Sexual and Reproductive Health
Sexual and Reproductive HealthThe overall aim of the Situational Analysis in Somalia is for government, donors and the UN to gain a greater understanding of existing interventions towards ending Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), and to identify gaps so as to be able to strengthen the current interventions and inform future programming. There are two parts to the report:… Read more
Although in parts of South Sudan the situation is unstable which necessitates humanitarian action, in other parts of the country development programmes are taken up with the communities. In Northern and Western Bahr el Ghazal states, Aweil North and Wau county respectively, the South Sudan Health Action and Research Project (SHARP) works on improving reproductive… Read more
The value of syphilis testing in early pregnancy has been gaining recognition in recent years. Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of the disease is estimated to be responsible for between 2-4% of all neonatal deaths in sub-Saharan Africa in the 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study. This makes a clear case for strengthening the prevention of MTCT (PMTCT)… Read more
In this blog post Ireen Namakhoma discusses the importance of gender equity analysis within health research. In March 2015, the Global Health Action produced a special issue on Gender and Health. One of the articles which I co-authored together with colleagues from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Eleanor MacPherson, Sally Theobald and Esther Richards, highlights… Read more
The contribution of contraception to reductions in obstetric mortality and morbidity is universally acknowledged. One major pathway is by reducing the number of unwanted births. Each pregnancy and childbirth carry a health risk for the woman, and where obstetric services are poor, maternal mortality is still very high. In most Asian and Latin American countries… Read more
In low- and middle-income countries, adequate plans to seek care in case of an emergency are important especially if women live far away from where lifesaving care is available. Decisions to seek care can be deferred or hindered. Even if decisions are rapidly made to seek care, transport may be unavailable or slow. Mechanisms to… Read more
To make universal health coverage (UHC) truly universal we need an approach which places gender and power at the centre of our analysis. This means we need a discussion about who is included, how health is defined, what coverage entails and whether equity is ensured. To celebrate Universal Health Coverage Day RinGs has put together… Read more
To improve men’s family relationships, the Sonke Gender Justice Network’s Fatherhood project addresses norms that condone gender-based violence which exacerbate the spread of HIV and leave the needs of Orphans and Vulnerable Children unmet. In particular, it works with men and communities to change traditional roles for men to include caring for the ill, parenting… Read more
An adequate inter-birth interval is of great importance because it enables a mother to recover her physical and emotional strength between pregnancies and confers upon the child advantages of better health and development (Morley, 1977). Breast feeding is the naturally evolved method of ensuring an adequate inter-birth interval but the contraceptive effect of breast feeding… Read more
This document presents a summary of family planning. It reviews existing literature, examining carefully what the current knowledge is, where the important issues or problems lie and “what works”. It is divided into ten sections. This guide was produced as a result of a reading week held for the UK Department for International Development (DFID) advisers in mid-2012. The topics and readings were chosen by experts in the field but are not a comprehensive review of all family planning literature. The main audience for this guide is policymakers, advisers, managers and practitioners. Read more
OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between condom social marketing programmes and condom use. METHODS: Standard systematic review and meta-analysis methods were followed. The review included studies of interventions in which condoms were sold, in which a local brand name(s) was developed for condoms, and in which condoms were marketed through a promotional campaign to increase… Read more