-
Rob Stephenson
is Assistant Professor, Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins
School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road, NE,
Atlanta, GA 30322. E-mail:
rbsteph@sph.emory.edu. Michael A. Koenig is Associate
Professor, and Saifuddin Ahmed is Assistant Professor, Department
of Population and Family Health Sciences, Bloomberg School of Public
Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
This study examines
the association between domestic violence and the subsequent adoption of
modern contraception in North India. Matched data on married couples who
were not practicing contraception are analyzed from companion surveys of
married husbands and wives in five districts of Uttar Pradesh. By means
of hazard modeling, a significant negative association was found between
a husband's reporting of using physical domestic violence against his
wife and the couple's adoption of a modern method of contraception.
Community norms that were more tolerant of domestic violence were, in
contrast, not a significant predictor of subsequent method adoption. The
results highlight the need to address the issue of support for women
experiencing domestic violence within existing family planning services
and to sensitize service providers to the specific needs of women
experiencing such violence. (Studies in Family Planning 2006; 37[2]:
75–86)
-
Barriers to Fertility Regulation: A Review of the Literature
Martha Campbell
is Lecturer and Codirector of the Center for Entrepreneurship in
International Health and Development, Nuriye Nalan Sahin-Hodoglugil
is a physician and a doctoral student, and Malcolm Potts is Bixby
Professor, School of Public Health, 506 Warren Hall, University of
California, Berkeley 94720-7360.
E-mail:
mcbell@berkeley.edu.
The evidence in the
demographic and family planning literature of the range and diversity of
the barriers to fertility regulation in many developing countries is
reviewed in this article from a consumer perspective. Barriers are
defined as the constraining factors standing between women and the
realistic availability of the technologies and correct information they
need in order to decide whether and when to have a child. The barriers
include limited method choice, financial costs, the status of women,
medical and legal restrictions, provider bias, and misinformation. The
presence or absence of barriers to fertility regulation is likely an
important determinant of the pace of fertility decline or its delay in
many countries. At the same time, barriers inhibit women's ability to
avoid unintended pregnancy. Problems of quantifying barriers limit
understanding of their importance. New ways to quantify them and to
identify misinformation, which is often concealed in survey data, are
needed for future research. (Studies in Family Planning 2006; 37[2]:
87–98)
-
Over-the-Counter Pill Provision: Evidence from Jamaica
Dawn S. Chin-Quee
is Senior Research Associate, Carmen Cuthbertson is Research
Associate, and Barbara Janowitz is Director of Health Services
Research, Family Health International, 2224 East NC Hwy. 54, Durham, NC
27713.
E-mail:
dchin-quee@fhi.org.
Although many
countries allow over-the-counter distribution of oral contraceptives,
doubt remains about whether such provision is safe for the user. The
greatest concern is whether women with contraindications for use are
given access to the pill. Clearly, women without such contraindications
should be given access to it and be offered adequate information about
its correct use. In 15 pharmacies in Jamaica, mystery clients approached
pharmacists to determine their willingness to sell oral contraceptives
and to solicit information from them about correct use of the method. In
addition to data from mystery-client observations, interviews were
conducted with 78 pharmacists and with 524 pharmacy customers who bought
oral contraceptives, providing complementary information about knowledge
of, attitudes toward, and experiences with the method. Analysis of the
combined findings suggests that over-the-counter provision of oral
contraceptives is a safe, practical, and effective method of
distribution in Jamaica. (Studies in Family Planning 2006; 37[2]:
99–110)
-
Alex Mercer
is Head, Health Systems and Economics Unit, International Centre for
Diarrhoeal Disease Research (ICDDR,B) Centre for Health and Population
Research, Health Systems and Infectious Diseases Division, GPO Box 120,
Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh. E-mail:
amercer@icddrb.org. Nowsher
Uddin, Nafisa Lira Huq, and Fariha Haseen are
Operations Researchers in the unit, and Charles P. Larson is
Head, Health Systems and Infectious Diseases Division. Mobarak
Hossain Khan is Technical Officer, Partners in Health and
Development, Dhaka (formerly the Bangladesh Population and Health
Consortium).
Although the
neonatal mortality rate (NMR) in Bangladesh remained steady between
1995–99 and 1999–2003 (41–42 deaths per 1,000 live births), evidence
from the management information system (MIS) of a large nongovernmental
organization (NGO) program indicates that the NMR declined by about 50
percent between 1996 and 2002 in the area served. This study aims to
validate the recording of neonatal deaths among the cohort of children
registered as born in 2003 and to assess the evidence of a decline in
the NMR. It also measures the coverage of reproductive health outreach
services, focusing on 12 of the 27 NGOs that have provided services in
the same areas since 1996. Field-workers' registers, verbal autopsy
reports, and immunization records were checked to confirm infants'
survival. Interviews were conducted with 142 mothers of children who
died within 28 days postpartum and with a random sample of 109 women
with registered stillbirths. Out of 11,253 registered live births in
2003, 210 neonatal deaths were found, compared with 194 deaths that were
reported in the MIS for 2003. The corrected NMR was 19 deaths per 1,000
live births, and it was in the range of 15–29 deaths per 1,000 live
births in 11 of the NGO areas. Because underreporting of neonatal deaths
was probably higher in 1996 when the MIS-reported NMR was 39 deaths per
1,000 live births, the decline in the NMR is likely to have been
genuine. (Studies in Family Planning 2006; 37[2]: 111–122)
Janneke van de
Wijgert is Director, IATEC Foundation, and Senior Epidemiologist,
Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Pietersbergweg 9, 1105
BM Amsterdam, The Netherlands. E-mail:
j.vandewijgert@iatec.com.
Heidi Jones is Staff Program Associate, International Programs
Division, Population Council, New York.
Book Reviews
-
Vincanne Adams and Stacy Leigh Pigg, editors
Sex in Development: Science, Sexuality, and Morality in Global
Perspective
Susan Cotts
Watkins is Visiting Research Scientist, California Center for
Population Research, University of California, Los Angeles, and
Professor, Department of Sociology, Population Studies Center,
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
-
Ruth Levine and the What Works Working Group of the Center for Global
Development
Millions Saved: Proven Successes in Global Health
James
F. Phillips is Senior Associate, Policy Research Division,
Population Council.
-
Onn Winckler
Arab Political Demography, Volume One: Population Growth and Natalist
Policies
Ragui Assaad
is Regional Director, West Asia and North Africa, Population Council,
Cairo, Egypt.
|
