Guide to setting up national population information centre-systems

The Expert Group Meeting to Develop a Guide for Establishing a National Population Information Clearing-house and Network System met at Bangkok in September 1979 to discuss a guide to facilitate the establishing of national population information clearing-houses and network systems in the region. It was envisaged that the prototype guide would facilitate in harmonizing the efforts of international agencies called upon by government to help insdetting up information systems. The contents of the guide were to be developed under the following chapter headings: 1) introduction; 2) conceptual framework of a clearing-house; 3) setting up a clearing-house, institutional framework; 4) networking in a national population information system; 5) program development; 6) evaluation; 7) technical assistance and funding; and, 8) various approaches to developing a national population information system. Follow-up action called for a wider circulation of the draft guide, pre-testing in selected countries, and stepped-up organization of national population information systems.     

The right to have a second birth given up

The Government of the Wendeng County, Shandong Province has taken measures to carry out the family planning program in a down-to-earth way. For the past few years, there are 2141 couples who have given up, of their own accord, the right to have a 2nd birth, though they are entitled to have. During the practice of family planning, the Wendeng Government started with the publicity of family planning policies. More than 30,000 copies of publicity pamphlets were distributed and about 220 shows of videotapes, films and slides were played in the countryside. The county's Family Planning Committee and the Maternal and Child Health Care Station, together with other departments concerned gave 120 lectures on birth control in the rural areas and sent contraceptives to every village with guidance to households. For the past 3 years, the proportion of women at childbearing age using contraceptives has increased by 62%.     

Fathers' birth experience in relation to midwifery care

The aim was to identify the proportion of fathers having a positive experience of a normal birth and to explore factors related to midwifery care that were associated with a positive experience.

Background

Research has mainly focused on the father's supportive role during childbirth rather than his personal experiences of birth.

Methods

595 new fathers living in a northern part of Sweden, whose partner had a normal birth, were included in the study. Data was collected by questionnaires. Odds Ratios with 95% confidence interval and logistic regression analysis were used.

Results

The majority of fathers (82%) reported a positive birth experience. The strongest factors associated with a positive birth experience were midwife support (OR 4.0; 95 CI 2.0–8.1), the midwife's ongoing presence in the delivery room (OR 2.0; 1.1–3.9), and information about the progress of labour (OR 3.1; 1.6–5.8).

Conclusion

Most fathers had a positive birth experience. Midwifery support, the midwife's presence and sufficient information about the progress of labour are important aspects in a father's positive birth experience. The role of the midwife during birth is important to the father, and his individual needs should be considered in order to enhance a positive birth experience.     

The personality variable openness to experience as it relates to homophobia

The present study investigated personality and demographic variables of homophobic and non-homophobic individuals. Variables explored included the personality characteristics Neuroticism, Extroversion, and Openness to Experience. The following demographic variables were also explored: gender role beliefs, gender, and personal contact. Participants included 123 students from a large Western university, enrolled in introductory courses in psychology or sociology. Participants completed a questionnaire packet containing a demographic inquiry and three psychological measures-the NEO Personality Inventory, the Assessment of Attitudes Towards Lesbians and Gay Men, and the Bem Sex Role Inventory. Results revealed the variable contact as the most critical predictor of homophobia, followed by gender, and the personality variable Openness to Experience. Furthermore, those who had not had previous contact with a homosexual individual and men were significantly more homophobic. No significant differences were found among gender roles in relation to self-reported indices of homophobia. The results provide attitudinal and behavioral differences that differentiate individuals who are intolerant of homosexuality from those that are more accepting of alternative lifestyles.     

Mistakes that heterosexual people make when trying to appear non-prejudiced: the view from LGB people

In two studies, lesbians, gay men and bisexuals were queried concerning mistakes that well-meaning heterosexual people have made when interacting with them. In qualitative, open-ended research, we determined that the most common mistakes concerned heterosexuals' pointing out that they know someone who is gay, emphasizing their lack of prejudice, and relying on stereotypes about gays. Following up with a quantitative, close-ended questionnaire, we determined that the mistakes respondents experienced most often involved heterosexuals (a) relying on stereotypes and (b) ignoring gay issues; the most annoying mistakes were heterosexuals (a) using subtle prejudicial language and (b) not owning up to their discomfort with gay issues. We used two theoretical perspectives, shared reality theory and the contact hypothesis, to analyze the quantitative responses. Implications for intergroup relationships between heterosexual people and gay people are discussed.     

