Female genital mutilation: trends, economic burden of delay and basis for public health interventions.

BACKGROUND: The practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) is a health and social problem. Millions of girls and women have undergone FGM or will soon, and more information is needed to effectively reduce the practice. The aim of this research is to provide an overview of the FGM trendlines, the inequality of its prevalence, and the economic burden. The findings shed light on 30-year trends and the impact of the pandemic on planned efforts to reduce FGM which helps with public health interventions. METHODS: Temporal trend analysis, and graphical analysis were used to assess the change and inequality over the last 30 years. We included 27 countries in which FGM is prevalent. We calculated the extra economic burden of delayed interventions to reduce FGM like COVID-19. RESULTS: For the 27 countries analyzed for temporal trendlines, 13 countries showed no change over time while 14 had decreasing trends. Among the 14, nine countries, Uganda, Togo, Ghana, Benin, Kenya, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Chad, and Ethiopia had high year-decrease (CAGR - 1.01 and - 10.26) while five, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Gambia, Djibouti, and Mali had low year-decrease (CAGR>-1 and < 0). Among these five are the highest FGM prevalence similar distribution regardless the wealth quintiles or residence. There is an economic burden of delay or non-decline of FGM that could be averted. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that some countries show a declining trend over time while others not. It can be observed that there is heterogeneity and homogeneity in the FGM prevalence within and between countries which may indicate inequality that deserves further investigation. There is considerable economic burden due to delays in the implementation of interventions to reduce or eliminate FGM. These insights can help in the preparation of public health interventions.

Trends in child marriage, sexual violence, early sexual intercourse and the challenges for policy interventions to meet the sustainable development goals.

INTRODUCTION: Child marriage remains a prevalent issue in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) despite global declines. Girls are disproportionately affected, facing health risks, limited education, and restricted decision-making power. We aim to provide insights for child marriage prevalence across LMIC from 1990 to 2020, with a focus on sexual violence and early sexual intercourse for public health policy interventions. METHODS: This study used World Bank datasets to assess progress in addressing child marriage in LMIC countries. Statistical analyses, including trend analysis and compound annual growth rate (CAGR), were conducted to evaluate indicators of first marriage, sexual violence, and sexual intercourse. Countries with sufficient data were categorized based on prevalence rates and trends, and detailed analysis focused on significant indicators. RESULTS: While significant reductions were observed in the prevalence of child marriage before the age of 15 and 18 and early sexual intercourse in most countries, few countries show increasing trends, and others could not demonstrate statistical trends due to data limitations, such as scarcity of data for boys. Overall, many countries showed a decline in sexual violence and early sexual intercourse before the age of 15, but some exhibited increasing trends. For instance, Zambia and Senegal showed a decreasing trend of sexual violence, while Nigeria exhibited an increasing trend. Notably, Uganda, Cameroon, and Sierra Leone for women, and Namibia, Zambia, and Kenya for men, experienced substantial decline in early sexual intercourse. CONCLUSION: There is a decline in child marriage, sexual violence, and early sexual intercourse in most countries independent from the income group. Only a few countries show slight increasing trends. The improvements confirm that policies that address education, employment, and deep-rooted gender inequality at the societal level seem to be effective and help reach the SDG. However, better data are needed to enhance the understanding of the development of child marriage in these countries to improve the effectiveness of policy intervention. Therefore, we recommend that policymakers not only include existing evidence that continues progress but also increase and improve the monitoring of relevant indicators.

Child marriage remains a prevalent issue despite global declines, particularly affecting girls who suffer from health risks, lower education, and restricted decision-making power. However, little is known about boys in this context. This study aims to examine We aim to provide insights for child marriage prevalence across LMIC from 1990 to 2020, with a focus on sexual violence and early sexual intercourse for public health policy interventions. To achieve this, we assessed progress in addressing child marriage in LMIC countries using World Bank datasets. Through statistical analyses, including trend analysis and linear regression, we evaluated various indicators. Countries with sufficient data were categorized based on prevalence and trends. The results revealed significant reductions in all indicators, few countries show increasing trends, and others could not demonstrate statistical trends due to data limitations, such as scarcity of data for boys. The Central African Republic experienced an increase in child marriage prevalence. Overall, many countries showed a decline in sexual violence and intercourse before the age of 15, but some exhibited increasing trends. For instance, Zambia and Senegal showed a decreasing trend of sexual violence, while Nigeria exhibits an increasing trend. Notably, Uganda, Cameroon, and Sierra Leone experienced substantial declines in early sexual intercourse for women, and Namibia, Zambia, and Kenya for men. There is a decline in child marriage, sexual violence, and early sexual intercourse in most countries independent of the income group. Only a few countries show slight increasing trends. The improvements confirm that policies that address education, employment, and deep-rooted gender inequality at societal level seem to be effective and help reach the SDG. However, better data are needed to enhance the understanding of the development of child marriage in these countries to improve the effectiveness of policy intervention. Therefore, we recommend that policymakers not only include existing evidence that continues progress but also increase and improve the monitoring of relevant indicators.

