FHI - Books and Reports

Strategic Considerations for Strengthening the Linkages between Family Planning and HIV/AIDS Policies, Programs, and Services (2009)

The World Health Organization, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and Family Health International have produced this document to help leaders of international public health programs integrate family planning (FP) and HIV services in a strategic and systematic manner.

The new document draws on published literature, field experience, and the recommendations of more than 100 experts in FP and HIV/AIDS. It leads readers through the process of answering four questions that are key to determining whether and how a country should pursue the integration of FP and HIV services. Where integration is appropriate, the document offers practical suggestions for establishing or enhancing the integrated services. Links to existing training curricula, job aids, and assessment tools are also provided.

Development of Assays to Estimate HIV Incidence: Meeting Proceedings (2009)

Fifty leading HIV-prevention experts met in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (May 13-14, 2009) to advance the development of HIV-incidence assays -- tests that are used to identify the number of new HIV cases in a population within a given time period. The meeting was convened by Family Health International (FHI), with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization (WHO), the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) and the Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI).

Technical Report: Behavioral and Social Science Support to CONRAD Phase III Clinical Trial of Cellulose Sulfate 6% Gel (2008)

The successful implementation of Phase III clinical trials requires careful planning and management. In order to plan and monitor the CONRAD multi-site Phase III clinical trial of the topical microbicide cellulose sulfate 6% (Ushercell) in preventing transmission of HIV, behavioral and social science (BSS) research was applied. This report documents the process, findings, and recommendations from the BSS activities.

Partnering for Care in HIV Prevention Trials — A How-To Manual (2008)

This manual describes a system with seven steps for building bridges between the participants in HIV prevention trials and the health care they need. Several features in this series of steps encourage interactions between clinical trial developers, local communities, host countries, and clinical trial participants, and other groups. Also, this system of steps could be used by communities and organizations to develop care for any people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as those with other health problems.

Strategy for the Integration of Family Planning and HIV Voluntary Counselling and Testing Services (2008, PDF, 525 KB)

In Kenya, family planning services and HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) have traditionally been offered separately. However, health policy-makers have begun to recognize the opportunities missed and efficiencies lost in this parallel approach. The Kenya Ministry of Health convened a group of VCT and family planning experts from other government agencies and nongovernmental organizations, with Family Health International facilitating. The group developed a national strategy to implement integrated VCT and family planning services for women, men, youth, and couples.

Health Outcomes Research: How Can It Assist Decision-Making for the Prevention of Cervical Cancer and Other HPV Disease in Asia and the Pacific? (2008)

This report documents the proceedings of a symposium highlighting the role of health outcomes research data and modeling for future decision-making on cervical cancer and HPV disease prevention programs.

Symposium to Develop a Comprehensive Strategy for IUD Repositioning (2008)

This symposium report synopsizes the discussions and contributions of FHI and other organizations, and documents the conclusions reached for repositioning family planning, especially the IUD. Participants also discussed ways to develop and implement strategies that are evidence-based; include strong monitoring, evaluation, and operations research; and lead to quality services and increased IUD use.

Provision of Injectable Contraception through Community-Based Distribution: Implementation Handbook (2008)

This handbook explains how program managers can introduce injectables to the suite of family planning services offered in an existing community-based distribution (CBD) program.

Implementing Clinical Research in Vietnam: A Dialogue on the Current Regulations of the Ministry of Health (2007)

Three departments within Vietnam's Ministry of Health joined together to present a two-day introductory workshop on Vietnam Government's Regulations on Clinical Research.

Integrating Family Planning into HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing Services in Kenya: Progress to Date and Lessons Learned (2006)

This report documents the process of assessing the feasibility of integrating family planning and voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) services in Kenya, bringing together stakeholders, developing an integration strategy, and implementing that strategy.

Qualitative Methods: A Field Guide for Applied Research in Sexual and Reproductive Health - Chinese version (2005)

This Chinese version of the guide described below is available for download in PDF format, broken into individual chapters.

Qualitative Methods in Public Health: A Field Guide for Applied Research (2004)

This practical, "hands-on" guide is intended for social scientists, public health specialists and research teams interested in using qualitative methods to study sexual and reproductive health. It covers theory, research design and methodology, data collection, data analysis, writing, and research dissemination.

HPV Vaccines: New Tools in the Prevention of Cervical Cancer and Other HPV Disease in Asia and the Pacific

Cervical cancer — the most preventable and treatable of all cancers — is the most common cancer among women in developing countries. This report presents the proceedings of a November 2006 symposium in Bangkok, Thailand, that sought to build a consensus among leading specialists on a comprehensive approach for prevention and early detection programs in the Asia region.

