Addressing HIV and AIDS Among Women and Girls:
Selected Publications from the Horizons Program

To commemorate World AIDS Day 2004, the Horizons Program has developed the following annotated list of publications on its operations research studies that have program and policy implications for women and girls who are infected and affected by the epidemic. To request hard copies, please send an e-mail to horizons@popcouncil.org.

Treatment, Care, and Support	Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission
Impact Mitigation	Voluntary Counseling and Testing
Stigma and Discrimination	Sexual Risk Reduction
Youth

Treatment, Care and Support

2004
Expanding the Care Continuum for HIV/AIDS: Bringing Carers into Focus
Findings from a literature and programmatic review on the provision of care in the context of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. The report documents the challenges faced by family care providers, who are primarily women and unlinked to existing services, responses by the health sector and the community to support caregivers, including the involvement of youth and men in caregiving, and government- and private sector-sponsored social protection programs to help sustain the safety nets of households affected by HIV/AIDS.
Publication: Report (PDF)

Involving Young People in the Care and Support of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Zambia
Describes the outcomes of a program to train youth to help provide care and support to AIDS-affected households. After training, which included discussions about gender roles and caregiving, males and females helped care for a similar number of sick household members, and orphans and vulnerable children, and performed similar kinds of tasks. Youth and their clients also reported reductions in family- and community-level stigma as a result of the program. '
Publications: Final report (PDF), research summary

Maximizing Resources to Meet Client Needs: Evaluation of a Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Care and Support Model in India 
Describes findings from an assessment of YRG CARE, which offers comprehensive care and support services in southern India. Includes results from a cohort study of YRG CARE clients that examined gender differences in perceived quality of life and serostatus disclosure.
Publication: Final report (PDF)

2003
Reproductive Health Services in KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa:
A Situation Analysis Study Focusing on HIV/AIDS Services
Examines the readiness of reproductive health services, which are primarily geared to women, to deliver HIV and AIDS treatment, care, and prevention services. Ninety-eight hospitals, community health centers, and clinics participated in the situation analysis that identified gaps in service delivery and determined priorities for HIV/AIDS service integration in family planning, antenatal care, and STI services.
Publication: Final report (PDF)

Impact Mitigation

2003
Succession Planning in Uganda: Early Outreach for AIDS-affected Families  Summarizes the effects of a succession planning program on the actions taken by HIV-positive parents and standby guardians to plan and provide for the future of their children. At baseline almost a third of widowed females in the sample experienced property grabbing compared to only 5 percent of male widowers. Standby-guardians appointed by HIV-positive parents were found to be predominantly male, but it was women who ultimately assumed much of the responsibility for orphaned children.
Publication: Research summary

2002
Microfinance and Households Coping with HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe:
An Exploratory Study
Examines the role that microfinance plays in helping clients, who are mainly women, cope with the economic impacts of HIV/AIDS. The study found that chronic illness and death adversely affected the financial status of microentrepreneurs’ households. Participation in a microfinance program led to income smoothing and better financial management, which can help households mitigate the economic shock caused by HIV/AIDS.
Publications: Final report (PDF), research summary

Stigma and Discrimination

2003
Addressing HIV/AIDS Stigma and Discrimination in a Workplace Program: Emerging Findings in South Africa
Describes the manifestations of stigma and discrimination in the workplace, family, and community as perceived by female and male informants. Also highlights gender differences as to how informants view the influence of stigma on preference for and use of HIV-related services.
Publication: Research summary (PDF)

2002
HIV/AIDS-related Stigma and Discrimination: Conceptual Framework and Agenda for Action
Proposes a new conceptual framework to help inform thinking about the processes of stigma and discrimination; their relationship to HIV/AIDS, gender, and sexuality; and potential interventions to minimize their impact.
Publication: Report (PDF)

Greater Involvement of PLHA in NGO Service Delivery: Findings from a Four-Country Study
Summarizes findings from a diagnostic study in Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Zambia, and Maharastra State, India, that examined environmental and contextual factors (including gender and sexuality) that foster or impede the involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS in NGO service delivery.
Publication: Research summary

Youth

2004
Poverty, Educational Attainment, and Livelihoods: How Well Do Young People Fare in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa?
Summarizes findings from a 2001 household survey of more than 3,000 youths. Poverty’s effect on limiting educational attainment was stronger for females than males. Young women who were able to work for pay while attending school had higher matriculation rates and lower rates of pregnancy.
Publication: Research update (PDF)

