Women's Health
Study Investigates Links Between HIV and Partner Violence
Encouraging clients to inform partners of their test results is an important component of HIV voluntary counseling and testing programs. Yet many clients do not disclose test results to their partners. Studies have found that many women fear their partners will react violently and that indeed HIV-infected women are at increased risk for partner violence. Researchers with the Population Council's Horizons program and Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences explored the links between HIV infection, the disclosure of test results, and partner violence among women attending the Muhimbili Health Information Center, a voluntary counseling and testing clinic in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Medical Abortion
Simplified Medical Abortion Regimen Found Effective
The majority of abortions take place in less-developed countries, often under unsanitary conditions. Medical abortion, which entails swallowing pills, holds great promise for reducing death and disease related to unsafe surgical abortion in poorer countries. Cost, however, prevents medical abortion from becoming more common in these countries. To address this obstacle, Population Council researchers Batya Elul, Charlotte Ellertson, and Beverly Winikoff and their colleagues tested a medical abortion regimen in Tunisia and Vietnam that uses fewer pills and requires fewer clinic visits, and is therefore significantly less expensive than regimens currently used.
Unmet Need
Obstacles to Contraceptive Use in Pakistan
Few researchers have investigated quantitatively which factors present the biggest barriers to women’s achieving their fertility goals. Data on the strength of various obstacles would prove valuable for program managers designing policies and interventions to help women overcome these hurdles. With this aim in mind, Population Council researchers John B. Casterline, Zeba A. Sathar, and Minhaj ul Haque investigated the effects of six major obstacles to contraceptive use in Punjab, Pakistan.
Field Report
Quality of Services Assessed at Palestinian Clinics
While a large percentage of women in the West Bank and Gaza receive some antenatal care, very few return to health clinics for postpartum follow-up visits for mothers and newborns. To address this situation, the Population Council's Frontiers in Reproductive Health program is helping to conduct a pilot health project in 27 primary health care clinics in three areas of the West Bank and Gaza.
Gender Issues
Gender Roles Sharply Differentiated Among Egyptian Youth
Researchers know little about the acquisition of gender roles among adolescents, despite a growing acknowledgment of the crucial part the adolescent years play in shaping adult lives. To address this knowledge gap, Population Council researchers and their colleagues examined data from a nationally representative sample of Egyptian adolescents. The investigators assessed the differences in socialization between boys and girls, looked for signs of departure from expected gender role patterns, and clarified the significance of education in influencing the socialization of Egyptian young people. (PDF in Arabic)
Reproductive Health
Study Finds Norplant Safe and Effective
A five-year international postmarketing surveillance of users of the Norplant® implant in eight developing countries confirms the safety and effectiveness of the method. The study compared the experiences of 8,000 Norplant users with those of 8,000 women who relied either on an intrauterine device (IUD) or sterilization.
Entire issue (PDF, 154 KB)