Economic evaluations of mammography to screen for breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review.

Background: Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have limited resources compared to high-income countries (HICs). Therefore, it is critical that LMICs implement cost-effective strategies to reduce the burden of breast cancer. This study aimed to answer the question of whether mammography is a cost-effective breast cancer screening method in LMICs. Methods: A systematic article search was conducted through Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Econlit. Studies were included only if they conducted a full economic evaluation and focused on mammography screening in LMICs. Two reviewers screened through the title and abstract of each article and continued with full-text selection. Data were extracted and synthesized narratively. Quality assessment for each included study was conducted using the Consensus Health Economic Criteria (CHEC) extended checklist. Results: This review identified 21 studies economically evaluating mammography as a breast cancer screening method in LMICs. Eighteen of these studies concluded that mammography screening was a cost-effective strategy. Most studies (71%) were conducted in upper-middle-income countries (Upper MICs). The quality of the studies varied from low to good. Important factors determining cost-effectiveness are the target age group (eg, 50-59 years), the screening interval (eg, biennial or triennial), as well as any combination with other breast cancer control strategies (eg, combination with treatment strategy for breast cancer patients). Conclusions: Mammography screening appeared to be a cost-effective strategy in LMICs, particularly in Upper MICs. More studies conducted in lower-middle-income and low-income countries are needed to better understand the cost-effectiveness of mammography screening in these regions.

Using Systems Dynamics for Capturing the Multicausality of Factors Affecting Health System Capacity in Latin America while Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Similar interventions to stop the spread of COVID-19 led to different outcomes in Latin American countries. This study aimed to capture the multicausality of factors affecting HS-capacity that could help plan a more effective response, considering health as well as social aspects. A facilitated GMB was constructed by experts and validated with a survey from a wider population. Statistical analyses estimated the impact of the main factors to the HS-capacity and revealed the differences in its mechanisms. The results show a similar four-factor structure in all countries that includes public administration, preparedness, information, and collective self-efficacy. The factors are correlated and have mediating effects with HS-capacity; this is the base for differences among countries. HS-capacity has a strong relation with public administration in Bolivia, while in Nicaragua and Uruguay it is related through preparedness. Nicaragua lacks information as a mediation effect with HS-capacity whereas Bolivia and Uruguay have, respectively, small and large mediation effects with it. These outcomes increase the understanding of the pandemic based on country-specific context and can aid policymaking in low-and middle-income countries by including these factors in future pandemic response models.

Reconstructing the Effectiveness of Policy Measures to Avoid Next-Wave COVID-19 Infections and Deaths Using a Dynamic Simulation Model: Implications for Health Technology Assessment.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to dynamically model next-wave scenarios to observe the impact of different lockdown measures on the infection rates (IR) and mortality for two different prototype countries, mimicking the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe. METHODS: A dynamic simulation SIRD model was designed to assess the effectiveness of policy measures on four next-wave scenarios, each preceded by two different lockdowns. The four scenarios were (1) no-measures, (2) uniform measures, (3) differential measures based on isolating > 60 years of age group, and (4) differential measures with additional contact reduction measures for the 20-60 years of age group. The dynamic simulation model was prepared for two prototype European countries, Northwestern (NW) and Southern (S) country. Both prototype countries were characterized based on age composition and contact matrix. RESULTS: The results show that the outcomes of the next-wave scenarios depend on number of infections of previous lockdowns. All scenarios reduce the incremental deaths compared with a no-measures scenario. Differential measures show lower number of deaths despite an increase of infections. Additionally, prototype S shows overall more deaths compared with prototype NW due to a higher share of older citizens. CONCLUSION: This study shows that differential measures are a worthwhile option for controlling the COVID-19 epidemic. This may also be the case in situations where relevant parts of the population have taken up vaccination. Additionally, the effectiveness of interventions strongly depends on the number of previously infected individuals. The results of this study may be useful when planning and forecasting the impact of non-pharmacological interventions and vaccination campaigns.

