Evaluation of the Impact of Family Planning Programs on

This article evaluates the fertility impact of family planning program by using prevalence model in Iran. Prevalence model, which introduced by John Bongaarts, estimates potential fertility and the number of births averted by program and non-program sources by using population and acceptor based data. The difference between potential fertility and observed fertility is related to contraception. The greater the differences between potential and observed fertility, the higher the impact of family planning program on fertility. The study uses the Base Line Survey-2001 (BLS-2001) data, collected by Statistical Center of Iran (SCI) and UNFPA-Iran in selected districts of Bushehr (Bushehr and Kangan Districts), Golestan (Gonbadkavoos and Minoodasht Districts), Kurdistan (Marivan and Divandareh Districts), Sistan & Bluchestan (Zahedan and Zabol Districts) and Tehran provinces (Islamshahr District). The results of the study indicate that Marivan and Zahedan districts had the high and low reduction rates in TFR and CBR, respectively. The findings also, show that the high reduction in ASFR belongs to age groups 30-34 in Marivan, 35-39 in Islamshahr, Gonbadkavoos and Bushehr, 40-44 in Zabol, Divandareh and Kangan districts and 45-49 in Zahedan and Minoodasht districts. In terms of each method contributions in reducing fertility, results show that the highest contribution of program contraceptives in preventing births in different districts are female sterilization in Bushehr, Divandareh and Islamshahr, and pill in other districts.Evaluation Research, Natural Fertility, Gross and Net Potential Fertility, Births averted, Prevalence model, Iran

Relationship between Dairy Product Consumption and Oligospermia; a Case-Control Study

Introduction: Infertility affects an estimated 15% of couples globally and in Iran, a quarter of Introduction: One of the current debates regarding men’s reproductive health is the declining sperm count and the role of nutritional and environmental factors. This study aims to investigate the association between dairy product consumption and oligozoospermia, sperm count of 5 to 15 million per milliliter of semen, in adult men.Materials and Methods: This age-matched case-control study was conducted on 102 oligozoospermia and 306 healthy men (control group). Both groups were recruited from an infertility clinic in Tehran, the Royan Institute. Dietary intake of subjects was collected using a valid and reliable 168-item food frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios (OR), ex-tracted from conditional logistic regression, were used to compare the occurrence of oligozoospermia by tertiles of dairy intake. Results: After adjusting for potential confounding variables, the high intake of low-fat dairy products was inversely associated with the risk of oligozoospermia (OR: 0.48; 95%CI: 0.24 – 0.95), (P =0.046). The higher intake of high–fat dairy products [(OR: 2.44; 95%CI: 1.26 – 4.73), (P =0.008)], high–fat milk [(OR: 2.16; 95%CI: 1.09 – 4.30), (P =0.043)], and ice creams [(OR: 2.37; 95%CI: 1.25 – 4.50), (P =0.008)] were also positively associated with oligozo-ospermia.Conclusion: The high intake of low–fat dairy foods seems to have a protective effect on oligozoospermia. Higher intake of high – fat dairy products, high– fat milk, and ice creams were associated with an increased risk of oligozo-ospermia.

The Household Water Insecurity Experiences (HWISE) Scale: comparison scores from 27 sites in 22 countries

Abstract Household survey data from 27 sites in 22 countries were collected in 2017–2018 in order to construct and validate a cross-cultural household-level water insecurity scale. The resultant Household Water Insecurity Experiences (HWISE) scale presents a useful tool for monitoring and evaluating water interventions as a complement to traditional metrics used by the development community. It can also help track progress toward achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6 ‘clean water and sanitation for all’. We present HWISE scale scores from 27 sites as comparative data for future studies using the HWISE scale in low- and middle-income contexts. Site-level mean scores for HWISE-12 (scored 0–36) ranged from 1.64 (SD 4.22) in Pune, India, to 20.90 (7.50) in Cartagena, Colombia, while site-level mean scores for HWISE-4 (scored 0–12) ranged from 0.51 (1.50) in Pune, India, to 8.21 (2.55) in Punjab, Pakistan. Scores tended to be higher in the dry season as expected. Data from this first implementation of the HWISE scale demonstrate the diversity of water insecurity within and across communities and can help to situate findings from future applications of this tool

The Household Water Insecurity Experiences (HWISE) Scale: Comparison scores from 27 sites in 22 countries

Household survey data from 27 sites in 22 countries were collected in 2017–2018 in order to construct and validate a cross-cultural household-level water insecurity scale. The resultant Household Water Insecurity Experiences (HWISE) scale presents a useful tool for monitoring and evaluating water interventions as a complement to traditional metrics used by the development community. It can also help track progress toward achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6 ‘clean water and sanitation for all’. We present HWISE scale scores from 27 sites as comparative data for future studies using the HWISE scale in low-and middle-income contexts. Site-level mean scores for HWISE-12 (scored 0–36) ranged from 1.64 (SD 4.22) in Pune, India, to 20.90 (7.50) in Cartagena, Colombia, while site-level mean scores for HWISE-4 (scored 0–12) ranged from 0.51 (1.50) in Pune, India, to 8.21 (2.55) in Punjab, Pakistan. Scores tended to be higher in the dry season as expected. Data from this first implementation of the HWISE scale demonstrate the diversity of water insecurity within and across communities and can help to situate findings from future applications of this tool

