Tribute to Professor Elizabeth Annan-Yao

Former Executive Director of the Union for African Population Studies Prof. Elizabeth Annan-Yao became a member of the Union for African Population Studies (UAPS) in 1990. She was elected to serve in the UAPS’ Governing Council from 1996 to 1999. She became the Union’s Executive Director in 2004 until 2008, when she left to become the Executive Director of the “Institut de Formation et de Recherche Démographique” (IFORD) in Cameroon

Engaging media in communicating research on sexual and reproductive health and rights in sub-Saharan Africa: experiences and lessons learned

Background: The mass media have excellent potential to promote good sexual and reproductive health outcomes, but around the world, media often fail to prioritize sexual and reproductive health and rights issues or report them in an accurate manner. In sub-Saharan Africa media coverage of reproductive health issues is poor due to the weak capacity and motivation for reporting these issues by media practitioners. This paper describes the experiences of the African Population and Health Research Center and its partners in cultivating the interest and building the capacity of the media in evidence-based reporting of reproductive health issues in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: The paper utilizes a case study approach based primarily on the personal experiences and reflections of the authors (who played a central role in developing and implementing the Center’s communication and policy engagement strategies), a survey that the Center carried out with science journalists in Kenya, and literature review. Results: The African Population and Health Research Center’s media strategy evolved over the years, moving beyond conventional ways of communicating research through the media via news releases and newspaper stories, to varying approaches that sought to inspire and build the capacity of journalists to do evidence-based reporting of reproductive health issues. Specifically, the approach included 1) enhancing journalists’ interest in and motivation for reporting on reproductive health issues through training and competitive grants for outstanding reporting ; 2) building the capacity of journalists to report reproductive health research and the capacity of reproductive health researchers to communicate their research to media through training for both parties and providing technical assistance to journalists in obtaining and interpreting evidence; and 3) establishing and maintaining trust and mutual relationships between journalists and researchers through regular informal meetings between journalists and researchers, organizing field visits for journalists, and building formal partnerships with professional media associations and individual journalists. Conclusion: Our experiences and reflections, and the experiences of others reviewed in this paper, indicate that a sustained mix of strategies that motivate, strengthen capacity of, and build relationships between journalists and researchers can be effective in enhancing quality and quantity of media coverage of research

Fatal Injuries in the Slums of Nairobi and their Risk Factors: Results from a Matched Case-Control Study

Injuries contribute significantly to the rising morbidity and mortality attributable to non-communicable diseases in the developing world. Unfortunately, active injury surveillance is lacking in many developing countries, including Kenya. This study aims to describe and identify causes of and risk factors for fatal injuries in two slums in Nairobi city using a demographic surveillance system framework. The causes of death are determined using verbal autopsies. We used a nested case-control study design with all deaths from injuries between 2003 and 2005 as cases. Two controls were randomly selected from the non-injury deaths over the same period and individually matched to each case on age and sex. We used conditional logistic regression modeling to identity individual- and community-level factors associated with fatal injuries. Intentional injuries accounted for about 51% and unintentional injuries accounted for 49% of all injuries. Homicides accounted for 91% of intentional injuries and 47% of all injury-related deaths. Firearms (23%) and road traffic crashes (22%) were the leading single causes of deaths due to injuries. About 15% of injuries were due to substance intoxication, particularly alcohol, which in this community comes from illicit brews and is at times contaminated with methanol. Results suggest that in the pervasively unsafe and insecure environment that characterizes the urban slums, ethnicity, residence, and area level factors contribute significantly to the risk of injury-related mortality