Applying the results based management framework to the CERCA multi-component project in adolescent sexual and reproductive health: a retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH), problems such as unplanned pregnancies are complex and multifactorial, thus requiring multifaceted prevention interventions. Evaluating the impact of such interventions is important to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and accountability for project funders and community members. In this study, we propose Results Based Management (RBM) as a framework for project management, using the Community Embedded Reproductive Health Care for Adolescents (CERCA) as a case study for RBM. The CERCA Project (2010-2014) tested interventions to reduce adolescent pregnancy in three Latin American countries, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua. Activities were designed to increase adolescent SRH behaviors in four domains: communication with parents, partners and peers; access to SRH information; access to SRH services; and use of contraception. When the project ended, the outcome evaluation showed limited impact with concerns about accuracy of monitoring and attrition of participants. METHODS: We reviewed and analyzed a series of CERCA documents and related data sources. Key findings from these documents were organized within an RBM framework (planning, monitoring, and impact evaluation) to understand how CERCA methodology and performance might have reaped improved results. RESULTS: Strengths and weaknesses were identified in all three elements of the RBM framework. In Planning, the proposed Theory of Change (ToC) differed from that which was carried out in the intervention package. Each country implemented a different intervention package without articulated assumptions on how the activities of intervention would bring about change. In Monitoring, the project oversight was mainly based on administrative and financial requirements rather than monitoring fidelity and quality of intervention activities. In Impact Evaluation, the original CERCA evaluation assessed intervention effects among adolescents, without identifying success and failure factors related to the outcomes, the nature of the outcomes, or cost-effectiveness of interventions. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis showed that multi-country projects are complex, entail risks in execution and require robust project management. RBM can be a useful tool to ensure a systematic approach at different phases within a multi-country setting.

Derechos sexuales y reproductivos para la anticoncepción en Bolivia, Colombia y Uruguay en el marco de los derechos humanos

[RESUMEN]. Objetivo. Realizar una comparación entre las Directrices de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) para la anticoncepción en el marco de los derechos humanos (DDHH) con el marco normativo existente en Bolivia, Colombia y Uruguay y evaluar los aspectos que son necesarios desarrollar en la normativa. Métodos. Se realizó un análisis sistemático con base al marco analítico de la OMS ¨Respeto de los DDHH cuando se proporciona información y servicios de anticoncepción: orientación y recomendaciones¨ para determinar si la legislación de Bolivia, Colombia y Uruguay contienen referencias generales a la población, referencias específicas para los adolescentes o no hacen referencia. Para este fin, se analizó un total de 36 documentos relacionados con la anticoncepción: 9 de Bolivia, 15 de Colombia y 12 de Uruguay. Resultados. Se verificó que la legislación de cada país cumple con varias recomendaciones de la OMS. Los tres países tienen fortalezas en la no discriminación y el espacio para las decisiones informadas; sus debilidades están en la accesibilidad, la calidad y la rendición de cuentas. La aceptabilidad es una fortaleza para Colombia y Bolivia; la confidencialidad es para Bolivia y Uruguay. Colombia tiene como debilidad la disponibilidad, la confidencialidad y la participación. Conclusiones. La comparación de la legislación nacional con la guía de la OMS ayuda a ver las fortalezas y las debilidades en el marco normativo nacional y ver oportunidades para mejorar la normativa.

[ABSTRACT]. Objective. Compare World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for contraception in a human rights framework with the existing regulatory frameworks of Bolivia, Colombia, and Uruguay and evaluate which aspects of those regulations need to be developed. Methods. A systematic analysis was based on the WHO analytical framework “Ensuring human rights in the provision of contraceptive information and services: Guidance and recommendations” to determine whether the legislation of Bolivia, Colombia, and Uruguay contain general references to the population, specific references to adolescents, or do not refer to the topic. To this end, 36 documents related to contraception were analyzed: 9 from Bolivia, 15 from Colombia, and 12 from Uruguay. Results. It was confirmed that each country’s legislation complies with several WHO recommendations. The three countries have strengths in nondiscrimination and in opportunity for informed decision-making, and have weaknesses in accessibility, quality, and accountability. Acceptability is a strength in Colombia and Bolivia, and confidentiality is a strength in Bolivia and Uruguay. Colombia has weaknesses in availability, confidentiality, and participation. Conclusions. Comparison of national legislation with WHO guidance helps to see the strengths and weaknesses of national regulatory frameworks and to see opportunities to improve regulations.

