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Infant and young child feeding in emergencies : operational guidance for emergency relief staff and programme managers

IFE Core Group
February 2007

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This document aims to provide concise, practical (but non-technical) guidance on how to ensure appropriate infant and young child feeding in emergencies. A number of elements are also applicable in non-emergency settings. It is intended for emergency relief staff, programme managers, national governments, United Nations agencies, NGOs and donors, and it applies to all countries. It includes six sections of practical steps, references, key contacts and definitions. Members of the IFE Core Group are: UNICEF, WHO, UNHCR, WFP, IFBAN-GIFA, CARE USA, Fondation Terre des hommes and Emergency Nutrition Network. It is also available in Arabic, Bahasa Indonesian, French, Portuguese and Spanish

Family planning : a global handbook for providers

World Health Organization Department of Reproductive Health and Research (WHO/RHR)
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs (CCP), Info Project CCP
United States Agency for Inernational Development (USAID)
2007

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This is a quick-reference resource for health care workers at all levels. It reflects the family planning guidance developed by the WHO and expands on the coverage of 'The essentials of contraceptive technology' (CCP:1997) to address other needs of clients that come up during the course of family planning. Coverage includes different methods of contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, maternal and new born health, reproductive health issues, family planning provision and serving diverse groups; e.g. adolescents, men, and women near menopause . The handbook is one of the WHO's 'four cornerstones of family planning guidance'

Research issues in sexual and reproductive health for low- and middle-income countries

DE FRANCISCO, Andres
DIXON-MUELLER, Ruth
D'ARCANGUES, Catherine
2007

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This paper outlines a conceptual framework and a number of thematic and cross-cutting research issues in sexual and reproductive health as a first step in a consultative process towards the identification of gaps and priorities for research in this field. The themes of social equity, poverty and gender addressed in this paper are of particular relevance to the field of sexual and reproductive health. So, too, are the challenges of collaborating with in-country partners to identify context-specific research priorities that address the many and varied dimensions of sexual and reproductive health and its determinants and correlates in order to build the evidence base and put policy and programmatic evidence into practice in low-resource settings

UNAIDS practical guidelines for intensifying HIV prevention : towards universal access

JOINT UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME ON HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
2007

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These practical guidelines are designed to help policy makers and planners to create an effective national response to HIV prevention, by ensuring that their response matches the epidemic dynamics and social context within their country and the populations who remain most vulnerable to and at risk of HIV infection. The guidelines encourage countries to know the national and local epidemiological scenarios and their current response; to match and prioritise their response; to set ambitious, realistic and measurable prevention targets; to tailor prevention plans to local epidemic scenarios and to use and analyse strategic information

Achieving millennium development goals (4, 5 &6) in Africa south of Sahara : BCH Africa's strategic vision

Building Capacities for Better Health in Africa (BCH Africa)
2007

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This is document outlines BCH-Africa's strategic vision to help countries in sub-Saharan Africa to meet three of the millennium goals by 2015. These goals are: to help to reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; and combat HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases. The strategy sets out four main areas of focus: promoting social ownership of immunisation, to contribute to a rapid reduction in infant and maternal mortality; promoting national partnership and developing community skills to roll back malaria in Africa sustainably; developing individual and community skills to stop the spread of HIV and AIDS and tuberculosis; and using communication approaches that achieve long-lasting social changes to help control HIV, malaria and tuberculosis and resolve other health problems. Accompanying strategic priorities are: integrating health communication interventions; and building human resource capacity in community health promotion with a firm commitment to involving all the main actors and partners to create greater social ownership and sustainability

ICDS and nutrition in the eleventh five year plan (2007-2012)

MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
2007

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This report gives the background to the Integrated child development services (ICDS) initiative, which takes a holistic approach to child nutrition, health and development and sees the first three years of life as crucial, before going on to explain the expansion in this 11th five-year plan in order to accelerate implementation for achieving the core objectives of the programme, especially to reduce the child malnutrition and help reduction in mortality rates. The plan seeks to address the challenges of issues such as the prevention and management of malnutrition, poor maternal and adolescent nutrition, gender discrimination, lack of nutrition and health education, and inadequate community participation in the programme

Evidence on the long-term effects of breastfeeding : systematic reviews and meta-analyses

HORTA, Bernardo L
BAHL, Rajiv
MARTINES, Jose
VICTORA, Cesar G
2007

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"The primary objective of this series of systematic reviews was to assess the effects of breastfeeding on blood pressure, diabetes and related indicators, serum cholesterol, overweight and obesity, and intellectual performance...
Reviewers' conclusions: The available evidence suggests that breastfeeding may have long-term benefits. Subjects who were breastfed experienced lower mean blood pressure and total cholesterol, as well as higher performance in intelligence tests. Furthermore, the prevalence of overweight/obesity and type-2 diabetes was lower among breastfed subjects. All effects were statistically significant, but for some outcomes their magnitude was relatively modest."