Facing up to uncertain life expectancy: The longevity fan charts

This article uses longevity fan charts to represent the uncertainty in projections of future life expectancy. These fan charts are based on a mortality model calibrated on mortality data for English and Welsh males. The fan charts indicate strong upward sloping trends in future life expectancy. Their widths indicate the extent of uncertainty in these projections, and this uncertainty increases as the forecast horizon lengthens. Allowing for uncertainty in the parameter values of the model adds further to uncertainty in life expectancy projections. The article also illustrates how longevity fan charts can be used to stress-test longevity outcomes.     

How to make victory rolls: gender,memory, and the counterarchive in YouTube pinup hair tutorials

The article situates the online culture of YouTube pinup girl hair tutorials within popular and scholarly discourses on post-feminism and the gender politics of the archive. It explores the videos’ genre conventions with particular attention to how their formal aspects engage a post-feminist reimagining of the postwar pinup. The videos invoke an internal tension typifying pinup art between the artifice and self-awareness of the pinup’s aesthetic, and the impression that the poser is caught unaware or in a “natural” state. The article argues that the contradiction between constructed and “natural” beauty, and the videos’ affinity for including hair mistakes or beauty mishaps intuit an absent archive: documenting the manual labor and struggles demanded of these looks that both popular representation and memory of that time period elide. The article connects these absent archives of forgotten beauty skills to broader debates in feminism and popular memory about digital-era desires and fears around recuperating counterhistories and counterarchives.     

Women's perceptions of their healthcare experience when they choose not to breastfeed

Research questionHow do women who choose not to breastfeed perceive their healthcare experience?MethodThis qualitative research study used a phenomenographic approach to explore the healthcare experience of women who do not breastfeed. Seven women were interviewed about their healthcare experience relating to their choice of feeding, approximately 4 weeks after giving birth. Six conceptions were identified and an outcome space was developed to demonstrate the relationships and meaning of the conceptions in a visual format.FindingsThere were five unmet needs identified by the participants during this study. These needs included equity, self sufficiency, support, education and the need not to feel pressured.ConclusionWomen in this study who chose not to breastfeed identified important areas where they felt that their needs were not met. In keeping with the Code of Ethics for Nurses and Midwives, the identified needs of women who do not breastfeed must be addressed in a caring, compassionate and just manner. The care and education of women who formula feed should be of the highest standard possible, even if the choice not to breastfeed is not the preferred choice of healthcare professionals.     

进一步加快我国人口城市化步伐是缩小收入差距的重要内容

改革开放以来 ,中国居民的收入水平在大幅度提高的同时 ,居民收入的差距在不断扩大 ,究其原因 ,城乡差距是造成这种差距的重要方面。因此 ,努力推进我国人口城市化步伐 ,是使居民收入差距缩小的重要措施。     

Assisting women to make informed choices about screening for Group B Streptococcus in pregnancy: A critical review of the evidence

The approach to the prevention of early onset GBS disease in the newborn varies considerably from country to country. The Centre for Disease Control in the United States advocates universal culture based screening with the administration of intra-partum antibiotics, usually benzylpenicillin or ampicillin, to women who are colonised with GBS. National groups in the UK and New Zealand advocate a risk-based approach where intra-partum antibiotics are given to women with identified risk factors. The Canadian Taskforce on preventive health care has identified a third approach; where intra-partum antibiotics are given to women with a positive GBS culture and an identified risk factor. There are no national guidelines or consensus in Australia.The aim of this paper is to explore the evidence for screening and intrapartum prophylaxis for GBS. The three main methods of detection and management of GBS in pregnancy are described and the implications for women and midwifery practice are addressed. It is hoped that this discussion will provide women, midwives and other clinicians with a summary of the evidence, risks and benefits to enable informed decision making.     

