Population Council Research that makes a difference

HIV and AIDS

The Population Council is developing a microbicide to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. This study provides the first efficacy data on the delivery of a microbicide from a vaginal ring, and indicates strong potential for the success of such rings in women:

An intravaginal ring that releases the NNRTI MIV-150 reduces SHIV transmission in macaques
Science Translational Medicine 4(150)
Publication date: 2012

The Population Council is committed to reducing HIV infection and transmission among the most at-risk populations. These articles highlight our pioneering work generating evidence about these hard-to-reach groups:

• A decade of research involving men who have sex with men in sub-Saharan Africa: Current knowledge and future directions (offsite link)
  Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS 9(3): 137–147
  Publication date: 2012
• HIV risk behaviors among female sex workers using cell phone for client solicitation in India (offsite link)
  Journal of AIDS & Clinical Research S1: 014
  Publication date: 2012
• A profile on HIV prevalence and risk behaviors among injecting drug users in Nigeria: Should we be alarmed?
  Drug and Alcohol Dependence 127(1-3): 65–71
  Publication date: 2013
• Sexual risk behaviors and HIV among female sex workers in Nigeria
  Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes 61(4): 507–514
  Publication date: 2012
  
  

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

GIRLS FIRST! Perspectives on Girl-Centered Programming. Today, there are 600 million adolescent girls in the developing world. With the right help, they can become catalysts for positive change in their own lives as well as in their families, communities, and the world.

This evidence-based series that provides recommendations for how the field can quickly and effectively improve girls' lives—by giving them skills, knowledge, meaningful links to others, and a say in their own lives.

Reproductive Health

Family Planning Programs for the 21st Century: Rationale and Design provides a roadmap to help policymakers and donors in priority countries implement high-quality family planning programs. The book explains the rationale for increased funding and support for voluntary family planning, and outlines how reinvigorated programs should be structured to operate most effectively.

The Population Council is evaluating the use of vouchers to provide poor, pregnant women with maternity health care. This article presents results from a study in Kenya that shows women who enrolled in a voucher program were more likely to deliver their babies at health facilities and receive skilled delivery care than women who weren't:

• Community-level impact of the reproductive health vouchers programme on service utilization in Kenya (offsite PDF)
  Health Policy and Planning, published online ahead of print, 3 April
  Publication date: 2012