http://www.aphrc.org Promoting the wellbeing of Africans through policy-relevant research on population and health. An African study has found a link between a difficult childhood and alcohol consumption as a teenager. Researchers writing in BioMed Central\'s open access journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health studied the association between adverse childhood experiences and drunkenness among 9,189 adolescents aged 12-19 years living in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, and Uganda. Dr. Caroline Kabiru and a team of researcher from the African Population and Health Research Center , Nairobi, Kenya conducted the study. They noted, \"Overall, 9% of adolescents reported that they had been drunk in the 12 months preceding the survey. In general, respondents who had lived in a food-insecure household, lived with a problem drinker, been physically abused, or been coerced into having sex were more likely to report drunkenness\". http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=601 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=601 2010-07-06 Human rights and reproductive health organisations are urging Parliament to create a law to criminalise forced sex in marriages. They further want MPs to sensitise their constituents on the need to engage in consensual sex. In Marital Rape and Its Impact: A Policy Brief for the Kenyan Members of Parliament, 2010, the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) says forced sex within marriage is rape, a criminal offence which must be punished. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=602 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=602 2010-07-06 Uchanganuzi wa kina wa maendeleo yanayofanywa katika kutimiza lengo la 5 la milenia unaonyesha kushuka kwa idadi ya wanawake wanaofariki kutokana na uja uzito kwa asili mia 35, kote ulimwenguni. Mchunguzi George Mgomella wa APHRC Hata hivyo hapa barani Afrika, haswa Afrika mashariki na kati, idadi hio inaongozeka, kulingana na uchunguzi mpya uliofanywa na Taasisi ya mifumo ya Afya na tathmini katika chuo kikuu cha Washington Marekani. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=600 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=600 2010-06-28 For the first time anywhere in Sub-Sahara Africa, women and girls from especially resource poor backgrounds will their hands on a different kind of sanitary application. A research organisation is currently trying out what is now called a menstrual cup. Made up of silicone, the cup can be used for up to ten years. It is inserted internally, lower than the way a tampon is inserted. Rather than being absorbed menstrual fluid is collected into the cup. This is unlike in the case of a sanitary pad or tampon. A pilot study by the African Population Health and Research Centre (APHRC) is now underway, to ascertain whether or not the menstrual cup can be rolled out in large scale. “Women and girls in Korogocho slums have been identified who will use the cup for up to four months, after which they will be interviewed about their experiences,” explained Rhoune Ochako, a research officer at APHRC. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=597 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=597 2010-06-24 CARTA’s Board of Management (BoM) held its inaugural meeting in Nairobi from June 1 to June 3, 2010. In his welcome address, CARTA’s Director – who is also the Executive Director, APHRC – Dr. Alex Ezeh, said the inaugural meeting marked the full “activation” of the CARTA governance structure of which the BoM is the highest organ. The BoM comprises of representatives from seven partner institutions nominated by members of the Consortium to serve on the Board. The seven institutions on the inaugural board are APHRC (the host institution), the University of the Witwatersrand (the co-host), University of Ibadan, National University of Rwanda, University of Malawi, Ifakara Institute, and University of Warwick. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=594 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=594 2010-06-21 Over 1200 residents of Korogocho informal settlements benefited from a free medical camp organized by APHRC in collaboration with the Nairobi City Council Health Clinics, The Kenya Diabetes Management Information Center, The University of Nairobi Medical Students Associations and others. The burden of disease is alarmingly high in the informal settlements. Many people suffer and die of causes that can be prevented or treated because they are usually not aware of what services are available to them and where to access the services. During the free medical camps held in June and November every year, APHRC collaborates with the Nairobi City Council Health Clinics, The Kenya Diabetes Management Information Center, The University of Nairobi Medical Students Associations and others to bring health services closer to these communities and to create awareness of where the communities can access proper medical care. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=584 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=584 2010-06-13 The burden of disease is alarmingly high in the informal settlements. Many people suffer and die of causes that can be prevented or treated because they are usually not aware of what services are available to them and where to access the services. During the free medical camps held in June and November every year, APHRC collaborates with the Nairobi City Council Health Clinics, The Kenya Diabetes Management Information Center, The University of Nairobi Medical Students Associations and others to bring health services closer to these communities and to create awareness of where the communities can access proper medical care. