HIV and AIDS
Complex Role for Marriage in HIV Risk, Studies Find
If present patterns
continue, in the next decade more than 100 million girls will be child
brides, that is, married before the age of 18, according to Council research.
“In some cultures, girls are married off at very young ages due to poverty,
custom, and in some cases the idea that it provides protection from HIV and
other threats. But our research clearly shows that marriage per se, and
child marriage especially, cannot be assumed to be a sexual safety zone,”
explains Council researcher Judith Bruce. “Girls married at a young age are
actually at a higher risk than unmarried girls for HIV infection in some
settings.” Delaying marriage, however, does not improve safety. “Delaying
marriage until the mid- to late-twenties often results in a period of
high-risk sex involving multiple or serial partners,” says Council
demographer John Bongaarts.
Safe Motherhood
Low Morale Found Among South African Nurses
The emigration of trained professionals poses
an ongoing challenge in South Africa. Among nurses, this phenomenon—and the
pressure it places on nurses who remain—may be contributing to a high rate
of maternal mortality in that country. The Population Council’s Frontiers in
Reproductive Health program, in collaboration with the University of
Witwatersrand, conducted a study to learn more about the workloads, morale,
and career plans of maternity nurses in South Africa.
Santé des Femmes
Une étude explore les liens entre le VIH et la violence du partenaire
Un des importants
éléments des programmes de dépistage-counseling volontaire du VIH consiste
à encourager les clients à informer leurs partenaires de leurs résultats
de tests. Toutefois, des études ont trouvé que beaucoup de femmes
craignaient que leurs partenaires ne réagissent violemment et que les
femmes infectées par le VIH étaient véritablement exposées à un plus grand
risque de violence du partenaire. Des chercheurs du programme Horizons du
Population Council et de la Faculté de sciences de la santé de
l’Université de Muhimbili ont exploré les liens existant entre l’infection
du VIH, la divulgation des résultats de tests et la violence du partenaire
auprès de femmes fréquentant le Centre d’information sanitaire de
Muhimbili, une clinique de dépistage-counseling volontaire à Dar es
Salaam, en Tanzanie.
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