Multivariate life table methodology for estimating the effect of child mortality on the total fertility rate and its components

For more about the East-West Center, see http://www.eastwestcenter.org/This paper develops, validates, and applies new multivariate methodology to assess the effect of child mortality on both period and cohort measures of fertility. The methodology, which can be applied to period data as well as cohort data, is based on discrete-time survival models of parity progression that enable construction of a multivariate life table of fertility covering all parity transitions. The five dimensions of this life table are woman's age, parity, duration in parity, and two dimensions representing lagged child mortality (number of dead children at the beginning and end of the previous year when the woman was one year younger). Additional socioeconomic predictor variables are also included in the underlying survival models. The life table is multivariate in the sense that it can be specified for values or categories of one socioeconomic predictor variable while holding other socioeconomic predictors constant. The life table yields a number of measures of both the quantum and the tempo of fertility and child mortality. It also yields a replacement rate, which measures the extent to which child deaths are replaced by additional births. Because the life table is multivariate, all measures calculated from it are also multivariate. By way of illustration, the methodology is applied to three Indian National Family Health Surveys conducted in 1992-93 (NFHS-1), 1998-99 (NFHS-2), and 2005-06 (NFHS-3). Major findings are that dead children are incompletely replaced, and that the replacement rate rises as the total fertility rate falls over the three surveys, reflecting women's increasing ability to achieve their wanted number of surviving children

Multivariate analysis of parity progression-based measures of the total fertility rate and its components using individual-level data

For more about the East-West Center, see http://www.eastwestcenter.org/Revised version of a paper with the same title, presented at the annual meeting of the Population association of America, Los Angeles, March 29-April 1, 2006.This paper develops multivariate methods for analyzing (1) effects of socioeconomic variables on the total fertility rate and its components and (2) effects of socioeconomic variables on the trend in the total fertility rate and its components. For the multivariate methods to be applicable, the total fertility rate must be calculated from parity progression ratios (PPRs), pertaining in this paper to transitions from birth to first marriage, first marriage to first birth, first birth to second birth, and so on. The components of the TFR include PPRs, the total marital fertility rate (TMFR), and the TFR itself as measures of the quantum of fertility, and mean and median ages at first marriage and mean and median closed birth intervals by birth order as measures of the tempo or timing of fertility. The multivariate methods are applicable to both period measures and cohort measures of these quantities. The methods are illustrated by application to data from the 1993, 1998, and 2003 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in the Philippines

Adapting the Community Readiness Model and Validating a Community Readiness Tool for Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs in Iran

Objectives It is critical to assess community readiness (CR) when implementing childhood obesity prevention programs to ensure their eventual success and sustainability. Multiple tools have been developed based on various conceptions of readiness. One of the most widely used and flexible tools is based on the community readiness model (CRM). This study aimed to adapt the CRM and assess the validity of a community readiness tool (CRT) for childhood obesity prevention programs in Iran. Methods A Delphi study that included 26 individuals with expertise in 8 different subject areas was conducted to adapt the CRM into a theoretical framework for developing a CRT. After linguistic validation was conducted for a 35-question CR interview guide, the modified interview guide was evaluated for its content and face validity. The quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed using Stata version 13 and MAXQDA 2010, respectively. Results The Delphi panelists confirmed the necessity/appropriateness and adequacy of all 6 CRM dimensions. The Persian version of the interview guide was then modified based on the qualitative results of the Delphi study, and 2 more questions were added to the community climate dimension of the original CRT. All questions in the modified version had acceptable content and face validity. The final CR interview guide included 37 questions across 6 CRM dimensions. Conclusions By adapting the CRM and confirming linguistic, content, and face validity, the present study devised a CRT for childhood obesity prevention programs that can be used in relevant studies in Iran

Further development of methodology for multivariate analysis of the total fertility rate and its components based on birth-history data

For more about the East-West Center, see http://www.eastwestcenter.org/"Revised May 2011"A discrete-time survival model (the complementary log-log model) is used to model parity progression from woman's own birth to first marriage, from first marriage to first birth, from first birth to second birth, and so on, with one model for each parity transition. Predictor variables in each model include woman's age and duration in parity as well as socioeconomic characteristics. The models are applied to birth history data. Collectively the models yield estimates of marriage and birth probabilities by age, parity, and duration in parity, denoted Pait, by socioeconomic characteristics. The probabilities Pait are multivariate in the sense that they can be tabulated by one socioeconomic characteristic while holding other socioeconomic characteristics constant. The probabilities Pait allow construction of a life table that follows women by age, parity, and duration in parity from age 10 to age 50 one year at a time. This life table is referred to as a "global life table," because it spans all ages, parities, and durations in parity within the reproductive age span. Because the Pait are multivariate, the global life table is also multivariate, as are all measures derived from it. The derived measures considered here include both period and cohort estimates of parity progression ratios (PPRs), age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs), mean and median ages at first marriage, mean and median closed birth intervals, mean and median ages at childbearing (both overall and by child's birth order), total fertility rate (TFR), and total marital fertility rate (TMFR). The methodology is tested on data from the 2003 Demographic and Health Survey of the Philippines