Latest Articles
- Does free pregnancy testing reduce service denial in family planning clinics? A cluster-randomized experiment in Zambia and Ghana
Pregnancy tests, which cost very little (∼US$0.10) and are often required for successful family planning service delivery, may reduce service denial, and should be available in all family planning clinics at no or minimal cost to clients.
- Understanding where parents take their sick children and why it matters: a multi-country analysis
To effectively reach children with potentially life-threatening illness with needed treatment, it is important to understand where parents seek care. Data from 42 DHS and MICS surveys conducted since 2005 show that a majority of care in Africa is sought from the public sector; in South Asia, from the private sector; and in Southeast Asia, from a public-private mix. We recommend that such data be made available in standard DHS and MICS reports.
- Factors limiting immunization coverage in urban Dili, Timor-Leste
Simple access to immunization services does not necessarily translate into uptake of services. In Timor-Leste, key determinants of the success of vaccination efforts are health workers' attitudes, the manner in which patients are treated, aspects of service organization, adequate supply of vaccines, and caregivers' basic knowledge about immunization.
- Child malnutrition in Haiti: progress despite disasters
Despite a devastating earthquake and a major cholera outbreak in Haiti in 2010, surveys in 2006 and 2012 document marked reductions in child undernutrition. Intensive relief efforts in nutrition as well as synergies and improvements in various sectors before and after the earthquake were likely contributing factors.
- Fulfilling the PEPFAR mandate: a more equitable use of PEPFAR resources across global health
As PEPFAR moves beyond its “emergency stage,” it should now help support a more sustainable development mode, including an equitable platform for meeting a broad range of priority health needs, while continuing to pursue the goal of an AIDS-free generation.
- Food commodity pipeline management in transitional settings: challenges and lessons learned from the first USAID food development program in South Sudan
Efficient and reliable commodity transport is critical to effective food assistance in development settings as well as in emergency situations. Increasing the flexibility of U.S. government Title II food assistance program procurement regulations and more comprehensive contingency planning could improve the effectiveness of these programs in non-emergency settings with high food insecurity and political volatility.
- Making the most of food aid to help prevent child and maternal deaths
Advances in child nutrition over the last several decades are creating momentum for a programmatic push to reduce undernutrition worldwide. The contribution of food aid may be small, but, nonetheless, U.S. food aid policy should be revamped to benefit more effectively and more efficiently the children and mothers in need.
- Limited electricity access in health facilities of sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of data on electricity access, sources, and reliability
Only 34% of hospitals have reliable electricity access in surveyed sub-Saharan African countries. However, analysis in 2 countries indicates modest improvements in electricity access over time. Ambitious plans to improve health service delivery in sub-Saharan Africa need to address this critical issue.
- Successful use of tablet personal computers and wireless technologies for the 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey
Using tablet personal computers and wireless technologies in place of paper-based questionnaires to administer the Nepal DHS in a geographically diverse setting appeared to improve data quality and reduce data collection time. Challenges include inconsistent electricity supply, safe storage and transport of equipment, and screen readability issues under direct sunlight, which limited confidential interview spaces.
- Client-centered counseling improves client satisfaction with family planning visits: evidence from Irbid, Jordan
In Irbid, Jordan, a combination of community outreach, using home visits, plays, women's groups, and religious leaders, and improved client-provider counseling based on the “Consult and Choose” approach increased family planning demand and client satisfaction. Service statistic trends suggest increased contraceptive use.