Latest Articles
- Excellent Family Planning Progress in Nigeria Reported by PMA2020
Modern method contraceptive prevalence among married women in Nigeria has jumped to 16.0% in 2016 compared with <10% in 2013.
Notable increases were observed in the South as well as in some Northern states that had strong programming.
Most of the increase was in the uptake of highly effective implants and injectables.
But substantial unmet need for family planning remains, especially among the poorest quintile.
Implants and IUDs are not offered in many facilities and stock-outs are common, suggesting further progress is achievable with improved program effort.
- Winners of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health–Global Health: Science and Practice Annual Student Manuscript Contest
The 2 inaugural winners of the CUGH–GHSP Annual Student Manuscript Contest describe (1) the American Mock World Health Organization model for engaging students in global health policy and diplomacy, and (2) a successful Indo-U.S. twinning model of global health academic partnership led by students.
- “New Users” Are Confusing Our Counting: Reaching Consensus on How to Measure “Additional Users” of Family Planning
FP2020's overarching goal is framed around the new metric of “additional users.” This measure inherently captures population-level change but has been conflated with other ambiguous metrics, such as “new users.” Therefore, we propose a standard set of terms to provide more consistent measurement. Although commonly used service-level metrics cannot be directly compared to the population-level metric of additional users, we describe 2 modeling approaches that can allow service-level data to inform estimates of additional users.
- Quality of Care in Performance-Based Financing: How It Is Incorporated in 32 Programs Across 28 Countries
Structural aspects of quality such as equipment and infrastructure were the most frequently measured, with some measurement of processes of clinical care. Further examination is warranted to assess whether variations in how quality of care is incorporated into performance-based financing programs lead to differential effects.
- American Mock World Health Organization: An Innovative Model for Student Engagement in Global Health Policy
The American Mock World Health Organization (AMWHO) provides a platform for students to apply their knowledge of global health policy through simulations of the World Health Assembly (WHA). This model engages and empowers future global leaders in health policy while sharpening their skills in diplomacy, public speaking, and conflict resolution. The major theme for the AMWHO 2015 was Universal Health Coverage, reflecting what the WHA had discussed in preceding months.
- A Review of 10 Years of Vasectomy Programming and Research in Low-Resource Settings
Reviewed areas included misconceptions and lack of knowledge among men, women, and providers; approaches to demand generation including community-based and mass media communications; service delivery innovations consisting of the no-scalpel vasectomy technique, whole-site training, cascade training, task shifting, and mobile outreach; and engagement of religious and community leaders to create an enabling environment.
- Benefits and Limitations of a Community-Engaged Emergency Referral System in a Remote, Impoverished Setting of Northern Ghana
A low-cost emergency and communication transportation system used 3-wheeled motorcycles driven by trained community volunteers. Delivery referrals were redirected from health centers to hospitals capable of advanced services including cesarean deliveries, which was associated with reduced facility-based maternal mortality.
- Key Role of Drug Shops and Pharmacies for Family Planning in Urban Nigeria and Kenya
Pharmacies and drug shops provide a rich opportunity for expanding family planning access to urban women, especially unmarried and younger women. In urban Nigeria and Kenya, drug shops and pharmacies were the major sources for most short-acting methods, including oral contraceptive pills, emergency contraceptives, and condoms.
- Qualitative Assessment of the Application of a Discrete Choice Experiment With Community Health Workers in Uganda: Aligning Incentives With Preferences
Conducting a discrete choice experiment (DCE) with CHWs via survey versus interviews gave similar findings: the most appealing attributes for these CHWs were a bicycle, transportation refund, and mobile phone. To promote meaningful and valid results, particularly when applying DCEs to lower-literacy populations such as CHWs, DCEs should (1) use a small number of job attributes to facilitate comprehension, (2) choose attribute levels (e.g., mobile phone vs. no mobile phone) that are realistic yet show sufficient range, and (3) clearly define attributes and their levels.