<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!-- generator="FeedCreator 1.7.2" --> <rss version="2.0"> <channel> <title>Population and Health InfoShare</title> <description>Population and Health InfoShare : Newest 15 Documents. Sharing Knowledge to Improve Public Health Worldwide</description> <link>http://www.phishare.org/documents/?order=Date%20DESC</link> <lastBuildDate>Mon, 05 Jul 2010 01:11:42 +0100</lastBuildDate> <generator>FeedCreator 1.7.2</generator> <image> <url>http://www.phishare.org/images/logo-banner.gif</url> <title>Population and Health InfoShare logo</title> <link>http://www.phishare.org/</link> </image> <item> <title>The Population-Poverty Connection</title> <link>http://bit.ly/90bUKx</link> <description><![CDATA[The 21st century began on an inspiring note: the United Nations set a goal of reducing the share of the world’s population living in extreme poverty by half by 2015. By early 2007 the world looked to be on track to meet this goal, but as the economic crisis unfolds and the outlook darkens, the world will have to intensify its poverty reduction effort.]]></description> <author>epi@earth-policy.org (Earth Policy Institute)</author> <pubDate>Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:41:48 +0100</pubDate> </item> <item> <title>A Comparative Study of Antiretroviral Therapy Assistance from Parents and Family Members in ...</title> <link>http:// http://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/pubs/abs/6412</link> <description><![CDATA[Ensuring treatment adherence is critical for the success of ART programs in developing countries. Enlisting NGOs or PLHA group members as treatment supporters is one common strategy. Less attention is given to family members and especially older-age parents. Yet ART patients often live with other family members who are highly motivated to ensure treatment success. This study examines the role of family members and especially parents in assisting adherence in Cambodia and Thailand among adult ART patients. Most have a living parent and many live with or near a parent. Family members including parents commonly remind patients take medications, particularly if coresident in the same household. Parents also remind patients to get resupplies and accompany them to appointments. Some contrasts between Cambodia and Thailand emerged. Fewer Cambodian than Thai patients had a living parent. However, among those who did, equal shares lived with parents. Cambodian parents more commonly reminded patients to take medications and get resupplies and accompanied them when doing so. In both countries correct knowledge of ART among parents was associated with the amount of advice from program personnel. The results underscore both the need to more explicitly incorporate close family members, including parents, into efforts to promote adherence and need for PLHA peers and home based care teams to provide them with adequate information, training and resources to increase their effectiveness.]]></description> <author>jknodel@umich.edu (AIDS and Older Persons: Studies of the Impact in Thailand and Cambodia)</author> <pubDate>Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:24:48 +0100</pubDate> </item> <item> <title>Quick Reference Guide to Family Planning Research</title> <link>http://www.fhi.org/en/RH/Programs/RtoP/FP_Research_Guide/index.htm</link> <description><![CDATA[The Research Utilization team at FHI announces the completion of the 2010 Quick Reference Guide (QRG) to Family Planning Research. The QRG, a snapshot of the most-up-to-date findings on a range of family planning topics, is part of FHI's efforts to incorporate research and programmatic findings more widely into policies and programs in order to improve family planning and reproductive health services. Please write to quickreferenceguide@fhi.org with any questions.]]></description> <author>fhi_news@fhi.org (Family Health International)</author> <pubDate>Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:41:15 +0100</pubDate> </item> <item> <title>Youth InfoNet 68</title> <link>http://info.k4health.org/youthwg/pubs/YouthInfoNet/YIN68.shtml</link> <description><![CDATA[This month's issue of the e-newsletter on youth reproductive health and HIV prevention features 11 program resources with Web links, and 14 journal article summaries on research from Haiti, India, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Zambia, and the Central American and sub-Saharan African regions.]]></description> <author>fhi_news@fhi.org (Family Health International)</author> <pubDate>Tue, 08 Jun 2010 17:20:59 +0100</pubDate> </item> <item> <title>Improving Resource Allocation in Kenya\'s Public Health Sector</title> <link>http://www.phishare.org/files/9283_1_Kenya_Resource_Allocation.pdf</link> <description><![CDATA[Decentralization has been a stated policy objective for Kenya since 1994; however, the allocation of health sector financial resources remains highly centralized and opaque, relying primarily on previous years' budget allocations rather than on health needs indicators. Equitable or fair resource allocation can only be accomplished by considering variation in needs across geographic and economic groups. The Health Policy Initiative's research revealed that the allocation of health sector funds in Kenya has not accounted for differences in health achievement, access, and provision costs across the regions, provinces, and districts. This report examines equitable financing and resource allocation at decentralized levels for family planning (FP) and reproductive health (RH) programs in Kenya. The USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1 investigated the institutional, legal, and political environment affecting budgetary decisionmaking in the public health sector. The research team focused on how budgetary planning and resource allocation functions under decentralization and how decentralization affects equity in resource allocation for FP and RH.]]></description> <author>rmbuyabrown@futuresgroup.com (USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1)</author> <pubDate>Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:53:56 +0100</pubDate> </item> <item> <title>The EQUITY Framework: Influencing Policy and Financing Reforms to Increase Family Planning ...