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Perceptions of men on role of religious leaders in reproductive health issues in rural Pakistan.

Religion holds unique importance in people's lives, and has been cited as an important factor in reproductive health. Pakistan has a Muslim majority and the character of the country is strongly marked by Islam. In rural areas, where the majority of the population reside, religious leaders are considered as opinion makers. The perception of adult males regarding the influence of the 'religious factor' in their use of modern contraceptive methods, and their views on the role of religious leaders in community education, were explored through a cross-sectional survey conducted in twelve rural districts of Pakistan in 2000. A sample of 180 married adult males participated in the study through consecutive sampling. The study was qualitative, utilizing tools such as in-depth and key-informant interviews. The majority of men interviewed considered that religious leaders were against fertility control, and 29% cited religion as a reason for their non-use of modern contraceptives. Respondents also suggested that the involvement of religious leaders in reproductive health programmes is essential for the programmes' effectiveness in rural areas. They thought that religious leaders could contribute positively to community education, and suggested ways in which they could educate the community in reproductive health issues. They also suggested various channels through which religious leaders could be approached to convince them to cooperate in reproductive health programmes. The study concludes that involving religious leaders in rural settings could enable reproductive health programmes and services to reach more conservative groups in society, and thus contribute effectively to bringing about positive change in the attitudes of Pakistani society towards reproductive health.

Adult↗

Improving access to services and interactions with clients in Guatemala: the value of distance learning.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and test a distance-learning programme to improve the quality and efficiency of family planning services in Guatemala. METHODS: The setting was rural family planning services in Guatemala. The study design was quasi-experimental with one intervention and one control group and with pre- and post-intervention measures. Two staff members from each of 20 randomly selected health districts were trained as leaders of the training programme. In turn, the 40 trainers trained a total of 240 service providers, under the supervision of four health area facilitators. The results were compared with 20 randomly selected control health districts. The intervention was a distance-learning programme including 40 in-class hours followed by 120 inservice practice hours spread over a 4-month period. Distinctively, the programme used a cascade approach to training, intensive supervision, and close monitoring and evaluation. Patient flow analysis was used to determine number of contacts, waiting times, and the interaction time between service providers and clients. Consultation observations were used to assess the quality and completeness of reproductive health information and services received by clients. RESULTS: The intervention showed a positive impact on reducing the number of contacts before the consultation and client waiting times. More complete services and better quality services were provided at intervention clinics. Some, but not all, of the study objectives were attained. The long-term impact of the intervention is as yet unknown. CONCLUSION: Distance-learning programmes are an effective methodology for training health professionals in rural areas.

Community Health Workers↗

The introduction of the clinical module of a primary care patient management system into a family planning association.

The New Zealand Family Planning Association (FPA) is a national not-for-profit organization providing sexual and reproductive primary care health services as well as health education, professional training and advocacy on issues of sexual and reproductive health. Between July 2003 and August 2004 the Clinical Module of Medtech 32, the Patient Management System (PMS) used by the organisation since 1998, was introduced into 17 Family Planning Clinics throughout the country and 132 (68.6 FTE) nurses and doctors trained in its use. In late 2004 nursing and medical staff completed a questionnaire providing feedback on their experiences of the introduction process itself, their initial use of the clinical module and their use of it between 3-15 months later. This paper describes the introduction of the clinical module and nurse and doctor perceptions of the introduction and subsequent use in their daily clinical practice.

Adult↗

Gender violence and reproductive health.

The available literature reflects the growing interest in gender violence and reproductive health. Violence is generally studied by identifying pathologies, measuring their demands on services and evaluating their repercussions on fetal outcome. Institutional violence, however, has received little attention and is mainly concerned with the consequences of inappropriate use of technologies. Data from the Sexuality and Health Feminist Collective shows that among patients, 20.5% stated that they have never talked about their sexual life with their partners; 38.3% stated that they have had sexual intercourse against their will, including situations ranging from sexual harassment to rape which was referred by 12.3% of them. One of the most relevant issues arising from the anamnesis and interviews of these women was the violence to which they were submitted by health services. The high prevalence of violent situations indicates the urgency of incorporating an approach which deals with gender violence and promotes the empowerment of women into the routine of reproductive health services.

Battered Women↗

A strategic assessment of the reproductive health and responsible parenthood programme of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Since 1991, Argentina has had provincial reproductive health laws, a far-reaching national programme and strong public consensus in support of reproductive health policies. Nevertheless, the challenges of strengthening public services, increasing the number of programme sites and resisting conservative attacks remain. This article describes an assessment of the reproductive health programme of the city of Buenos Aires, passed in 2000, whose objectives are to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases/HIV and to train health personnel. The programme operates in every public hospital and primary health care centre in the city. The assessment was conducted jointly by the Ombudsperson's Office of Buenos Aires and the Centre for the Study of State and Society (CEDES). Hormonal contraceptives, IUDs and male condoms were mostly available, but emergency contraception, female condoms and other barrier methods were not Some health professionals and service users were knowledgeable about the new laws and the reproductive rights recognised under the law. Over 90% were satisfied with quality of care in service delivery but many professionals described excessive workloads, deficient infrastructure, and shortages of supplies and staff. Wanting help to obtain a tubal ligation was the most frequent reason for the claims lodged with the Ombudsperson's Office, followed by HIV, quality of care, and abortion. Information and training for both health care providers and women's and human rights NGOs was carried out.

Adolescent↗

Women's health and the privatization of fertility control in Brazil.

In Brazil, privatization of the public sphere and neglect of public health is part of a conservative modernization strategy that is dominated by elite groups. The politics of human reproduction, consistent with this pattern, have left women dependent on the private sector for access to the means of fertility control, in spite of the existence of a conceptually-advanced public programme for comprehensive health care for women--a programme which expressed the demands of, and is widely supported by, the women's movement. While both the rate of contraceptive use and the types of methods used (oral contraceptives and surgical sterilization) are modern, the privatization of fertility control has resulted in a complete separation between fertility control and health care for poor women, who are the vast majority. Evidence indicates that many, perhaps most, women accumulate the health effects of totally uncontrolled and incorrect use of oral contraceptives, including unwanted pregnancies and illegal abortions, in the end resorting to clandestine surgical sterilization, which is usually performed through unnecessary caesarean section. Data on reproductive morbidity and mortality, however, are virtually non-existent. International women's reproductive rights networks and alternative services for women have advocated greater empowerment for women, in terms of improved standards of self-care and increased power in the use of health services. As a result, a gender approach to reproductive health care is now being proposed for government programmes. The Brazilian case services as an example of the limits faced by such programmes when adopted in a wider context of unfavorable political conditions.

Adult↗

Use of maternal health services in rural China.

We use data from the nationally representative 1997 Demographic and Reproductive Health Survey to examine use of maternity services in rural China. The data indicate that roughly 60 per cent of women had at least one prenatal visit, while 40 per cent had a professionally assisted birth over the period 1988-97. Despite China's shift from a more socialist to a more privatized health care system, use of maternity services increased over this period. These increases are consistent with the push toward integration of reproductive health into family planning that emerged after the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development and the 1995 Fourth World Women's Conference held in Beijing. At the same time, we find indirect evidence that the target-based population policy may well have exerted downward pressure on use of maternity services; differences by parity are marked and multilevel models predicting use of maternity services indicate underdispersion at the individual level.

Adult↗