Subject(s)
Disease Transmission, Infectious/prevention & control , Epidemics , Immunization Programs/organization & administration , Meningitis, Meningococcal/epidemiology , Meningitis, Meningococcal/prevention & control , Meningococcal Vaccines/immunology , Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup A/immunology , Adolescent , Adult , Africa South of the Sahara/epidemiology , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Meningitis, Meningococcal/microbiology , Meningococcal Vaccines/administration & dosage , Meningococcal Vaccines/isolation & purification , Neisseria meningitidis, Serogroup A/isolation & purification , Young AdultABSTRACT
Evidence-informed public health refers to the process of applying proven interventions within the context of community preferences in order to achieve positive health impacts. A key role for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in evidence-informed public health is to use and expand on research to help shape appropriate interventions for diverse communities. This article suggests that NGOs are particularly well positioned for this role for a number of reasons, including their geographic reach, their engagement with diverse stakeholders, and their extragovernmental position, which enables them to develop and advocate for innovative, scientifically sound solutions to long-standing health challenges. Three case studies are presented that highlight how NGOs can harness these advantages to shape evidence-informed policies and programs to improve women's health: PATH's multicountry HPV Vaccines project, the International Consortium for Emergency Contraception, and a collaborative effort to combat maternal mortality in Mali.
Subject(s)
Evidence-Based Practice , Organizations , Public Health , Community-Institutional Relations , Contraception, Postcoital , Diffusion of Innovation , Health Policy , Humans , Mali , Maternal Mortality , Papillomavirus Vaccines , Program Development , Role , Translational Research, BiomedicalABSTRACT
To investigate knowledge and perceptions of HIV transmission risk and interest in vaginal microbicides in northern Thailand, we conducted 14 focus group discussions and 80 interviews with men and women in Chiang Rai province. Women were recruited from antenatal or postpartum clinics, and men from various work sites. Participants evinced substantial knowledge about HIV, with two exceptions important for prevention campaigns: (a) confusion about the window period between a new infection and positive HIV-test result and (b) overestimation of the safety of extramarital sex with partners who are not sex workers. Most participants reported no personal HIV risk. Participants described Thai women as generally vulnerable to HIV infection because of the unlikelihood of condom use with their husbands and because women cannot control their husbands' extramarital behavior. Women apparently face particular risk after childbearing; peripartum abstinence averages 6-9 months, during which time some Thai men may have alternative sex partners. Women, and to a lesser degree, men were interested in potential microbicides, although they voiced many thoughtful questions about the products and about efficacy trials.