Meeting the need: youth and family planning in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: The need for a concerted effort to address the gaps in family planning services for youth in sub-Saharan Africa has been underreported and underexplored.

Study Design: Trends in fertility, childbearing, unmet need for family planning options and contraceptive prevalence (CP) among youth are described with data from six African countries with four consecutive Demographic and Health Surveys. Estimates of exposure to risk of pregnancy and number of new contraceptives users needed to maintain and double CP in 2015 are calculated using current CP and projected youth population size in six African countries.

Stigma as experienced by women accessing prevention of parent-to-child transmission of HIV services in Karnataka, India.

In Karnataka, India only one-third of HIV-infected pregnant women received antiretroviral prophylaxis at delivery in 2007 through the state government's prevention of parent-to-child HIV transmission (PPTCT) program. The current qualitative study explored the role of HIV-associated stigma as a barrier to access PPTCT services in the rural northern Karnataka district of Bagalkot using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with HIV-infected women who had participated in the PPTCT program, male and female family members, and HIV service providers. Participants discussed personal experiences, community perceptions of HIV, and decision-making related to accessing PPTCT services.

Maternal mortality in developing countries: challenges in scaling-up priority interventions.

Although maternal mortality is a significant global health issue, achievements in mortality decline to date have been inadequate. A review of the interventions targeted at maternal mortality reduction demonstrates that most developing countries face tremendous challenges in the implementation of these interventions, including the availability of unreliable data and the shortage in human and financial resources, as well as limited political commitment. Examples from developing countries, such as Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Honduras, demonstrate that maternal mortality will decline when appropriate strategies are in place.

Setting priorities for safe motherhood interventions in resource-scarce settings.

Objective: Guide policy-makers in prioritizing safe motherhood interventions.

Methods: Three models (LOW, MED, HIGH) were constructed based on 34 sub-Saharan African countries to assess the relative cost-effectiveness of available safe motherhood interventions. Cost and effectiveness data were compiled and inserted into the WHO Mother Baby Package Costing Spreadsheet.

Potential of dual-use policies to meet family planning and HIV prevention needs: a case study of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Background And Methodology: The fight against the HIV epidemic in many high-prevalence countries is a struggle to motivate culturally relevant risk reduction in general populations that have been educated to associate HIV risk with commercial sex, injection drug use and other stigmatised behaviours. Common concurrent partnerships, which facilitate transmission of HIV in many high-prevalence countries, are only beginning to receive the attention they deserve. This has made the promotion of dual-use methods, such as condoms, for individuals who require both HIV protection and contraception very difficult.

Saving maternal lives in resource-poor settings: facing reality.

Objective: Evaluate safe-motherhood interventions suitable for resource-poor settings that can be implemented with current resources.

Methods: Literature review to identify interventions that require minimal treatment/infrastructure and are not dependent on skilled providers. Simulations were run to assess the potential number of maternal lives that could be saved through intervention implementation according to potential program impact.