</title> <link>http://www.phishare.org/files/9282_The_EQUITY_Framework.pdf</link> <description><![CDATA[While trends vary by country, one point is clear: Countries that have achieved high levels of FP/RH service use have done so by reducing inequalities in service access. Similarly, Kenya cannot expect to halt the stagnation in its total fertility and contraceptive prevalence rates without taking active steps to ensure that FP services are appropriately designed for and reach the poorest groups. In Kenya, poor women have higher fertility and are least likely to achieve their desired fertility. They have the highest unmet need for family planning and highest intention to use family planning in the future. Poor women and their families need to be reached with FP information, services, and affordable options. Too often, however, public sector resources are being used by high and very high socioeconomic status groups. In response, the USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, assisted in-country partners to assess financial, policy, and operational barriers to FP access for the poor and integrate equity goals and approaches into Kenya's National Reproductive Health Strategy, 2009–2015. The process was guided by the project's EQUITY Framework and aimed to engage the poor in policy dialogue. As a result, for the first time ever, the national strategy includes equity objectives and strategies, as well as a time-bound equity indicator: to increase modern CPR among the poor by 20 percentage points by 2015.]]></description> <author>rmbuyabrown@futuresgroup.com (USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1)</author> <pubDate>Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:51:56 +0100</pubDate> </item> <item> <title>FP/RH Access for the Poor in Kenya: EQUITY Framework Encourages Policy and Financing Reforms</title> <link>http://www.phishare.org/files/9281_FP_RH_Access_for_the_Poor_in_Kenya.pdf</link> <description><![CDATA[While trends vary by country, one point is clear: Countries that have achieved high levels of FP/RH service use have done so by reducing inequalities in service access. Similarly, Kenya cannot expect to halt the stagnation in its total fertility and contraceptive prevalence rates without taking active steps to ensure that FP services are appropriately designed for and reach the poorest groups. In Kenya, poor women have higher fertility and are least likely to achieve their desired fertility. They have the highest unmet need for family planning and the highest intention to use family planning in the future. Poor women and their families need to be reached with FP information, services, and affordable options. Too often, however, public sector resources are being used by high and very high socioeconomic status groups. In response, the USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, assisted in-country partners to assess financial, policy, and operational barriers to FP access for the poor and integrate equity goals and approaches into Kenya's National Reproductive Health Strategy, 2009–2015. The process was guided by the project's EQUITY Framework and aimed to engage the poor in policy dialogue. As a result, for the first time ever, the national strategy includes equity objectives and strategies, as well as a time-bound equity indicator: to increase modern CPR among the poor by 20 percentage points by 2015.]]></description> <author>rmbuyabrown@futuresgroup.com (USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1)</author> <pubDate>Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:50:03 +0100</pubDate> </item> <item> <title>Task Shifting in Uganda: Case Study</title> <link>http://www.phishare.org/files/9280_1_Uganda_Case_Study_FINAL_5_05_10_acc.pdf</link> <description><![CDATA[Countries in the East, Central and Southern Africa (ECSA) region realize that attaining universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support by 2010 and achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 will require radical changes in human resource policies and manpower development and retention strategies. At the same time, country health officials must use effective task shifting to help alleviate shortages of skilled manpower. In 2009, USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, the ECSA Health Community (ECSA-HC), and ECSA College of Nurses (ECSACON) collaborated to assess the policy and programmatic implications of task shifting in Uganda. The findings of that assessment are included in this case study, which includes data based on interviews and focus group discussions with stakeholders, including policymakers, healthcare managers, health workers, and students in health-related fields.]]></description> <author>rmbuyabrown@futuresgroup.com (USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1)</author> <pubDate>Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:47:19 +0100</pubDate> </item> <item> <title>Task Shifting in Swaziland: Case Study</title> <link>http://www.phishare.org/files/9279_1_Swaziland_Task_Shifting_Case_Study_FINAL_05_05_10_acc.pdf</link> <description><![CDATA[Countries in the East, Central and Southern Africa (ECSA) region realize that attaining universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support by 2010 and achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 will require radical changes in human resource policies and manpower development and retention strategies. At the same time, country health officials must use effective task shifting to help alleviate shortages of skilled manpower. In 2009, USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, the ECSA Health Community (ECSA-HC), and ECSA College of Nurses (ECSACON) collaborated to assess the policy and programmatic implications of task shifting in Swaziland. The findings of that assessment are included in this case study, which includes data based on interviews and focus group discussions with stakeholders, including policymakers, healthcare managers, health workers, and students in health-related fields.]]></description> <author>rmbuyabrown@futuresgroup.com (USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1)</author> <pubDate>Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:45:09 +0100</pubDate> </item> <item> <title>CREATING AN ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR TASK SHIFTING IN HIV AND AIDS SERVICES: Recommendations ...