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=582 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=582 2010-06-11 DECEMBER 4, 2009 was a very happy day for Seth Omondi Amuom, a Team Leader over-seeing data collection work in APHRC’s Korogocho Demographic Surveillance Site (DSS). This is the day he graduated from the University of Nairobi with a Second Class Honors, Upper Division degree in Economics. It was a rare achievement for one, who, 28 years ago was deemed dead, waiting to be buried. Seth was barely one year old and living with his mother and step family in Nyanza Province, Kenya, when he underwent a literal baptism of fire which he miraculously survived. His step grandmother hated his status as an adopted son of the home, and attempted to kill him by throwing him into a fire to pave way for Seth’s mother to get “real” sons for the home. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=580 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=580 2010-06-02 Marital rape is any case where someone uses violence or the threat of violence to force their wife or husband to have sex. In Kenya, rape is a criminal offence punishable with a prison sentence, but there is no legal protection from rape within marriage. This briefing focuses on rape within marriage, which is an aspect of domestic violence that is rarely considered. Both men and women experience sexual violence and coercion within relationships. Although this policy brief examines the rape of women by their male partners, the issues may be relevant for other abusive relationships. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=574 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=574 2010-05-21 The 9th International Conference on Urban Health takes place October 27-29, 2010 in New York, NY. Deadline for abstract submission: 23:59 EDT, May 31, 2010 Organizers of the conference encourage academics, professionals, members of non-profit organizations, policymakers, community members, and individuals from the private sector of diverse backgrounds and disciplines to submit an abstract. This year’s theme, Good Governance for Healthy Cities, was chosen to showcase the importance of governance in creating healthy cities and improving the health of urban populations, as well as the social and public health policies that are required to address these issues. Cities are becoming larger, more diverse and complex and involve multiple sectors that advance their views and contest space. Healthy urban governance involves transparent, inclusive and accountable approaches to address common concerns and pressing problems. The conference will address governance in a number of ways: how governments can develop and implement policy that improves the health of all urban residents and reduces urban inequities; how non-health sectors that determine urban social environments might come together to impact and improve health; and how government http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=544 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=544 2010-05-10 The 8th annual WBCA colloquium on current and emerging population issues will be hosted by APHRC from May 19 - 22, 2010 at the Serena Hotel, Nairobi Kenya. The WBCA is a partnership comprising researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), Brown University (USA), University of Colorado (USA) and APHRC (Kenya) working on collaborative projects in population, health and education. The colloquium, which includes scientific and roundtable sessions, will offer the partner institutions an opportunity to review ongoing research and future plans, as well as enable closer interaction in order to strengthen research collaborations. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=528 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=528 2010-05-07 This year’s World Press Freedom Day, whose theme is Freedom of Information, reminds us of the value of information in our society especially in this age of global communication and rapid urbanization, both of which impact significantly on the health of our people. Freedom of Information is the principle that organizations and governments have a duty to share or provide ready access to information they hold, to anyone who wants it, based on the public’s right to be informed, as the Director General of UNESCO Ms. Irina Bokova has rightly noted. This principle also http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=527 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=527 2010-05-03 Majority of patients with diabetes are often unaware of their condition andare thus diagnosed in later stages when it is too late and life threatening complications such as kidney failure, heart attacks and blindness have set in. This calls for increased efforts to sensitize the public on the need for regular screening. A needs assessment conducted by APHRC in health centers that serve slum settlements also reveals a great need for training medical staff on diabetes screening and patient management. Another study conducted by APHRC shows that diabetes is becoming a majorrisk among the poor with 18% of adults in Nairobi slums being either hypertensive or diabetic. With support from the World Diabetes Foundation, APHRC in collaboration with the Kenya Information Diabetes Management Center (DMI) and the two Ministries of Health in Kenya has embarked on a project to train medical staff from health centers in Nairobi that serve populations from informal settlements. So far, 90 medical staff from 17 health facilities have been trained. