Physical Abuse Common During Pregnancy in South Asia, Studies Find
Population Council researchers recently completed studies in Pakistan and Nepal of attitudes and behaviors surrounding violence against women during pregnancy. These investigations were some of the first of their kind in South Asia. They probed the level of awareness of domestic violence among obstetrician/gynecologists (OB/GYNs) in Karachi, Pakistan, and of OB/GYNs, assistant nurse midwives, and traditional birth attendants in Kathmandu, Nepal. Postpartum women in Karachi and Kathmandu were surveyed to augment knowledge about the scope, context, and consequences of violence faced by pregnant women. Although preliminary and limited to two urban areas, the studies suggest a high level of physical abuse during pregnancy and provide some empirical basis for developing realistic interventions to protect the lives of women and their children.
Low Chemical Exposure May Speed Male Puberty
A recent, much-publicized study highlighted the adverse effects that prenatal exposure to chemicals known as phthalates has on the genital development of male infants. Population Council biomedical researchers are now studying the effect of prepubertal exposure to these chemicals on the onset of male puberty. They have found that exposure to low levels of phthalates can alter the levels of testosterone (the male sex hormone), increase the proliferation of cells in the testes, and significantly accelerate the onset of male puberty. Phthalates are chemicals used to make plastics—such as those used in food packaging and infant toys—more flexible. They are also used as stabilizers in many common cosmetic products, such as nail polish, shampoo, and lotion.
Expanding a Successful Health Care Initiative
What is the best way to help institutions replace poorly functioning policies and programs with ones that have been shown to work well? “In Ghana, we are taking mechanisms that work for individual behavior change and adapting them for the purpose of policy and program change within institutions,” says Population Council demographer James F. Phillips. Phillips and his Council colleagues are collaborating with the Ghana Health Service to help that organization overcome the gap between research and action.
Can Livelihoods Training Alter Girls' Lives?
A program providing reproductive health education and livelihoods skills training to adolescent girls in the slums of Allahabad, India, has shown that such interventions are acceptable to parents, feasible to implement, and exert some positive influence on the circumstances of girls. However, investigators found that narrowly focused, short-duration programs may fail to make a broad impact on girls’ lives. The intervention also highlighted the difficulties inherent in fielding longitudinal surveys in urban slum areas.