[RESUMO]. Objetivo. Comparar as diretrizes da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) para contracepção como parte dos princípios dos direitos humanos com os enquadramentos regulamentares existentes na Bolívia, Colômbia e Uruguai e avaliar os elementos destes enquadramentos que precisam ser melhorados. Métodos. Realizou-se uma análise sistemática segundo a metodologia analítica descrita no documento da OMS ¨Respeito aos direitos humanos ao prestar informações e serviços sobre contracepção: orientação e recomendações com o propósito de verificar se as legislações da Bolívia, Colômbia e Uruguai fazem referências gerais à população, referências específicas aos adolescentes ou não fazem referências. Ao todo, 36 documentos sobre contracepção foram analisados: 9 provenientes da Bolívia, 15 da Colômbia e 12 do Uruguai. Resultados. Verificou-se que as legislações dos três países cumprem com diversas recomendações da OMS. Não discriminação e oportunidade para decidir de forma esclarecida são os pontos fortes e acessibilidade, qualidade e prestação de contas são os pontos fracos. A aceitabilidade é um ponto forte na Colômbia e Bolívia e a confidencialidade, na Bolívia e Uruguai. Disponibilidade, confidencialidade e participação são os pontos fracos na Colômbia. Conclusão. A comparação das legislações nacionais com o guia da OMS possibilita identificar os pontos fortes e fracos no

How do national contraception laws and policies address the contraceptive needs of adolescents in Paraguay?

BACKGROUND: The main objective is to examine how the Paraguayan laws, policies and regulations (hereafter referred to as normative guidance) specifically address adolescents and their contraceptive information and service needs using a human rights analytic framework. It must be noted that this paper examines the adolescent content of national laws, policies and regulations on contraception, not how they were applied. METHODS: The recommendations on "Ensuring human rights in the provision of contraceptive information and services" from the World Health Organization (WHO) were used as an analytic framework to assess current Paraguayan laws, policies and regulations. Three questions were explored: 1) whether the Paraguayan normative guidance relating to each WHO recommendation was present and specifically addressed adolescents 2) whether the normative guidance for each WHO recommendation was present but did not specifically address adolescents, or 3) whether Paraguayan normative guidance relating to each WHO recommendation was absent. This assessment led to the development of an analytic table which was used by the co-authors to generate conclusions and recommendations. RESULTS: The analysis found specific normative guidance for adolescents relating to six out of nine WHO summary recommendations and nine out of the 24 sub-recommendations. The guidance included strategies to overcome contraceptive service barriers and to improve access for displaced populations. Further, it supported gender-sensitive counselling, quality assurance processes, competency-based training, and monitoring and evaluation of programmes. CONCLUSIONS: Paraguay's contraception laws and policies are grounded in human rights principles. However, there are a number of aspects that need to be addressed in order to improve the quality of contraceptive provision and access for adolescents. Our recommendations include improving accessibility of contraceptive information and services, ensuring acceptability, quality, and accountability of contraceptive information and services, and promoting community and adolescent participation in contraceptive programmes and service delivery.

[Sexual and reproductive rights regarding contraception in a human rights framework in Bolivia, Colombia, and UruguayDireitos sexuais e reprodutivos de contracepção na Bolívia, Colômbia e Uruguai como parte dos princípios dos direitos humanos]. / Derechos sexuales y reproductivos para la anticoncepción en Bolivia, Colombia y Uruguay en el marco de los derechos humanos.

OBJECTIVE: Compare World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for contraception in a human rights framework with the existing regulatory frameworks of Bolivia, Colombia, and Uruguay and evaluate which aspects of those regulations need to be developed. METHODS: A systematic analysis was based on the WHO analytical framework "Ensuring human rights in the provision of contraceptive information and services: Guidance and recommendations" to determine whether the legislation of Bolivia, Colombia, and Uruguay contain general references to the population, specific references to adolescents, or do not refer to the topic. To this end, 36 documents related to contraception were analyzed: 9 from Bolivia, 15 from Colombia, and 12 from Uruguay. RESULTS: It was confirmed that each country's legislation complies with several WHO recommendations. The three countries have strengths in nondiscrimination and in opportunity for informed decision-making, and have weaknesses in accessibility, quality, and accountability. Acceptability is a strength in Colombia and Bolivia, and confidentiality is a strength in Bolivia and Uruguay. Colombia has weaknesses in availability, confidentiality, and participation. CONCLUSIONS: Comparison of national legislation with WHO guidance helps to see the strengths and weaknesses of national regulatory frameworks and to see opportunities to improve regulations.

