The Workshop Report for the April 2008 International Workshop on the Integration of Community-Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) provides an overview of the overarching issues, obstacles and successes encountered in the integration of CMAM into national health systems. These range from the importance of Ministry of Health leadership, the need to strengthen capacities at most levels of a health system, and provide simple protocols to facilitate implementation, to the critical need for more...

A healthy and nutritionally well-fed population is indispensable for economic growth and development. Health and nutritional status affect the capacity to learn, which in turn determines productivity and economic growth. Given the importance of health and nutrition for development, this collection of policy briefs presents expert perspectives on some of the most significant emerging (HIV/AIDS, obesity, chronic diseases, aging, and neglected micronutrients) and reemerging (malaria and tuberculosi more...

'Money matters and policies count. At the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, the international community endorsed an approach to improving reproductive health based on meeting individual needs and respecting human rights. The 179 nations present agreed on a plan for achieving universal access to basic reproductive health care by 2015-and on the financial resources needed to make it a reality. They pledged to share the costs, estimated at US$18.5 billion annua more...

‘Sexual and reproductive health (SRH)/family planning clinics often provide the most convenient opportunity for the reproductive health screening of well women. Where available, well-woman screening should be offered to all clients of SRH/family planning clinics, especially to those women with a risk factor. However, the provision of SRH/family planning services should not be conditional on women accepting any kind of well-women screening services.’

‘The general aim of this report is to understand their circumstances, perceptions and attitudes concerning certain aspects of their lives, especially their sexual and reproductive health. The specific objectives were to • examine the nature and type of information adolescents receive on sexual and reproductive health issues (including puberty, HIV and other STIs, and preventing pregnancy); • assess their health-seeking behavior and the factors that help or hinder seeking sexual and reprodu more...

‘Addressing the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa is vital, given the devastating impact of AIDS, the high rates of unintended pregnancy and the risk that those pregnancies may lead to unsafe abortions. Protecting the health of adolescents is clearly important for the adolescents themselves. Increased investment in adolescent sexual and reproductive health can contribute to wider development goals, because it enables adolescents to become healthy, produc more...

‘This paper focus on the key to Uganda’s continued success in reducing HIV/AIDS, as well as unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion, is a commitment to focusing on young people, who dominate the country’s population. This, however, is no simple task. Those committed to protecting the next generation of Ugandans must recognize the diversity and varying needs of adolescents. For all adolescents, one thing is certain: Any program or policy aimed at protecting the sexual and reproductive health more...

Family Health International (FHI) is pleased to announce the release of a new family planning checklist for screening clients who want to initiate the use of contraceptive implants.

Contraceptive implants are matchstick-sized rods that contain progestin. Implanted beneath the skin of a woman’s upper arm, the progestin is slowly released over 3 to 5 years. Contraceptive implants, such as Norplant, Jadelle, Sinoplant, and Implanon, are safe and effective for use by most women. For some women, more...

'In the 10 years since the last global review of abortion policies, 16 countries have increased the number of grounds on which abortions may be legally performed, while two have eliminated all such grounds, according to a study released today. An additional 10 countries maintained their existing grounds for abortion, but adopted changes to increase access to abortion, including decentralizing the approval of facilities where abortions may be obtained, expanding the types of providers who may per more...

These guidelines draw on the experience gained with the indicators over the past few years, and aim to provide a structured description of generation and interpretation for each of the shortlisted indicators at national level.This document is intended for national public health administrators and health programme managers. It briefly reviews theoretical and practical considerations of indicators, followed by a discussion of the definition, data sources, collection methods, periodicity of collect more...