Maxine Eber

Frequency and intensity of crack use as predictors of women’s involvement in HIV-related sexual risk behaviors

Recent trends in the progression of the AIDS epidemic in the United States indicate that womens rates of acquiring HIV are escalating more rapidly than are mens. Consequently, there has been both an increasing interest in and a need for research targeting substance-abusing womens involvement in HIV risk behaviors. In recent years, strong suggestive evidence has arisen to suggest that women who use crack cocaine are at an elevated risk for acquiring HIV, probably as a result of their involvement in high-risk sexual behaviors. The present study is based on a sample of 1723 women from 22 locales around the United States who used crack cocaine at least once during the previous 30 days but who reported never having injected drugs at any point in their lifetime. Women were divided into four groups based on their frequency and intensity of using crack. In subsequent analyses, this grouping was used to predict the extent to which female crack users engage in five sexual risk behavior measures (number of sexual partners, number of drug-injecting sexual partners, number of times having sexual relations while high on alcohol and/or other drugs, number of times trading sex for drugs and/or money, and proportion of all sexual acts involving the use of protection). The data revealed that the women who used crack with the greatest frequency and the greatest intensity were the most heavily involved in risky sexual behaviors. They differed quite sharply from their lower-intensity and/or lower-frequency crack-using counterparts in terms of their HIV risk behavior involvement and in terms of their actual HIV seroprevalence rates.

Dedicated inserter facilitates immediate postpartum IUD insertion.

A specially designed inserter aims at facilitating IUD insertion within 10 minutes to 48 hours after delivery during the postpartum period when demand for, and health benefits of, contraception are high. A specially designed inserter aims at facilitating IUD insertion within 10 minutes to 48 hours after delivery during the postpartum period when demand for, and health benefits of, contraception are high.

Feasibility of training Zambian nurse–midwives to perform postplacental and postpartum insertions of intrauterine devices

To explore the feasibility of competency‐based training of Zambian nurse–midwives in postplacental and postpartum intrauterine device (PPIUD) insertion and to estimate learning curves for this procedure.

The Potential for Social Marketing a Knowledge-Based Family Planning Method

Social marketing is a proven private sector strategy to provide health-related products, including contraceptives. Pharmacies offer affordable, convenient, and rapid delivery of over-the-counter contraceptives directly to the consumer, providing wider availability and accessibility to family planning (FP) in sub-Saharan Africa. Pilot projects tested the feasibility of including CycleBeads®, the visual tool that supports the use of the Standard Days Method®, into Population Services International (PSI) social marketing programs. The purpose of this article is to review evidence to provide guidance for social marketing CycleBeads in pharmacies in sub-Saharan Africa. Literature on contraceptive provision through pharmacies in comparison to clinics was summarized from developing and developed country contexts, highlighting salient and relevant lessons for the African context in regard to pharmacists’ knowledge and perceptions of FP, clients’ perceptions of pharmacists’ FP knowledge and FP service delivery in pharmacies, and the impact of pharmacy access on contraceptive use. Descriptive data from PSI social marketing initiatives in several African countries, and commercial marketing information were reviewed. Evidence from CycleBeads sales suggests that there is demand for the product and it is affordable in comparison to oral contraceptives. In addition, there were high levels of correct use by women who purchased CycleBeads in pharmacies, suggesting that CycleBeads are an appropriate product for social marketing. Until awareness of and demand for the method increases, social marketing of CycleBeads requires continued subsidy to maintain viability. Training to update pharmacists’ knowledge and increase capacity to provide basic information, positioning of the method, and low profit margins for pharmacies present challenges.

O109 EXPULSION RATES AND SATISFACTION LEVELS AMONG IMMEDIATE POSTPARTUM IUCD USERS IN PERI-URBAN LUSAKA, ZAMBIA

O109 EXPULSION RATES AND SATISFACTION LEVELS AMONG IMMEDIATE POSTPARTUM IUCD USERS IN PERI-URBAN LUSAKA, ZAMBIA N. Shiliya, N. Shah, S.W. Prager, P. Gupta, J. Chilambwe, B. Vwalika, E. Espey, J. Neukom, M. Eber, P.D. Blumenthal. Population Services International, Washington, DC, United States; Stanford Program for International Reproductive Education and Services (SPIRES), Stanford, CA, United States; Stanford Program for International Reproductive Education and Services (SPIRES) and Population Services International, Stanford, CA, United States; University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia; Society for Family Health, Lusaka, Zambia