OBJETIVO: Comparar as diretrizes da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) para contracepção como parte dos princípios dos direitos humanos com os enquadramentos regulamentares existentes na Bolívia, Colômbia e Uruguai e avaliar os elementos destes enquadramentos que precisam ser melhorados. MÉTODOS: Realizou-se uma análise sistemática segundo a metodologia analítica descrita no documento da OMS ¨Respeito aos direitos humanos ao prestar informações e serviços sobre contracepção: orientação e recomendações com o propósito de verificar se as legislações da Bolívia, Colômbia e Uruguai fazem referências gerais à população, referências específicas aos adolescentes ou não fazem referências. Ao todo, 36 documentos sobre contracepção foram analisados: 9 provenientes da Bolívia, 15 da Colômbia e 12 do Uruguai. RESULTADOS: Verificou-se que as legislações dos três países cumprem com diversas recomendações da OMS. Não discriminação e oportunidade para decidir de forma esclarecida são os pontos fortes e acessibilidade, qualidade e prestação de contas são os pontos fracos. A aceitabilidade é um ponto forte na Colômbia e Bolívia e a confidencialidade, na Bolívia e Uruguai. Disponibilidade, confidencialidade e participação são os pontos fracos na Colômbia. CONCLUSÃO: A comparação das legislações nacionais com o guia da OMS possibilita identificar os pontos fortes e fracos no enquadramento regulamentar nacional e encontrar oportunidades para melhorar.

Derechos sexuales y reproductivos para la anticoncepción en Bolivia, Colombia y Uruguay en el marco de los derechos humanos / Sexual and reproductive rights regarding contraception in a human rights framework in Bolivia, Colombia, and Uruguay / Direitos sexuais e reprodutivos de contracepção na Bolívia, Colômbia e Uruguai como parte dos princípios dos direitos humanos

RESUMEN Objetivo Realizar una comparación entre las Directrices de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) para la anticoncepción en el marco de los derechos humanos (DDHH) con el marco normativo existente en Bolivia, Colombia y Uruguay y evaluar los aspectos que son necesarios desarrollar en la normativa. Métodos Se realizó un análisis sistemático con base al marco analítico de la OMS ¨Respeto de los DDHH cuando se proporciona información y servicios de anticoncepción: orientación y recomendaciones¨ para determinar si la legislación de Bolivia, Colombia y Uruguay contienen referencias generales a la población, referencias específicas para los adolescentes o no hacen referencia. Para este fin, se analizó un total de 36 documentos relacionados con la anticoncepción: 9 de Bolivia, 15 de Colombia y 12 de Uruguay. Resultados Se verificó que la legislación de cada país cumple con varias recomendaciones de la OMS. Los tres países tienen fortalezas en la no discriminación y el espacio para las decisiones informadas; sus debilidades están en la accesibilidad, la calidad y la rendición de cuentas. La aceptabilidad es una fortaleza para Colombia y Bolivia; la confidencialidad es para Bolivia y Uruguay. Colombia tiene como debilidad la disponibilidad, la confidencialidad y la participación. Conclusiones La comparación de la legislación nacional con la guía de la OMS ayuda a ver las fortalezas y las debilidades en el marco normativo nacional y ver oportunidades para mejorar la normativa.

ABSTRACT Objective Compare World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for contraception in a human rights framework with the existing regulatory frameworks of Bolivia, Colombia, and Uruguay and evaluate which aspects of those regulations need to be developed. Methods A systematic analysis was based on the WHO analytical framework "Ensuring human rights in the provision of contraceptive information and services: Guidance and recommendations" to determine whether the legislation of Bolivia, Colombia, and Uruguay contain general references to the population, specific references to adolescents, or do not refer to the topic. To this end, 36 documents related to contraception were analyzed: 9 from Bolivia, 15 from Colombia, and 12 from Uruguay. Results It was confirmed that each country's legislation complies with several WHO recommendations. The three countries have strengths in nondiscrimination and in opportunity for informed decision-making, and have weaknesses in accessibility, quality, and accountability. Acceptability is a strength in Colombia and Bolivia, and confidentiality is a strength in Bolivia and Uruguay. Colombia has weaknesses in availability, confidentiality, and participation. Conclusions Comparison of national legislation with WHO guidance helps to see the strengths and weaknesses of national regulatory frameworks and to see opportunities to improve regulations.

