• August 7, 2014

    Family planning and the post-2015 development agenda

    Leadership in Family PlanningFamily planning is connected to all eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), whether ending poverty and hunger, providing universal education or fighting HIV and AIDS.

    As the MDGs come to a close and the world prepares for the post-2015 development agenda, a recent editorial in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization written by family planning experts from FHI 360 summarizes the growing evidence that continues to confirm the relevance of family planning to each of the MDGs. The editorial also explores why family planning is critical to the success of the new post-2015 global development goals.

    Authors Tricia Petruney, Technical Advisor; Lucy Wilson, Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor; John Stanback, Scientist; and Ward Cates, Distinguished Scientist and President Emeritus show how family planning, an area of work traditionally found only within the health sector, is actually intricately intertwined with many other areas of development.

    Read the editorial to learn more about how the integration of family planning across the development sphere is, as stated by the authors, “a best buy for development.”

  • July 30, 2014

    Maximizing the return on investment: Making research matter

    Written by
    Rose Wilcher, Director, Research Utilization, FHI 360

    Earlier this month, the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) released a report that seeks to answer a compelling question: Does research drive international development?

    Through an extensive literature review, the authors examined the evidence supporting the commonly held assumption that investing in research leads to positive impacts on socioeconomic development. One of the specific pathways they explored is whether investment in research leads to development through more evidence-informed policy and practice. While the authors provide several examples of how research has led to policy and program improvements, they also conclude that “there are significant gaps in the capacity, incentives and systems necessary to ensure that research is systematically used in decision making.”

    To put it more simply, research can be a powerful development tool if the results are used. Generating new evidence or finding a new solution is half the battle. Only when that solution is adopted in policy and practice can research lead to impact. But, the reality is that no matter how compelling a body of evidence or research finding may be, information does not put itself into practice. As a result, large gaps or long time lags too often exist between what we know and what we do.

    Obstacles to putting research into practice

    The barriers to getting research into practice are well documented. They include limited end-user involvement in research, weak attempts to communicate research findings and advocate for their use, and research designs that fail to consider the potential for scale-up. Other barriers noted by the DFID report include the inadequate capacity of decision makers to understand and use research evidence and the lack of incentives to drive research utilization. Short of a miracle occurring, overcoming these barriers requires deliberate, planned and sustained efforts over time.

    Continue reading

  • July 29, 2014

    And the award goes to …

    Written by
    Sanda Pecina, Senior Video Producer and Communications Advisor, Social Marketing and Communication, FHI 360

    They’re not as well known as the Academy Awards, but in the public health realm, the Web Health Awards pack a punch.

    That’s why FHI 360’s Social Marketing and Communication (SMC) video team is pleased to announce that three of the “Making the Business Case for Prevention” videos we produced on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Community Health recently won a Web Health Awards Recognition-of-Merit Award. It is the 16th year of this prestigious competition that receives thousands of submissions and selects the best in digital health resources for consumers and health professionals.

    Our winning, documentary-style vignettes feature real-life, business-success stories that demonstrate how good health is good business. The vignettes were created to build support for community health within the business sector and to encourage similar public health initiatives nationwide.

    Continue reading

  • July 28, 2014

    Latest UN report warns human development is increasingly precarious

    UNDP reportThe United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s 2014 Human Development Report, entitled Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience, calls attention to the persistent vulnerability that threatens human development. According to the recently released report, 2.2 billion people are poor or near-poor, and unless policies and social norms systematically address their vulnerabilities, development will fail to be equitable or sustainable.

    The report proposes multiple ways to strengthen resilience, such as the provision of basic social services and stronger policies for social protection and full employment.

    “By addressing vulnerabilities, all people may share in development progress, and human development will become increasingly equitable and sustainable,” said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark. Read the report.

  • July 24, 2014

    Research on key populations leads Botswana to smarter HIV prevention

    Written by
    Mike Merrigan, Regional Technical Advisor, FHI 360
    Kerry Aradhya, Science Writer, FHI 360

    At approximately 18 percent, the prevalence of HIV in Botswana’s general population is one of the highest in the world. As a result, national HIV prevention efforts have focused more intensively on the general population than on other populations. Little is known about key populations, such as female sex workers and men who have sex with men, whose behaviors are both stigmatized and illegal in Botswana.

    In 2012, the Botswana Ministry of Health used an integrated behavioral and biological surveillance survey to estimate population sizes and prevalence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among female sex workers and men who have sex with men. The study was historic. For the first time, it showed the HIV and STI burden among these two key populations and raised awareness about how they might have contributed to the generalized HIV epidemic.

    The survey, carried out with technical assistance from FHI 360 through the Preventive Technologies Agreement (funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development), uncovered a population of more than 4,000 female sex workers in the three districts where the survey was conducted. Among these female sex workers, HIV prevalence was 61.9 percent, and the prevalence of gonorrhea and chlamydia were both higher than 10 percent. The female sex workers had a mean of more than seven partners per week, and condom failure, which includes condom breakage and being paid or forced not to use condoms, was common.

    Continue reading

  • July 23, 2014

    Improving HIV testing in targeted populations in India

    Written by
    Bitra George, Country Director, India, FHI 360

    At the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014) in Melbourne, Australia, staff from FHI 360’s India office will present a poster on a study that shows improved HIV testing among clients of female sex workers. The study contributes to evidence about what works to strengthen HIV prevention.

    Why focus research on the clients of female sex workers?

    Recent studies from India suggest that the purchase of sex from female sex workers is most predominant in higher HIV-prevalence states, such as Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. In India, there is a growing recognition of the importance of considering clients when looking to stop HIV transmission, and a number of prevention efforts under the national program have targeted these clients, most of whom are men.

