Thanks to our Early View feature, many of you have already seen the first article in our June issue, "Minimum Marriage Age Laws and the Prevalence of Child Marriage and Adolescent Birth: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa," (click here for news release), by Belinda Maswikwa et al.
HERE'S WHAT ELSE YOU CAN FIND IN THIS ISSUE OF INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES:
In Kenya, Women Treated Well by Their Family Planning Provider Are More Likely to Use Modern Methods
According to "Quality of Care and Contraceptive Use in Urban Kenya," by Katherine Tumlinson, formerly of the Carolina Population Center, et al., providers’ interactions with family planning clients may play an important role in whether those clients adopt or continue contraceptive use. Of the numerous measures of service quality that the researchers examined, only four were associated with a woman’s adoption of a modern method of contraception: having a provider who asked about her preferred method, helped her choose a method, explained the side effects of that method or treated her "very well." These results, the researchers argue, suggest that improvements in contraceptive services—particularly in assistance with method selection and treatment of clients—have the potential to increase modern method use in Kenya.
In Bangladesh, Unwanted Children Are More Likely to Suffer from Malnutrition
According to "Is Unwanted Birth Associated with Child Malnutrition in Bangladesh?" by Md. Mosfequr Rahman, of the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh, young children whose conception was unwanted are more likely than those whose conception was planned to show signs of malnutrition. Using data from the country’s 2011 Demographic and Health Survey, Rahman found that 40% of unwanted children younger than five were stunted (substantially shorter than expected for their age); 35% were underweight (substantially below the expected weight for their age), and 14% were wasted (substantially underweight for their height). When compared in multivariate analyses with children whose conception had been planned, children unwanted at the time of conception were significantly more likely to be stunted (odds ratio, 1.4), wasted (1.4) or underweight (1.3). According to the author, these findings may indicate conscious or unconscious neglect of an unwanted child. If the study’s results are supported by future longitudinal studies, Rahman says, prevention of unwanted pregnancies could help to reduce child morbidity and mortality associated with malnutrition.
In the Bahamas, Parents and Peers Affect Adolescents’ Sexual Risk Behavior, and Vice Versa
According to "Dynamic Relationships Between Parental Monitoring, Peer Risk Involvement and Sexual Risk Behavior Among Bahamian Mid-Adolescents," by Bo Wang, of Wayne State University, et al., the level of sexual risk-taking among male and female adolescents rose with the number of peers they perceived as having sex or using alcohol or drugs. However, the more their parents monitored their activities, the less likely the adolescents were to take sexual risks. The study, based on four waves of longitudinal data, also showed that for males only, greater sexual risk behavior predicted lower levels of parental monitoring; for females only, greater sexual risk behavior predicted their perception that a greater number of their peers were having sex or using alcohol or drugs. For the researchers, these findings highlight the important influence of perceived peer risk behavior on adolescents’ sexual risk.
In Malawi, Women’s Fear of Abandonment May Outweigh Desire for Pregnancy Prevention
In "Sexual Pleasure, Partner Dynamics and Contraceptive Use in Malawi," by Neetu A. John, of Johns Hopkins University, et al., focus group discussions with married men and married women indicate that whether they adopt a contraceptive method, which one they choose and whether they continue using it are all affected by how the method is perceived to affect sexual pleasure, especially male pleasure. This influence is strengthened by the societal norm that assigns women the role of providing pleasure in sexual relationships. Because their spouse may abandon them or take another wife if his sexual needs are not met, women in Malawi must weigh the benefits of method use against how it might affect his sexual pleasure and, thus, the dynamics of their relationship. In this context, the authors say, women’s decision making on contraceptive use is a complex calculation that goes beyond such issues as method access, method effectiveness and desire to prevent pregnancy.
Digests
Two-Pronged Intervention Increases Uptake of Circumcision Among Men in Zambia
Removal of User Fees Associated with Increases in Delivery at Facilities
Parental HIV Status Linked to Sexual Debut in Sub-Saharan Africa
Decline in Unmet Need Is Not Main Reason for Rise in Contraceptive Prevalence
Nurses in Mexico Provide Safe, Successful Medication Abortions
In Pakistan, Poor and Rural Women Must Travel Farther to Give Birth in a Facility
Poor User Adherence May Explain Lack of Efficacy in HIV Prophylaxis Trial