Promoting Healthy Relationships and HIV/STI Prevention for Young Men: Positive Findings from an Intervention Study in Brazil
Preliminary findings from an intervention study to promote HIV preventive behaviors and create greater support for gender equity in relationships among young men. Significant improvements in key HIV/STI risk and prevention outcomes were found in the intervention groups, and agreement with more equitable gender norms was associated with changes in risk outcomes.
Publications: Research update (English or Portuguese, PDF)

Transitions to Adulthood in the Context of AIDS in South Africa:
The Impact of Exposure to Life Skills Education on Adolescent Knowledge, Skills, and Behavior
A prospective study of the reproductive and sexual health of more than 2,000 male and female young people in KwaZulu Natal Province. Highlights gender differences in HIV-related knowledge and behaviors, and their relationship to exposure to life skills education.
Publications: Final report (PDF), research summary

2003
Programming for HIV Prevention in Mexican Schools, Programming for HIV Prevention in South African Schools, and Programming for HIV Prevention among College Students in Thailand
Three study summaries that present key findings from outcome evaluations of school-based HIV prevention programs in South Africa, Thailand, and Mexico. Each summary highlights gender differences in HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral outcomes.
Publications: Mexico summary, South Africa summary, Thailand summary

Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission

2003
Family Planning and PMTCT Services: Examining Interrelationships, Strengthening Linkages
Findings from Horizons studies on the extent to which voluntary counseling and testing and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV programs address family planning, and vice versa.
Publication: Research summary

HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing: An Essential Component in Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV
Examines service utilization by pregnant women, their perceptions of services, client outcomes as a result of undergoing HIV counseling and testing, and strategies for improving quality and coverage of voluntary counseling and testing as a key component of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV programs.
Publication: Research summary

Infant Feeding and Counseling Within Kenyan and Zambian PMTCT Services: How Well Does It Promote Good Feeding Practices?
Examines the implementation of infant feeding counseling as part of a comprehensive study in each country to document the acceptability, operational barriers, cost, and impact of pilot prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV services.
Publication: Research summary

Evaluation of United Nations-Supported Pilot Projects for the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV: Overview of Findings
This report presents key findings from an evaluation by the Horizons Program of UN-supported pilot prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV projects in eleven countries.
Publication: Final report (PDF)

Programme Recommendations for the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV: A Practical Guide for Managers
Produced in collaboration with UNICEF, this guide provides specific guidance for improving and scaling up prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV programs, based on what program managers and evaluators identify as successful strategies.
Publication: Final report (PDF)

Voluntary Counseling and Testing

2004
Attracting Youth to Voluntary HIV Counseling and Testing Services in Uganda 
Summarizes findings from an intervention study to increase uptake of VCT and satisfaction with services among youth at two facilities. Females and males were highly satisfied with the new youth-oriented services. More females than males used the new services, and at the stand-alone VCT site, a reduction in testing fees likely led to more young women paying for the test themselves rather than relying on a partner.
Publication: Research summary

2002
HIV and Partner Violence: Implications for HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing Programs
Examines the role of partner violence in influencing uptake of VCT and serostatus disclosure by women in Dar es Salaam. Young HIV-positive women (18-29 years) were 10 times more likely to report physical violence with a current partner than HIV-negative women in the same age group. Fear of violence was the most common reason why women did not disclose their results to a partner.
Publications: Final report (PDF), research summary

Sexual Risk Reduction

2004
Combining Community Approaches and Government Policy to Prevent HIV Infection in the Dominican Republic
Describes the impact of two models to promote 100% condom use by female sex workers: 1) a peer education/solidarity approach and 2) a peer education/ solidarity model plus a government policy mandating condom use. Consistent condom use and rates of STIs decreased in both sites. But the improvements were greater in the model that included the government policy and enforcement.
Publications: Final report (PDF), research summary (English or Spanish)

2002
Acceptability of the Female Condom After a Social Marketing Campaign in Campinas, Brazil
Summarizes findings from an intervention study to examine the role of the female condom as a method of protection against HIV/STIs among female sex workers after a social marketing intervention.
Publication: Research summary

2000
The Female Condom: Dynamics of Use in Urban Zimbabwe
Findings from a descriptive, cross sectional study of users of the female condom after the launch of a social marketing program.
Publications: Final report (PDF), research summary

---

---

For additional information please contact: 
Horizons 
Population Council 
4301 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 280 
Washington, DC 20008
Telephone: +1 202 237 9400 
Facsimile:  +1 202 237 8410 
E-mail: horizons@popcouncil.org 

---

---

This page updated
03 Jan 2009