International Family Planning Perspectives articles from September 2002

International Family Planning Perspectives archives from September 2002

Child deaths in Africa are increasingly AIDS-related. (Update).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... The proportion of Sub-Saharan African children younger than five who die because of HIV/AIDS quadrupled over the last decade, rising from less than 2% in 1990 to 8% in 1999, according to estimates covering 39 countries. (1) Using data gathered...

Refugees may fare better in camps than at home. (Update).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Women living in postemergency refugee camps appear to have better reproductive health outcomes than women in their country of origin, according to an analysis of data on 42 refugee camps in five countries in Asia and Africa. (1) Data on female...

Magnesium sulfate safely prevents eclampsia. (Update).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Women at risk of eclampsia, or pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, who are given magnesium sulfate have a significantly lower risk of convulsions and death than those who receive a placebo, according to a random-sized study of more than...

Turning AIDS research into action. (Update).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... An estimated 15,000 AIDS researchers, service providers and activists gathered in Barcelona on July 7-12 for the 14th International AIDS Conference, which was dedicated to "knowledge and commitment for action. (1) In previous years, the...

U.S. withdraws support for family planning. (Update).
September 1, 2002... The Bush administration has announced that it will withhold the $34 million U.S. contribution to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) approved by Congress for the current fiscal year. (1) The administration's decision is based on its...

Education changes behavior of Chinese sex workers. (Update).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Chinese sex workers are more than twice as likely to use condoms consistently with clients after receiving information about HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and education on skills related to condom use. (1) From March 1998...

The U.S. Agency for International Development has produced an interactive CD-ROM. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... The U.S. Agency for International Development has produced an interactive CD-ROM about the lactational amenorrhea method of contraception for breastfeeding women. Designed to help family planning program managers integrate the method into their...

Family Health International (FHI) covers such topics as basic principals of qualitative research methodology. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Interested in conducting qualitative research on sexual and reproductive health in developing countries? A field guide from Family Health International (FHI) covers such topics as basic principals of qualitative research methodology, study...

A curriculum for training health managers, planners and policymakers to develop policies and programs that promote gender equity and reproductive rights is available from the World Health Organization. (In Brief).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... A curriculum for training health managers, planners and policymakers to develop policies and programs that promote gender equity and reproductive rights is available from the World Health Organization. The curriculum is designed to be used in...

Unmet need for contraception in the developing world and the former Soviet Union: an updated estimate.
September 1, 2002... CONTEXT: It is useful to periodically update the estimate of the unmet need for contraception in the developing world and other regions of interest. National surveys since 1990 permit the calculation of estimates based on the standard...

Abortion care services provided by registered midwives in South Africa.
September 1, 2002... CONTEXT: South Africa's Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, which took effect in 1997, legalized abortion and stipulated that registered midwives can perform abortions for women with pregnancies of no more than 12 weeks' gestation. A...

Impact of mass media campaigns on intentions to use the female condom in Tanzania.
September 1, 2002... CONTEXT: Mass media campaigns have been used in social marketing programs designed to prevent HIV infection by changing sexual behavior. More information is needed about the effectiveness of these campaigns and the mechanisms through which they...

Fertility regulation among women in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire: contraception, abortion or both?
September 1, 2002... CONTEXT: In Cote d'Ivoire, where contraceptive prevalence is low, abortion is thought to play an important role in the current fertility decline. However, data on abortion, which is illegal, are scarce. METHODS: A retrospective survey on...

Source of maternal and child health care as an indicator of ability to pay for family planning. (Research Note).
September 1, 2002... CONTEXT: Most developing countries cannot afford to provide free contraceptives to all women who choose to practice family planning. It is important to consider ways of determining which women need government subsidized services and which women...

When the client is male: client-provider interaction from a gender perspective. (Comment).
September 1, 2002... Client-provider interaction is the verbal and nonverbal communication that occurs between staff of a health care program and individuals seeking information or services. Good client-provider interaction is one goal of a worldwide movement that...

Long-term pill use, high parity raise cervical cancer risk among women with human papillomavirus infection. (Digests).
September 1, 2002... Use of oral contraceptives for five years or mare appears to raise the risk of cervical cancer among women infected with human papillomavirus (HPV). The odds of developing cervical cancer are nearly tripled among women who use the pill for 5-9...

Female condom use rises if women receive good instruction and training. (Digests).
September 1, 2002... Women who receive instruction in female condom use, along with opportunities to practice method-related skills on a pelvic model, have an increased likelihood of using the method, of using it correctly and of viewing it in a favorable light....

Use of multiple anti-HIV drugs does not raise risk of adverse birth outcomes. (Digests).
September 1, 2002... Among HIV-infected pregnant women, those who receive combination antiretroviral drug therapy have rates of premature delivery and stillbirth similar to those receiving monotherapy or no therapy, and they are no more likely to deliver a baby...

Male circumcision reduces risk of both acquiring and transmitting human papillomavirus infection. (Digests).
September 1, 2002... Circumcised men are less likely than uncircumcised men to have penile human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, and female partners of men who engage in risky sexual behavior have a reduced likelihood of having cervical cancer if the man is...

Vietnamese women with symptoms of reproductive tract infections often forgo care or treat themselves. (Digests).
September 1, 2002... Nearly half of women surveyed in a northern Vietnamese province had had symptoms of reproductive tract infection within the previous six months, but only about two-thirds of these had sought medical care. (1) One-quarter of women with symptoms...

Treatment of HIV-positive pregnant women lowers infection risk of infants. (Digests).
September 1, 2002... When HIV-positive women are treated in late pregnancy and during labor with a short course of zidovudine, their child's likelihood of later becoming infected with HIV is significantly reduced, even when that child has been breastfed. (1)...