State of the world's mothers 2007 : saving the lives of children under 5

SAVE THE CHILDREN
2007

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This year’s State of the World’s Mothers report shows which countries are succeeding, and which are failing, to save the lives of mothers and children. It examines how investments in health care and nutrition can make a difference for children, mothers, communities and society as a whole. It also points to proven, low-cost solutions that could save the majority of these young lives

Integrated management of pregnancy and childbirth : WHO recommended interventions for improving maternal and newborn health

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO), DEPARTMENT OF MAKING PREGNANCY SAFER
2007

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This paper contains five tables listing recommendations to improve maternal and newborn health and survival, through health services, family and community. Table 1. Care in pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum period for mother and newborn infant; Table 2. Place of care, providers, interventions and commodities; Table 3. Home care, family, community and workplace support for the woman during pregnancy and childbirth and for the newborn infant; Table 4. Care for the woman before and between pregancies; Table 5. Pregnant women not wanting child

Key steps for maternal and newborn health care in humanitarian crisis

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO), DEPARTMENT OF MAKING PREGNANCY SAFER
2007

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This document has been prepared for maternal and newborn health experts as well as reproductive health experts coordinating and assisting with emergency care during the humanitarian crisis. It describes the ways to estimate the number of pregnant women and those who are about to deliver, highlights some important aspects of emergency care related to pregnancy, childbirth and newborn care, and describes the content of UN kits for such care in three different scenarios

Maternal mortality in 2005 : estimates developed by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, and the World Bank

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
et al
2007

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This report attempts to develop an estimate of international maternal mortality. A lack of reliable maternal mortality data has made it difficult to assess the extent of progress towards Millennium Development Goal 5. The report concludes that maternal mortality has decreased at an average of less than 1per cent annually between 1990 and 2005, far below the 5.5 per cent annual decline necessary to achieve the fifth Millennium Development Goal of reducing the maternal mortality ratio by three quarters between 1990 and 2015. Three previous attempts to estimate maternal mortality were made in 1990, 1995 and 2000

HIV and infant feeding : new evidence and programmatic experience

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
et al
2007

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This report aims to clarify and refine existing UN guidance on HIV and infant feeding. It follows a previous technical consultation in 2000 and presents a summary of findings, conclusions and recommendations regarding HIV and Infant Feeding between 2000 and 2006

Obstetric care in poor settings

MILLS, Samuel
et al
2007

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This report explores why maternal mortality continues to be so high in developing countries, and why emergency obstetric services are little utilized, through research carried out in poor areas in Ghana (Kassena-Nankana district), India (Uttar Pradesh state), and Kenya (Nairobi slums)

The guidebook nutritional anaemia

BADHAM, Jane
ZIMMERMANN, Michael B
KRAEMER, Klaus
2007

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This guidebook offers a comprehensive summary of the critical issues from prevalence data and statistics, to economics, through to diagnosis, functional consequences and background information on each of the micronutrients believed to be directly or indirectly involved in anemia

Programming experiences in early childhood development

UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND (UNICEF)
November 2006

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This document presents examples and case studies from 21 countries. They demonstrate the benefit of cross-sectoral programming to support early childhood development, some building on early child care or education programme

Violence and abuse against women with disabilities in Malawi

HOEM KVAM, Marit
HELLUM BRAATHEN, Stine
November 2006

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This is a case study of violence and sexual abuse towards women with disabilities in Malawi. It is based on in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. This work examines the childhood and adult experiences of these women, and asserts that discrimination, stigma and vulnerability is worse for adult women.It claims that improvements to access and education will lead to empowerment, thus improving the overall quality of life that women with disabilities can enjoy. This work would be useful for anyone with an interest in human/ women's rights and disability

Danger signs of neonatal illnesses : perceptions of caregivers and health workers in northern India

AWASTHI, Shally
VERMA, Tuhina
AGARWAL, Monica
October 2006

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This article explores the "household practices that can affect neonatal health, from the perspective of caregivers and health workers; to identify signs in neonates leading either to recognition of illness or health-care seeking; and to ascertain the proportion of caregivers who recognize the individual items of the integrated management of neonatal and childhood illnesses (IMNCI) programme"
Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 84(10)

Pregnancy-related school dropout and prior school performance in South Africa

GRANT, Monica
HALLMAN, Kelly
June 2006

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Although considerable attention has been paid to the prevalence of adolescent childbearing in the less-developed world, few studies have focused on the educational consequences of schoolgirl pregnancy. Using data collected in 2001 in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, this paper examines the factors associated with schoolgirl pregnancy, as well as the likelihood of school dropout and subsequent re-enrollment among pregnant schoolgirls. This analysis triangulates data collected from birth histories, education histories, and data concerning pregnancy to strengthen the identification of young women who became pregnant while enrolled in school and to define discrete periods of school interruption prior to first pregnancy. We find that prior school performance - defined as instances of grade repetition or non-pregnancy-related temporary withdrawals from school - is strongly associated with a young woman's likelihood of becoming pregnant while enrolled in school, dropping out of school if she becomes pregnant, and not returning to school following a pregnancy-related dropout. Young women who are the primary caregivers to their children are also significantly more likely to have left school than are women who shared or relinquished childcare responsibilities. Furthermore, young women who lived with an adult female were significantly more likely to return to school following a pregnancy-related dropout. Given the increasing levels of female school participation in sub-Saharan Africa, our findings suggest that future studies will benefit from exploring the causal relationships between prior school experiences, adolescent reproductive behavior, and subsequent school attendance

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