RESUMO Objetivo Comparar as diretrizes da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) para contracepção como parte dos princípios dos direitos humanos com os enquadramentos regulamentares existentes na Bolívia, Colômbia e Uruguai e avaliar os elementos destes enquadramentos que precisam ser melhorados. Métodos Realizou-se uma análise sistemática segundo a metodologia analítica descrita no documento da OMS ¨Respeito aos direitos humanos ao prestar informações e serviços sobre contracepção: orientação e recomendações com o propósito de verificar se as legislações da Bolívia, Colômbia e Uruguai fazem referências gerais à população, referências específicas aos adolescentes ou não fazem referências. Ao todo, 36 documentos sobre contracepção foram analisados: 9 provenientes da Bolívia, 15 da Colômbia e 12 do Uruguai. Resultados Verificou-se que as legislações dos três países cumprem com diversas recomendações da OMS. Não discriminação e oportunidade para decidir de forma esclarecida são os pontos fortes e acessibilidade, qualidade e prestação de contas são os pontos fracos. A aceitabilidade é um ponto forte na Colômbia e Bolívia e a confidencialidade, na Bolívia e Uruguai. Disponibilidade, confidencialidade e participação são os pontos fracos na Colômbia. Conclusão A comparação das legislações nacionais com o guia da OMS possibilita identificar os pontos fortes e fracos no enquadramento regulamentar nacional e encontrar oportunidades para melhorar.

Lessons learnt from the CERCA Project, a multicomponent intervention to promote adolescent sexual and reproductive health in three Latin America countries: a qualitative post-hoc evaluation.

The Community-Embedded Reproductive Health Care for Adolescents (CERCA) Project was implemented in Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua (2011-2014) to test the effectiveness of interventions preventing teenage pregnancies. As the outcome evaluation showed limited impact, a post-hoc process evaluation was carried out to determine if and how CERCA's design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation affected the results. We did a document analysis and conducted 18 in-depth interviews and 21 focus group discussions with stakeholders and beneficiaries. Transcripts were analyzed using directed content analysis. Data showed that CERCA sensitized stakeholders and encouraged the discussion on this sensitive issue. In terms of design, a strong point was the participatory approach; a weak point was that the detailed situation analysis was completed too late. In terms of implementation, a strong point was that multifaceted activities were implemented; a weak point was that the activities were not pilot tested for feasibility/acceptability and evolved substantially throughout the Project. In terms of monitoring, strong points were that regular monitoring kept the Project on track administratively/financially; a weak point was that monitoring indicators did not change as the intervention package changed. In terms of evaluation, weak points were the substantial attrition rate and narrow focus on adolescents. This study provides recommendations for future projects.

Improving adolescent sexual and reproductive health in Latin America: reflections from an International Congress.

In February 2014, an international congress on Promoting Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) took place in Cuenca, Ecuador. Its objective was to share evidence on effective ASRH intervention projects and programs in Latin America, and to link this evidence to ASRH policy and program development. Over 800 people participated in the three-day event and sixty-six presentations were presented.This paper summarizes the key points of the Congress and of the Community Embedded Reproductive Health Care for Adolescents (CERCA) project. It aims at guiding future ASRH research and policy in Latin America. 1. Context matters. Individual behaviors are strongly influenced by the social context in which they occur, through determinants at the individual, relational, family, community and societal levels. Gender norms/attitudes and ease of communication are two key determinants. 2. Innovative action. There is limited and patchy evidence of effective approaches to reach adolescents with the health interventions they need at scale. Yet, there exist several promising and innovative examples of providing comprehensive sexuality education through conventional approaches and using new media, improving access to health services, and reaching adolescents as well as families and community members using community-based interventions were presented at the Congress. 3. Better measurement. Evaluation designs and indicators chosen to measure the effect and impact of interventions are not always sensitive to subtle and incremental changes. This can create a gap between measured effectiveness and the impact perceived by the targeted populations. Thus, one conclusion is that we need more evidence to better determine the factors impeding progress in ASRH in Latin American, to innovate and respond flexibly to changing social dynamics and cultural practices, and to better measure the impact of existing intervention strategies. Yet, this Congress offered a starting point from which to build a multi-agency and multi-country effort to generate specific evidence on ASRH with the aim of guiding policy and program decision-making. In a region that contains substantial barriers of access to ASRH education and services, and some of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in the world, the participants agreed that there is no time to lose.