http://www.aphrc.org A global center of excellence, consistently delivering sound scientific evidence for policy and action 1000 days and Counting: Act Now, Promote Maternal, Newborn and Child Survival! http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9891 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9891 2013-06-12 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9886 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9886 2013-05-27 I'm a little late to this, but recently Chris Blattman set off an interesting debate by criticizing Bill Gates' recent interest in the quality of GDP statistics in Africa. Chris worries that Gates is falling into the trap of http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9885 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9885 2013-05-21 We introduce the concept of “menstrual poverty” to categorize the multiple deprivations relating to menstruation in resource-poor settings across the Global South, and we examine how this affects the psychological well-being of adolescent girls in an urban informal settlement in Kenya. We use qualitative data collected through 34 in-depth interviews and 18 focus group discussions with girls, women, and key informants. Menstrual poverty involved practical and psychosocial challenges affecting girls at home and at school. Its emotional impacts included anxiety, embarrassment, fear of stigma, and low mood. Further research is needed on how menstrual poverty affects girls’ psychological and educational outcomes. Click here to access the full article. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9882 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9882 2013-05-15 The study purpose was to determine the association between sexual debut and HIV sero-status, and factors contributing to a positive HIV sero-status. Retrospective cross-sectional data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey-2003 were used. Data on women aged 15-49 (n=3,273) and men aged 15-54 (n=2,917) accepting HIV testing were retained from three datasets. Stata version 10.1 was used for analyses, p<0.05. Nine percent of women and 5% of men tested positive for HIV, of whom 46% and 49%, p<0.001 were aged 16-21 respectively. After adjusting for confounding, women and men who had sexual debut aged 16-21 were 2.31 (95% CI: 1.52-3.51), p<0.001 and 1.83 (95% CI: 1.07-3.13), p<0.05 times more likely to test positive for HIV compared to those who never had sex respectively. Early sexual debut continues to be a major risk factor for acquiring HIV infection later in life, suggesting earlier interventions could have a major impact towards fighting the disease. (Afr J Reprod Health 2013; 17[2]: 46-57). To read the article click here. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9880 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9880 2013-05-10 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9879 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9879 2013-05-09 For decades improper human waste disposal, known as ‘flying toilets’, has governed the urban slum; answering a ‘call of nature’ meant using a plastic bag which is then tied up and hurled out, landing wherever it will be it on a walk-way, roof or a passerby’s head. Today, the flying toilet fad is fading. Government ministries, development agencies and members of the civil society have invested considerably in initiatives to improve sanitation in urban slums. One such initiative is the Kenya Slum Upgrading Program (KENSUP), a joint venture between the Ministry of Housing and UN-HABITAT, that has constructed public toilets in various slums in Kenya since 2003. When the project begun UN-HABITAT estimated that 60 to 80 percent of Kenya’s urban population living in slums lacked access to solid waste disposal and sewerage facilities. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9878 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9878 2013-05-02 Since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, the protection of adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health has been a social and policy priority for many governments and nongovernmental organizations in Sub-Saharan Africa. Addressing the sexual and reproductive health challenges faced by adolescents in the region is critical, given the high number of new HIV infections among young people and the large contribution adolescent childbearing makes to the high levels of fertility observed in many Sub-Saharan African countries. In fact, improved sexual and reproductive health among adolescents is likely to raise women’s status and reduce poverty among families http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9877 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9877 2013-04-25 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9876 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9876 2013-04-23 “Who of you went to bed hungry last night?“ http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9873 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9873 2013-04-18 family planning, reproductive health http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9871 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9871 2013-04-05 World Health Day: Preventing High Blood Pressure in Nairobi Slums http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9872 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9872 2013-04-05 Media Hit: APHRC Launches Girl-Child Education Initiative http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9864 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9864 2013-03-14 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9863 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9863 2013-03-12 Bad Air, Ill Health: Air Pollution in Urban Slums http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9862 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9862 2013-03-01 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9861 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9861 2013-02-26 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9859 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9859 2013-02-15 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9856 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9856 2013-02-13 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9857 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9857 2013-02-13 Can family planning interventions change our behavior and “spillover” to people around us? In light of the fact that there are roughly 14 million unintended pregnancies occurring each year in Africa, and in Kenya 44.5 percent of births to women ages 15- 49 are unplanned �'something needs to be done to educate, provide, and encourage the use of voluntary family planning programs , and see how far the knowledge and impact can reach. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9854 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9854 2013-02-12 Importance of Open Access (OA) and Open Data http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9839 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9839 2012-12-14 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9829 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9829 2012-12-03 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9828 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9828 2012-11-30 Voluntary Family Planning and Addressing the Population Growth Factor in Climate Change http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9825 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9825 2012-11-23 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9823 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9823 2012-11-21 Tomorrow is Today Aged 10 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9824 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9824 2012-11-21 Mentorship in The Field of Statistics http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9822 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9822 2012-11-20 On African Statistics Day, What are the Real Obstacles to Statistical Development in Africa? http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9820 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9820 2012-11-19 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9811 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9811 2012-10-31 APHRC Unveils The Jubilee Education Fund: Education for Every Child http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9809 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=9809 2012-10-24