Promoting Community Health Worker Provision of DMPA. Proceedings from the Stakeholders' Sensitisation Meeting

A 2004 pilot study demonstrated the safety, feasibility, and acceptability of community health worker (CHW) distribution of the injectable contraceptive depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) in a rural Ugandan district. These proceedings give highlights of a stakeholders' workshop held October 5, 2006 in Kampala at which participants discussed the study results and planned for scaling up CHW provision of DMPA.

Consultation on Improving Contraceptive Continuation: Partnering to Generate and Apply Knowledge for Better Results

Short-acting hormonal contraceptive methods are the major way developing world women space births, but their discontinuation rates are quite high. This 2005 meeting held in Washington, D.C explored how best to improve their continuation.

Integrating Family Planning Services into Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centers in Kenya: Operations Research Results

This study assessed the effectiveness and costs of adding selected levels of family planning services to voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) centers in Kenya and determined the effect of adding family planning services on VCT quality of care.

Qualitative Research Methods: A Data Collector's Field Guide

This field guide for qualitative data collectors, published by Family Health International with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is a practical, "hands-on" guide to using qualitative research methods.

Safety and Feasibility of Community-Based Distribution of Depo Provera in Nakasongola, Uganda

This study assessed conditions in Uganda to see if community-based distribution of Depo Provera, already used in other parts of the world, could be used there and elsewhere on the African continent to help meet the demand, which has dramatically increased in recent years.

Hormonal Contraception and HIV: An Update

Whether the use of hormonal contraception affects HIV acquisition, transmission, or disease progression continues to be an important area of research. This report is an overview of the latest research on the topic.

Family Planning and the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT)

Mother-to-child transmission is the main way children become infected with HIV worldwide. To date, the primary approach for PMTCT has been to provide antiretroviral drug prophylaxis to HIV-infected pregnant women during delivery and then to their newborn infants. Many HIV-positive births could be prevented, however, by simply preventing unintended pregnancies among infected women. This review summarizes the literature on integrating family planning services with other services to prevent HIV-positive births.

Expert Consultation on Vasectomy

This report from a meeting convened in December 2003 summarizes the discussions of recent research on vasectomy techniques, programmatic implications of the research, and key steps needed to improve vasectomy services regionally and globally.

Mechanisms of the Contraceptive Action of Hormonal Methods and Intrauterine Devices (IUDs)

Understanding how contraceptive methods work is important for providers who are helping women consider their family planning options. Similarly, women want to make informed decisions and use the methods correctly. This report reviews the scientific evidence on how hormonal methods and IUDs work.

Technical Update on the Female Condom

This report summarizes a forum in which representatives of agencies responsible for family planning services, STI/HIV prevention, women's advocacy, and public health research and policy making met to share the latest research and programmatic information on the female condom.

Expert Consultation On Vasectomy Effectiveness

This report summarizes the discussions and recommendations from a meeting convened in 2001 to present the latest research on vasectomy techniques.

Interview on Adolescent Health in Nepal

Dr. Shyam Thapa (PhD, Brown University) who served as chief of FHI's research and technical services office of population and reproductive health in Kathmandu until 2002, focused on adolescents and youths in Nepal in an interview with Bhagirath Yogi.

Consensus Statement: Lactational Amenorrhea Method for Family Planning

Experts from around the world gathered in 1995 to discuss the Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM) of family planning. This report summarizes their conclusions about LAM.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Barrier Contraceptive Methods: Impact of Emergency Contraception

The availability of emergency contraception complicates the evaluation of the effectiveness of barrier methods. This report summarizes a dialogue among contraceptive researchers on ways to deal with this issue in clinical studies.

Issues in the Financing of Family Planning Services in Sub-Saharan Africa

This study analyzes the need for additional funding for family planning services and various ways to reduce program costs, secure funding, and enhance efficiency.

Haitian Women's Role in Sexual Decision-Making: The Gap Between AIDS Knowledge and Behavior Change

This study explored perceptions concerning norms that govern sexual decision-making and behavior associated with the risk of HIV transmission to women.

Microbicides/Spermicides: Opportunities for Industrial Collaboration

To encourage discussion of microbicide development challenges, representatives of nonprofit organizations and pharmaceutical companies held an international conference to explore opportunities for collaboration between the public and private sectors.

A Guide to Research Findings on the Cairo Consensus

This guide to research findings on the implementation of the Cairo Consensus provides a tool for locating some of the many materials published since 1994 on the major issues outlined in the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action. The guide contains roughly 180 summaries of research, reports, and fact sheets on these topics.

The Latex Condom: Recent Advances, Future Directions

This monograph provides a comprehensive review of recent advances in latex condom research regarding effectiveness, manufacturing, quality assurance, performance in human use, acceptability and user behaviors.