Sociocultural factors affecting reproductive behavior in Malawi

The focus on the role of social and cultural factors on the persistence of high fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa, in relation to other developing regions, conceals the enormous sociocultural heterogeneity that exists between national and sub-national populations within the region. This study examines the influence of sociocultural factors on differences in reproductive behavior among three rural areas with diverse sociocultural characteristics, in Malawi. The results show that the differences in fertility levels among the three areas are primarily a result of variations in the duration of postpartum sexual abstinence and primary sterility, both of which are culturally derived. The future of fertility decline in the areas, and in Malawi as a whole, will depend on people\u27s receptivity to limit their fertility, and the availability of effective means of contraception. This dissertation\u27s focus on traditional methods of family planning has been important in enhancing understanding of the social context in which various reproductive decisions are made and played out. The results show that the high demand for adequate birthspacing is primarily motivated by the need to enhance child survival. While people\u27s concerns and rationalization of the operation, effectiveness and side-effects of traditional methods are also applied to modern methods, the results show that most people prefer modern to traditional methods because of the former\u27s superior effectiveness. The main problem with modern methods relates to their side-effects on the user\u27s health. The results also show that while men have traditionally been content to be left out of the decision-making process with respect to use of traditional methods of birthspacing, they would like to play a leading role with respect to use of modern contraceptives. The relocation of the base for family planning services from the village to the hospital is likely to to increase the role of individual level characteristics and structural differences in influencing use of contraceptives. This is because the influence of the elderly women, who control reproductive behavior in the same way across the three cultural settings, is bound to be substantially reduced. However, the family planning program can exploit the enormous influence that the elderly women have on the reproductive process with regard to traditional methods, by using them to promote acceptance of modern methods

Sociocultural factors affecting reproductive behavior in Malawi

The focus on the role of social and cultural factors on the persistence of high fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa, in relation to other developing regions, conceals the enormous sociocultural heterogeneity that exists between national and sub-national populations within the region. This study examines the influence of sociocultural factors on differences in reproductive behavior among three rural areas with diverse sociocultural characteristics, in Malawi. The results show that the differences in fertility levels among the three areas are primarily a result of variations in the duration of postpartum sexual abstinence and primary sterility, both of which are culturally derived. The future of fertility decline in the areas, and in Malawi as a whole, will depend on people\u27s receptivity to limit their fertility, and the availability of effective means of contraception. This dissertation\u27s focus on traditional methods of family planning has been important in enhancing understanding of the social context in which various reproductive decisions are made and played out. The results show that the high demand for adequate birthspacing is primarily motivated by the need to enhance child survival. While people\u27s concerns and rationalization of the operation, effectiveness and side-effects of traditional methods are also applied to modern methods, the results show that most people prefer modern to traditional methods because of the former\u27s superior effectiveness. The main problem with modern methods relates to their side-effects on the user\u27s health. The results also show that while men have traditionally been content to be left out of the decision-making process with respect to use of traditional methods of birthspacing, they would like to play a leading role with respect to use of modern contraceptives. The relocation of the base for family planning services from the village to the hospital is likely to to increase the role of individual level characteristics and structural differences in influencing use of contraceptives. This is because the influence of the elderly women, who control reproductive behavior in the same way across the three cultural settings, is bound to be substantially reduced. However, the family planning program can exploit the enormous influence that the elderly women have on the reproductive process with regard to traditional methods, by using them to promote acceptance of modern methods

Spousal communication about the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS in rural Malawi

This paper uses qualitative and quantitative data from married men and women in rural Malawi to examine how they comprehend their risk to HIV/AIDS and what preventive strategies they consider within marriage. Program efforts to promote behavior change have consistently focused on promoting chastity before marriage and fidelity while married or using condoms. These behavioral prescriptions are suitable for extramarital contexts but not within marriage, where the condom is far from being accepted as a suitable preventive tool and spouses face the reality that one’s vulnerability to AIDS is not confined to his/her behavior alone. The survey data show, unsurprisingly, that those who have the most reason for concern (e.g. those worried about contracting the disease) and those who have greater program and informal social contacts are most likely to communicate. The semi-structured interviews show that husbands and wives use subtle and gendered strategies to encourage fidelity; they talk to each other about the consequences of HIV/AIDS on their children’s and their own lives as a prelude for highlighting and justifying joint sexual prudence. These results show that rather than giving up to fate, marital partners are actively challenging and persuading each other to reform sexual behavior to avoid the intrusion of HIV/AIDS into the hom

Circular migration patterns and determinants in Nairobi slum settlements

This paper measures migration flows and determinants in two slum settlements in Nairobi City between 2003 and 2007. The results confirm the high intensity of migration with a quarter of the total slum population and a third of those aged 15-30 being renewed annually. A circular migration system is at play whereby the majority of slum dwellers are short-term migrants spending on average less than 3 years in the area. Migration is more intense during early adulthood (20-24), and despite very similar determinants across gender, mobility is more intense among women compared to men. The increasing feminization of migration is likely to change the face of slum settlements, resulting in more balanced sex ratios, in line with city-wide trends in Nairobi over the past half century. The high population turnover is due to the insecurity of livelihoods, tenure, and poor basic amenities and social services in slum settlements