    Conducting surveys among clients of sex workers is challenging, because clients do not like to be identified. There is also little evidence that establishes clients’ risk of contracting HIV in India. To bridge this gap and to provide invaluable information on HIV trends and risk behavior, FHI 360 designed and managed the largest integrated biological and behavioral assessment (IBBA) for most-at-risk populations in India.

    Collecting evidence to inform HIV programming

    Conducted in 2006 and 2009, this cross-sectional survey interviewed approximately 10,000 clients of sex workers as part of Avahan (the India AIDS initiative). This program, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, gathered evidence to inform future HIV prevention programs in India. The IBBA survey was implemented by the institutes of the Indian Council of Medical Research, and technical support was provided by FHI 360.

    Continue reading

  • July 18, 2014

    Focusing on key populations affected by HIV: A smart investment for greater impact

    Written by
    Ward Cates, Distinguished Scientist and President Emeritus, FHI 360
    Kimberly Green, Chief of Party, Ghana, FHI 360

    In an era of limited resources, HIV prevention, care and treatment efforts need to focus on the smartest investments. This means investing in programs that can have the greatest impact in halting HIV transmission and turning back the epidemic. From a public health perspective, the effective use of resources requires focusing on key populations who have the highest level of HIV infection and tackling the barriers that discourage and prevent them from accessing health systems and services. These populations are broadly defined as sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender persons and persons who inject drugs.

    As the world gathers at the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014) in Melbourne, Australia, July 20–25, 2014, we have an excellent opportunity to share how investing in evidence-based strategies can change the trajectory of the epidemic once and for all.

    Continue reading

  • July 14, 2014

    Too young to wed: The high price of early marriage

    Written by
    Carina Omoeva, Technical Advisor, Education Policy and Data Center, FHI 360
    Rachel Hatch, Research Associate, Education Policy and Data Center, FHI 360

    Today, we celebrate Malala Day, a commemoration of girls’ empowerment and gender equality across all areas of human development. Like Malala Yousafzai, thousands of girls around the globe are dedicated to pursuing their education and choosing their life path yet are prevented from realizing their full potential. For the vast majority of these girls, the greatest barrier to schooling is not the bullets of terrorists — it is the day-to-day economic pressures and the unequal social expectations they face as they enter adolescence and young adulthood. It is a sad reality that in the 21st century, many girls are forced into marriage and starting a family as early as age 14, which brings their educational aspirations to a halt.

    Teenage, Married, and Out of School, a new study by the FHI 360 Education Policy and Data Center, highlights the heavy toll early marriage inflicts on school participation among adolescent girls in nine countries of east and southern Africa. While the universally ratified 1990 African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), as well as national legislation in all nine countries, protect children against marriage before age 18, early marriage is still visibly present across the region. Some countries, such as Rwanda, have managed to bring this disturbing phenomenon down to a minimum, while marriage at age 14 through age 17 appears to be fairly commonplace in others (Figure 1).

    Continue reading

  • July 11, 2014

    The role of youth sexual and reproductive health in individual and national development

    Written by
    Kate Plourde, Technical Officer, FHI 360
    Robyn Dayton, Senior Technical Officer, FHI 360

    In honor of this year’s World Population Day, the theme of which is youth engagement and the sustainable development agenda, we are reflecting on youth — our future leaders, parents, entrepreneurs and citizens. Today’s generation of young people is the largest in history: there are 1.8 billion people between the ages of 10 and 24 on the planet. In many countries, more than half of the population is under age 25, creating opportunities for national economic growth but also underscoring the need for greater investment in their health — with consequences that will affect the world’s social, environmental and economic well-being for generations.

    Investment in young people’s sexual and reproductive health in particular ensures that young people are not only protected from HIV and other STIs, but also that they have the number of children they desire, when and if they wish to have them. The ability to control one’s fertility increases individuals’ productive capacity and can lead to a decline in a country’s dependency ratio (number of working citizens compared to nonworking citizens). When the dependency ratio declines in conjunction with adequate investments in youth education and economic opportunity, per capita income can increase — a phenomenon known as the demographic dividend.

    Unfortunately, many young people do not have access to the critical sexual and reproductive health information and services required to stay healthy and avoid unintended pregnancy. Many young women report not wanting to become pregnant, but the level of unmet need for contraception among adolescents is more than twice that of adults. In some regions of the world, the unmet need for contraception among adolescents is as high as 68 percent. Fulfilling the unmet need for contraceptives among adolescents alone could prevent an estimated 7.4 million unintended pregnancies annually.

    Continue reading

  • July 1, 2014

    A bold plan for ending HIV and AIDS in New York State

    Written by
    Dr. Timothy Mastro, Director, Global Health, Population and Nutrition, FHI 360

    Dr. Timothy MastroFor more than thirty years, health care providers, program implementers, policymakers and academic researchers have strived to meet a goal that once seemed impossible: a world without AIDS.

    The fourth decade has brought hope, based on extraordinary progress in learning how to combine HIV treatment and prevention. However, much work remains to be done, including in the United States where, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the groups most seriously affected are gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, and, in particular, young African-American men who have sex with men.

    On June 29, 2014, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York announced an initiative designed to achieve an AIDS-free generation in his state by 2020. Governor Cuomo’s three-pronged plan focuses on improved testing, preventing the spread of the virus and providing better treatment for those living with HIV.

    At FHI 360, we applaud Governor Cuomo’s bold plan to end the HIV epidemic in New York State. We currently have the scientifically proven prevention and treatment tools to stop HIV transmission. Now, we need to commit to using these tools for all populations in order to end the epidemic in New York, the United States and globally.

    We are encouraged to see Governor Cuomo take a brave stand against HIV and hope that others will join him. Together, we believe we can make a world without AIDS a reality.