In Rwanda, Africa´s most densely populated country, the vast majority of women aged 15-49 approve of family planning, but 58% of those who want to stop having children do not use modern contraceptives, according to “
Demand and Unmet Need for Means of Family Limitation in Rwanda,” by Dieudonné Muhoza Ndaruhuye of the National University of Rwanda et al. Ndaruhuye and colleagues analyzed data from a 2005 nationally representative survey and found that negative attitudes toward contraception and lack of access to accurate family planning information were associated with increased levels of unmet need. The authors also found that 87% of women surveyed approve of family planning, but only 64% believe that their partner approves. The authors suggest that interventions target the negative attitudes toward family planning that are an important cause of unmet need and that Rwanda expand community-based family planning services to improve access to all women, regardless of education level or income.
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3512209.htmlAccording to “
Male Perceptions on Female Sterilization: A Community-Based Study in Rural Central India,” by Arundhati Char of the University of Tampere in Finland et al., one-third of male participants in two districts of Madhya Pradesh reported that their female partners had been sterilized, and for two-thirds of this group, sterilization was the only method they had ever used. The men also said they were the main contraceptive decision makers in
their relationships, but frequently mentioned their limited knowledge of contraception and their desire for more information. The authors recommend that access to and availability of reversible methods be increased, and that family planning service providers and program planners share information face-to-face with families and encourage communication and shared decision making among couples.
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3513109.htmlIn “
The Role of Education Level in the Intergenerational Pattern of Adolescent Pregnancy in Brazil,” authors Maria da Conceição Chagas de Almeida of Gonçalo Moniz Research Center et al. present results of a survey of more than 3,000 Brazilian women and men aged 20-24, which reveal that one in five Brazilians have been involved in a teenage birth. Both men and women are more likely to have been involved in an early pregnancy if their mother gave birth as a teenager than if she did not. The authors also note that education can play an important role in helping women and men delay childbearing until adulthood, and they recommend increasing access to education and encouraging young people to remain in school.
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3513909.htmlIn the Special Report, “
Evidence-Based, Alternative Cervical Cancer Screening Approaches in Low-Resource Settings,” authors Jacqueline Sherris of PATH et al. report on progress made in developing screening approaches for cervical cancer in low-resource settings. Given that many women in developing countries will obtain screening only once in their lifetime, program designers generally agree that screening carried out in women´s 30s has the greatest chance of detecting abnormalities at a treatable stage. The report notes that the most efficient and effective strategy for detecting and treating cervical cancer precursors in low-resource settings is to screen using either VIA or HPV DNA testing and then to treat using cryotherapy (freezing). This combination of screening and treatment can be carried out by physicians and midlevel health personnel in a single visit. The authors conclude that health intervention programs should continue to promote the importance of cervical cancer prevention even in resource-poor countries.
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3514709.html