Does midwifery continuity of care make a difference to women with perinatal mental health conditions: A cohort study,from Australia

BackgroundPerinatal mental health (PMH) conditions are associated with an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes including preterm birth. Midwifery caseload group practice (continuity of care, MCP) improves perinatal outcomes including a 24 % reduction of preterm birth. The evidence is unclear whether MCP has the same effect for women with perinatal mental health conditions.AimTo compare perinatal outcomes in women with a mental health history between MCP and standard models of maternity care. The primary outcome measured the rates of preterm birth.MethodsA retrospective cohort study using routinely collected data of women with PMH conditions between 1st January 2018 – 31st January 2021 was conducted. We compared characteristics and outcomes between groups. Multivariate logistic regression models were performed adjusting for a-priori selected variables and factors that differ between models of care.ResultsThe cohort included 3028 women with PMH, 352 (11.6 %) received MCP. The most common diagnosis was anxiety and depression (n = 723, 23.9 %). Women receiving MCP were younger (mean 30.9 vs 31.3, p = 0.03), Caucasian (37.8 vs 27.1, p < 0.001), socio-economically advantaged (31.0 % vs 20.2, p < 0.001); less likely to smoke (5.1 vs 11.9, p < 0.001) and with lower BMI (mean 24.3 vs 26.5, p < 0.001) than those in the standard care group. Women in MCP had lower odds of preterm birth (adjOR 0.46, 95 % CI 0.24–0.86), higher odds of vaginal birth (adjOR 2.55, 95 % CI 1.93–3.36), breastfeeding at discharge (adj OR 3.06, 95 % CI 2.10–4.55) with no difference in severe adverse neonatal outcome (adj OR 0.79, 95 % CI 0.57–1.09).ConclusionsThis evidence supports MCP for women with PMH. Future RCTs on model of care for this group of women is needed to establish causation.     

Musical chairs: The occupational experience of migrants to Alberta, 1976–80

This research questions whether the economic benefits gained by Canada's interprovincial migrants justify the associated costs, even during an economic boom. A re-analysis of data collected by Statistics Canada as part of the December 1980 Labour Force Survey examines the experiences of recent migrants to Alberta and gives rise to a mixed assessment. On the one hand, migrants who came to Alberta and stayed did enjoy a solid reduction in their pre-migration unemployment, despite higher labour market participation. On the other hand, migrants who came and stayed changed their industry and occupation in large numbers, but most of this was just ‘musical chairs’: exchange mobility, rather than structural mobility. Women were more likely than men to experience structural mobility but they were primarily downgrading rather than upgrading their status. Neither for women nor for men do we find much evidence of upward mobility across the manual-non-manual line. Thus for the most part migrants are entering jobs that may require the learning of new skills but, since they exist within the same status level of pre-migration jobs, deliver no more apparent rewards than the jobs they left. The costs of migration and readjustment are not, according to these data fully justified by the available rewards. The paper ends by recognizing that additional information is needed on the characteristics of pre- and post-migration jobs, before we can judge conclusively that the migration costs outweighed the benefits.     

Moving from a decennial census to a continuous measurement survey: factors affecting nonresponse at the neighborhood level

The Census Bureau is testing a continuous measurement program, known as the American Community Survey (ACS), which will provide census “long form” data annually, though with slightly higher levels of sampling variability. This paper focuses on the 1999–2001 ACS in the Bronx, 1 of 31 ACS test sites. It examines whether the quality of ACS data in the Bronx varies across neighborhoods, focusing specifically on how neighborhood sociodemographic factors influence nonresponse, as measured by mail return and allocation rates. It also examines whether these neighborhood factors have a differential impact on nonresponse in the ACS and the 2000 decennial census, and discusses reasons why this may be so.The ACS mail return rates are not only lower than those of the census, but are highly sensitive to race and socioeconomic distress. Despite this initial disadvantage, the ACS has lower levels of allocation on key variables, relative to the 2000 Census. Moreover, the effect of neighborhood socioeconomic distress on allocation rates in the ACS was minimal, compared to its effect on census allocation. We find that the overall quality of ACS data in the Bronx is superior to that of the decennial census. Our analysis of Bronx data suggests that the proposed elimination of the decennial long form and its replacement with the ACS is a reasonable tradeoff for users of small area data.     

