum.(IN BRIEF)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Global Monitoring Report 2005: Millennium Development Goals: From Consensus to Momentum, the World Bank's second annual report assessing progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), finds that rapid action to accelerate progress is...

Siblings' premarital childbearing and the timing of first sex in three major cities of Cote d'Ivoire.(ARTICLES)
June 1, 2005... CONTEXT: The association between youths' sexual and reproductive attitudes and behaviors and those of their peers and parents has been documented; however, information on siblings' influence is scarce, especially for developing countries. ...

The potential of comprehensive sex education in China: findings from suburban Shanghai.
June 1, 2005... CONTEXT: More and more Chinese adolescents are engaging in premarital sexual activity. As a result, the numbers of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among Chinese young adults have increased markedly. ...

Reproductive tract infections among young married women in Tamil Nadu, India.
June 1, 2005... CONTEXT: Women often suffer silently with reproductive tract infections (RTIs). Studies of the prevalence of these infections in South Asia have been hindered by low participation rates, and little is known about rates among the youngest...

Wealth and extramarital sex among men in Zambia.
June 1, 2005... CONTEXT: In Zambia, most people know about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS, but this knowledge has not translated into safer sexual practices. An estimated 16% of adults are HIV-positive, with the majority having acquired...

The unfinished agenda for reproductive health: priorities for the next 10 years.(VIEWPOINT)
June 1, 2005... A decade ago, at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, representatives from 179 countries, including the United States, agreed that reproductive rights are human rights. They also recognized that the most...

Failure rates of male and female condoms fall with use.(DIGESTS)
June 1, 2005... Male and female condoms have fairly low rates of slippage or breakage, and such failure declines as users' experience with the method grows, according to findings from a large observational study of women attending two STI clinics in the...

Childhood stunting is linked to the pregnancy intentions of both parents.(DIGESTS)
June 1, 2005... In Bolivia, 12-35-month-old children whose mothers say their conception was unwanted or mistimed have a 30% higher risk of stunted growth than do those whose conception was intended. (1) Data from the 1998 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS)...

Doorstep delivery increases adoption of contraceptives in rural areas of Pakistan.(DIGESTS)
June 1, 2005... In rural Pakistan, married women living in a household served by a community-based health worker are more likely than other married women to currently use a modern reversible contraceptive. (1) Data from a national evaluation of the...

In Mexico, hysterectomy is often used as treatment for cervical abnormalities.(DIGESTS)
June 1, 2005... In Mexico, most physicians know that human papillomavirus (HPV) is the principal cause of cervical cancer and that screening should begin after first intercourse. However, according to data from 1,206 obstetrician-gynecologists and general...

For poor Brazilian males, sex tends to begin early and is often unprotected.(DIGESTS)
June 1, 2005... Males growing up in shantytowns of Recife, Brazil, often begin having intercourse at very young ages, generally without using condoms. (1) Half of sexually experienced 13-19-year-olds participating in a 2000 survey had first had sex by age 15;...

Prepregnancy health status has strong associations with preterm delivery risk.(DIGESTS)
June 1, 2005... A woman's risk of having a preterm delivery is influenced largely by conditions that occur during pregnancy, but a clinic-based longitudinal study in the western United States demonstrates that her health status and health behaviors prior to...

Family planning clinics may not be the best option for serving Pakistan's poor.(DIGESTS)
June 1, 2005... The opening of a family planning clinic offering subsidized services and outreach in each of four urban slum areas of Pakistan contributed to an increase in local married women's knowledge of any modern contraceptive method over an 18-month...