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Vijayan K Pillai, SP 1 sp Julieann Lynn Nagoshi SP 2 sp SP 1 sp School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, USA; SP 2 sp Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center, School of Social Work, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona, USA Correspondence: Vijayan K Pillai, School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, 211 South Cooper Street, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA, Email [email protected] Introduction Contraceptive use was a contentious issue during the course of the 19th century with it being illegal to provide contraception information in the US well into the 20th century.[1],[2] In a rapid about-face, the period that followed was marked by the introduction of several birth control methods as well as a feverish stage of contraceptive research and development.[3] The impetus for the innovations in birth control technology was provided by Margaret Sanger, whose activism paved the way for the landmark 1965 Supreme Court case Griswold v. Connecticut which overturned the ban on contraceptives for married couples.[4] In the 1900s, the family planning movement took hold in the US, during a period of intense concern over the socio-economic consequences of overpopulation, poverty, and insecurity, as foretold by Malthus more than two centuries ago.[4] As early as the second decade of the twentieth century, organizations, such as the International Labor Organizations had declared "Poverty anywhere is poverty everywhere".[5] Partly as a measured defense against security concerns, Dr Reimert Ravenholt, the first director of the Office of Population at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and Global family planning assistance program spearheaded a massive international family planning program primarily to contain poverty.[6] He oversaw the disbursement of nearly 1.4 billion dollars for family planning programs worldwide during his 14 years at the office, 1965-1979. [Extracted from the article]

Coale (1973) pointed out that a first step in the transition to modern contraceptive use involves making calculated choices with respect to fertility and use of contraception. As women become aware of the fertility choices, they are likely to actively seek information and become engaged in reproductive decision making. Research studies on the role of social network on contraceptive decision making in Zambia are few and far. The objective of this study is to examine women's strategies and approaches to fertility decision making in Zambia. The sample is gathered from two poor income neighborhoods in Kitwe, Zambia. The sample consists of women from 163 households. Latent class analysis provides a useful technique for identifying the presence of distinct strategies with respect to birth control. Though several heterogeneous categories with respect to various reproductive strategies were expected, only two categories were identified. The first category (latent class) is composed of women who engage in spousal communication with respect to fertility, acquire information though seeking and receiving advices from close social relations on reproductive issues, and are aware of the high cost of raising children. Implications of our finding for family planning programs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because subsequent pregnancy in teen parents often worsens the impact of adolescent parenting; therefore, a common goal of teenage parent programs has been to reduce repeat pregnancy. To examine the impact of this goal, a meta-analysis was conducted on 16 control-comparison group studies that evaluated the effect of teenage pregnancy and parenting programs on pregnancy rates. At the first follow-up period at which programs assessed outcome (average 19.13 months), interventions produced a 50% reduction in the odds of pregnancy compared to comparison-control conditions, but by second follow-up (average 31 mos.), the effect had dissipated. Moderator analyses were also performed. Implications are that secondary pregnancy prevention programs are effective in reducing teenage pregnancy—at least at 19 months following the intervention—although there is little to recommend ‘comprehensive’ approaches to programming over others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the effect of family planning programs on reproductive attitudes and contraceptive use behaviors. It aims to investigate the degree to which family planning programs enable Africans to shift to western contraceptive use from traditional and null contraceptive practices It also examines the impact of the programs for both men and women. Data from the 1988 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, the 1988–99 Ghana Living Standards Survey, and the 1988 Ghana Population Census are used. Categorical data analysis techniques are used to analyze these data. This study finds that access to family planning services is associated with reduced family size preferences, increased approval of family planning, and knowledge of, and desire to use, contraception among both men and women in rural Ghana. As Ghana, like many parts of rural Africa, is a highly underdeveloped and pro-natalist area, this article concludes that family planning programs have the ability to influence reproductive attitudes and behavior, even under conditions of limited development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of AIDS continues to be higher in the African continent than elsewhere in the world. In Zambia, given the current pace of infection, projections suggest that approximately two million Zambians are likely to die toward the end of this decade. In this paper, we argue that current AIDS educational programs can be substantially reinforced by incorporating the services of family planning agencies in Zambia. Data used for the study come from the Zambia Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS), 1996. We suggest that the social work profession has crucial responsibility for designing AIDS prevention programs. A number of roles that social workers can play based on the values and philosophy of the profession is outlined. Limitations of the study are also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Evaluates the efficacy of breast feeding programs on the duration of post partum amenorrhea in the United States. Use of event history analysis on the study; Impact of the program on designing an effective family planning program; Promotion of reproductive health.

The study involves 101 developing countries. Using linear structural equation analysis, the study finds that family planning programs reduce population growth. However, population decline does not influence women's reproductive rights. The most important determinant of reproductive rights is gender equality. Socioeconomic development has a positive effect on women's educational attainment, but is negatively related to gender equality. The direct effect of women's education on reproductive rights is negative. Theoretical and policy implications of the findings are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from 101 developing countries, this study tests a theoretical model of women's reproductive rights in developing countries. The effects of modernization processes and family planning programs on women's reproductive rights are examined. It is found that family planning programs have no statistically significant effect on women's reproductive rights, although they contribute to the decline in population growth. The effect of women's education on reproductive rights is found to be negative. Gender equality is the most important factor that affects the achievement of women's reproductive rights in developing nations. Social and economic development does not directly influence women's reproductive rights, but functions through the attainment of women's education and gender equality. Policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the sociodemographic factors which influence familiarity with methods of family planning among 85 males holding low paying jobs in the University of Zambia, Lusaka. The results showed that wife's education had a significant and positive effect on husband's familiarity with family planning methods. In the longer term, female education is likely to emerge as an important factor in the onset of fertility decline in Zambia. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]