Slivers of the journey: the use of photovoice and storytelling to examine female to male transsexuals' experience of health care access

The purpose of this research project was to examine female to male transsexuals' (FTMs) experiences of accessing health care. This was accomplished by documenting and recording the experiences of five FTMs through the use of photography and interviews. It was hoped that such an inquiry would provide a starting point for future research about the health care needs of the transgender community, and document some of the health care needs of the FTM community that would lead to recommendations for policy changes and educating providers.     

Red flags for episiotomy in a midwife-led birth: Using co-production with midwives to capture clinical experience

BackgroundOne of four key points in the Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury Care Bundle, first piloted in the UK in 2016, was the directive to perform episiotomy when clinically indicated. Midwives are the primary health care professional for straightforward births in the UK and there is very little published literature that relates to their practice in this area.AimThe aim of the study was to explore experienced midwives’ decision-making processes in their assessments for episiotomy during birth.Methods43 midwives self-identifying as confident in performing episiotomy were sampled across 8 NHS Trusts in England and Wales. Data collection was via online focus groups and 1:1 interviews. Primary thematic analysis was undertaken by the research team. Preliminary themes were used to structure a co-production analysis workshop where eight experienced midwives undertook a secondary analysis of the data resulting in four overall themes.FindingsFour themes were identified, ‘Optimising Perineal Function’, ‘Red Flags to Stimulate Decision-Making’, ‘The Midwives’ Episiotomy’ and ‘Infiltration as a Catalyst for Birth’.DiscussionMidwives use a number of visual, auditory and touch cues to inform their assessments for episiotomy during birth.ConclusionThis study provides valuable insight into the cues that guide experienced midwives’ decision-making in relation to episiotomy and contributes evidence related to performing episiotomy when clinically indicated in spontaneous vaginal birth.     

Designing an HIV counseling and testing program for bathhouses: the Seattle experience with strategies to improve acceptability

Bathhouses are important venues for providing HIV counseling and testing to high-risk men who have sex with men (MSM), yet relatively few bathhouses routinely provide this service, and few data are available to guide program design. We examine numerous logistic considerations that had been identified in the HIV Alternative Testing Strategies study and that influenced the initiation, effectiveness, and maintenance of HIV testing programs in bathhouses for MSM. Key programmatic considerations in the design of a bathhouse HIV counseling and testing program included building alliances with community agencies, hiring and training staff, developing techniques for offering testing, and providing options for counseling, testing, and disclosure of results. The design included ways to provide client support and follow-up for partner notification and treatment counseling and to maintain relationships with bathhouse management for support of prevention activities. Early detection of HIV infection and HIV prevention can be achieved for some high-risk MSM through an accessible and acceptable HIV counseling and testing program in bathhouses. Keys to success include establishing community prevention collaborations between bathhouse personnel and testing agencies, ensuring that testing staff are supported in their work, and offering anonymous rapid HIV testing. Use of FDA approved, new rapid tests that do not require venipuncture, centrifugation, or laboratory oversight will further decrease barriers to testing and facilitate implementation of bathhouse testing programs in other communities.     

Child care workers' wages: New evidence on returns to education, experience, job tenure and auspice

Child care workers receive low hourly pay, modest returns to education, experience and job tenure, and have high rates of turnover. These stylized facts have caused analysts to characterize child care workers as secondary labour market participants. We use Canadian data to challenge this characterization and to examine the disputed effects of auspice (non-profit vs. for-profit status) on wages. In contrast to Mocan and Viola (1997), improved controls for the differential availability of resources and firm size do not make the positive wage effects experienced by workers in non-profit day care centres disappear. Received: 7 February 2000/Accepted: 1 August 2001