</title> <link>http://www.phishare.org/files/9278_Creating_an_Enabling_Environment_for_Task_Shifting_in_HIV_and_AIDS.pdf</link> <description><![CDATA[At the United Nations High-Level Meeting on AIDS in June 2006, Member States agreed to work toward the broad goal of "universal access to comprehensive prevention programs, treatment, care, and support" by 2010. However, without the strengthening of health systems, including a significant expansion of the health workforce, universal access to HIV services will not be possible. There is a clear need to plan for the strengthening and expansion of the health workforce in the context of the HIV epidemic. Task shifting is the "process of delegation whereby tasks are moved, where appropriate, to less specialized health workers" (WHO, 2007c, p. 3). Shifting tasks is especially beneficial when considering the amount of time that it takes to train qualified doctors and nurses, compared with the amount of time needed to train a community health worker in specific tasks. Many African countries have already recognized the value of task shifting in the health sector and have begun shifting certain tasks. The USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1, with the East, Central, and Southern Africa (ECSA) Health Community and ECSA College of Nurses, carried out case studies in Swaziland (Mehlomakhulu, 2010) and Uganda (Dambisya, 2010) to obtain a better understanding of the task-shifting approaches and policies in these countries.]]></description> <author>rmbuyabrown@futuresgroup.com (USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1)</author> <pubDate>Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:42:57 +0100</pubDate> </item> <item> <title>The Family Planning Effort Index: 1999, 2004, and 2009</title> <link>http://www.phishare.org/files/9277_FP_Effort_Index.pdf</link> <description><![CDATA[National programs to extend family planning to large populations began in the mid-1960s and now exist in most developing countries. They vary greatly in strength and coverage, as well as in the nature of their outreach. Periodic measures of the types and levels of effort were first conducted in 1972, followed by repeats in 1982, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, and as reported here, in 2009. This unique series, termed the Family Planning Effort (FPE) Index, has covered about 90 percent of the developing world each time. The FPE Index is the only consistent assessment of program efforts, for all countries, over time. It has informed policy positions and resource allocation decisions, as well as technical analyses of program impact on contraceptive use and fertility declines. This most recent application of the FPE Index shows that the average program effort level has again increased, although by a small amount. Average program effort levels remain robust in general, despite concerns about diversion of resources to HIV/AIDS, donor fatigue, and other problems. However, average effort is still only at about half of the maximum, or about two-thirds of the level attained by the strongest countries.]]></description> <author>rmbuyabrown@futuresgroup.com (USAID | Health Policy Initiative, Task Order 1)</author> <pubDate>Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:40:12 +0100</pubDate> </item> <item> <title>Flash Points and Tipping Points: Security Implications of Global Population Changes</title> <link>http://www.phishare.org/files/9143_ECSPReport13_Goldstone.pdf</link> <description><![CDATA[“Population distortions—in which populations grow too young, or too fast, or too urbanized—make it difficult for prevailing economic and administrative institutions to maintain stable socialization and labor-force absorption,” says Jack A. Goldstone. “The most logical way to overcome the population distortions in varied regions will be to ease the barriers to movement across borders.”]]></description> <author>ecsp@wilsoncenter.org (Environmental Change and Security Program)</author> <pubDate>Tue, 25 May 2010 21:15:44 +0100</pubDate> </item> <item> <title>Half a Chance: Youth Bulges and Transitions to Liberal Democracy</title> <link>http://www.phishare.org/files/9142_ECSPReport13_Cincotta.pdf</link> <description><![CDATA[“The dissipation of a large youth bulge tends to yield relative political calm,” says Richard Cincotta. On the other hand, democratic gains under youth-bulge conditions “face unfavorable odds.” Using age-structure data, he assesses the fragility of existing liberal democracies and forecasts when new ones will emerge.]]></description> <author>ecsp@wilsoncenter.org (Environmental Change and Security Program)</author> <pubDate>Tue, 25 May 2010 21:08:14 +0100</pubDate> </item> <item> <title>Population in Defense Policy Planning</title> <link>http://www.phishare.org/files/9141_ECSPReport13_Sciubba.pdf</link> <description><![CDATA[U.S. defense policymakers should watch four demographic trends, says Jennifer Dabbs Sciubba: youthful populations, changes in military personnel, international migration, and urbanization. “The military does not always have the tools to address these population and development issues, but by drawing on a wider community for support, they lessen the chances that they will have to deal with the consequences,” she says.]]></description> <author>ecsp@wilsoncenter.org (Environmental Change and Security Program)</author> <pubDate>Tue, 25 May 2010 21:02:33 +0100</pubDate> </item> <item> <title>Climate Change, Demography, Environmental Degradation, and Armed Conflict</title> <link>http://www.phishare.org/files/9140_ECSPReport13_RaleighUrdal.pdf</link> <description><![CDATA[Using geo-referenced data, Clionadh Raleigh and Henrik Urdal find that population growth and density are related to increased civil conflict, but that demographic and environmental factors are generally outweighed by political and economic ones. Therefore, they call for “paying greater attention to how resources are distributed and how political institutions create vulnerability to climate change.”]]></description> <author>ecsp@wilsoncenter.org (Environmental Change and Security Program)</author> <pubDate>Tue, 25 May 2010 20:58:12 +0100</pubDate> </item> </channel> </rss>