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=487 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=487 2010-04-21 The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) marked this year’s World Health Day with a forum on Urban Health Challenges held on April 6. This was in line with this year\'s World Health Day theme of Urbanization and Health. The forum brought together Government officials from Kenya\'s two health ministries, parliament, and public health media practitioners from the mainstream and alternative press. The keynote address was delivered by the WHO Country Director Dr David Okello, who noted that African governments must address urban growth and associated problems if the UN MDGs are to be fulfilled. The National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development (NCAPD) and the US-based Population Reference Bureau (PRB) were partners in organizing the forum. In attendance were also representations from international organizations such as the BBC World Service Trust, journalism training institutes such as the University of Nairobi\'s School of Journalism, and APHRC researchers, who made presentations and led discussions on research-based policies in Kenya. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=485 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=485 2010-04-20 The government has been urged to review policies that hinder access to medical services and care of chronic conditions among poor urban dwellers. According to research done by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), 17% of people living in urban slums suffer from diabetes or hypertension and cannot get screening services or drugs partly due to government policies that restrict delivery of these services to doctors operating from the district hospital level or above. As such, lower health facilities that are within reach of this population are not equipped with the necessary equipments for screening conditions such as diabetes and hypertension and even the medical staff are not trained on how to handle and care for such patients. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=483 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=483 2010-04-01 On Saturday, March 27 2010, The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) will donate medical equipments for screening diabetes and high blood pressure to fifteen health facilities in Nairobi. The handover ceremony will be held at Lunga Lunga Health Center in Viwandani slums from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Research by APHRC shows that the poor living in the urban areas are increasingly becoming affected by cardiovascular diseases, with 17% of the adult population in the slums having either high blood pressure or diabetes. An analysis of public and private health centers that serve this population further indicates that they are least prepared to deal with the situation as these health centers lack basic screening equipments, and majority of the medical staff are not trained on management and care of these conditions. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=472 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=472 2010-03-26 The Fogarty International Centre, USA, is funding postdoctoral fellowships in the Wits Demography and Population Studies Programme through a collaboration with the University of Colorado and the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC), Nairobi. The fellowships foster transition from a PhD to a professional, research or academic position in Africa. Fellowships will be awarded for one year, renewable for a second year subject to performance. Their value is US $30,000 per annum which includes a generous monthly stipend. Additional funds are available for conference travel and research. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=471 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=471 2010-03-19 One hundred girls from Viwandani slums are assured they will not miss school for the next 12 months –at least not for reasons that they lack the means to manage their menstrual flow. This was after Doshi group of companies donated a one-year supply of sanitary pads to girls attending schools in the slum. The schools are under a project on promoting proper hygiene practices in schools within Korogocho and Viwandani slums that is being implemented by The African Population and Health Research Center. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=459 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=459 2010-02-26 The Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) has finalized its logo competition and picked a winner. Maurice Oduor, a designer based in Nairobi, was picked as the winner of the competition that saw 14 designers enter more than 30 entries. Maurice explains the rationale for his winning entry as follows: “’CARTA is getting into Africa that was my feeling when I was designing the logo. Colors represent diversity and issues to be researched on. Fonts depict maturity and the professionalism of the logo. It’s a http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=455 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=455 2010-02-25 The Israeli Ambassador to Kenya H.E Jacob Keidar will be the chief guest at a function to donate a one-year supply of sanitary towels to 100 girls from schools in Korogocho and Viwandani slums tomorrow, Wednesday February 24 2010 at 12:00pm. The function, sponsored by Doshi Group of Companies, will take place at Doshi Enterprises, Athi River Branch, along Mombasa Road just after Kapa Oil Industries. The donations are part of activities under a project on promoting proper hygiene practices in Korogocho and Viwandani schools that is being implemented by Mrs. Osnat Keidar under the auspices of the African Population and HealthResearchCenter. A recent study conducted by APHRC and the Division of Reproductive Health, Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation shows that “because pads are not always available, girls and women in these communities are forced to use cotton wool, cloths (including socks), tissue paper, pages torn from school exercise books, and pieces of sponge torn from mattresses to manage their menstrual flow.” This has far-reaching health implications for the many women and adolescent girls concerned. Some of the girls routinely miss school during their periods. http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=454 http://www.aphrc.org/insidepage?articleid=454 2010-02-24