Greetings Title X Grantee Agencies,

Welcome to the December 2007 RTC monthly Listserv! We hope everyone is enjoying a healthy and happy holiday season.

As always, we have included the month of December's article highlights below. You can simply open the attachments or follow the provided link. Also, please remember to check out the announcements, meetings and other calendar reminders at the end of this e-mail.

We know that you are all very busy providing much needed services to your clients and staff. This is why we hope the Listserv will serve as a resource to keep you up-to-date on the latest public health information.

The Listserv e-mail will usually arrive in your inbox on the last Tuesday of every month; however, due to the holiday schedule you are receiving it today. Please respond to this e-mail address if you have any questions, comments or additions to the monthly Listserv. If you are looking for a past listserv, simply head to the resources section of the new and improved www.famplan.org and click on the listserv archive to find what you're looking for.

Thank you for your wonderful support of the RTC.

Happy New Year!
The JSI RTC Team

December 2007 Articles

HIV Integration Project - HIV

National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) Health Disparities Report- The NCHHSTP released its newest health disparities report last month. Despite prevention efforts, some groups of people are affected by HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, STDs, and TB more than other people. Data reported to CDC demonstrates that HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, STDs, and TB. HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases disproportionately affect men who have sex with men (MSM), blacks and Hispanics. TB is more prevalent among foreign-born persons and US-born blacks. Rates of hepatitis B remain highest among non-Hispanic blacks. Rates of hepatitis C continue to occur in adult age groups, with injection drug use as the most commonly identified risk factor for hepatitis C infection. To view the full report visit: http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/healthdisparities/

Routine HIV Testing May Benefit Teenagers--Reuters Health 11/26/07 - A recent study, published by the Journal of Adolescent Health, of 1,222 sexually active high risk youth ages 15- to 21 found that key HIV risk behaviors, like having unprotected sex, had no impact on whether they sought HIV testing.

Youths in the study were randomly assigned to either attend an HIV prevention workshop or go on a waitlist and tracked the participantsrates of HIV testing during the study. The prevention workshop did not appear to make any difference in the odds of participants getting an HIV test. Instead, the single most important factor was whether they had ever been tested before. Those who had were about three times more likely to seek testing during the study period.

Getting young people into the habit of routine testing could affect their behavior going into adulthood, the researchers suggested. Such widespread testing of younger adolescents could have a "dramatic effect" on HIV infection rates, since one-quarter of Americans with HIV are unaware they are infected and could transmit the virus to others, they said. Testing could be offered not only in doctors' offices, but in non-traditional settings like schools and community centers as well.

Clinical Advisory Committee - CAC

New IUD Toolkit available from the INFO project
WIN A CHANCE to receive a free WHO Medical Eligibility Criteria (MEC) Wheel, an easy-to-use job aid that helps providers quickly identify the contraceptive methods their family planning clients can use. Just take 5 minutes out of your day to fill out a short survey telling us what you think of the IUD Toolkit (www.iudtoolkit.org):
http://www.zoomerang.com/recipient/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB226NYL7P6BT.

Gezginc, K., et al. (December 2007). Contraceptive efficacy and side effects of Implanon. European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care: 12(4):362-365.
The objective was to determine the efficacy and side effects of Implanon used for long-term contraception. Prospective study of 80 patients who used Implanon for long-term contraception between January 2004 and January 2006; side effects, efficacy and removals were recorded. Amenorrhoea, infrequent bleeding and frequent bleeding were reported by 33 (41.25%), 19 (23.75%) and 14 patients (17.5%), respectively. Non-menstrual side effects comprised breast tenderness in 15 patients (18.75%), acne in eight (10%), headache and dizziness in three (3.75%); depressive mood disorders, pelvic pain and loss of libido were mentioned each by two of the women (2.5%). During the study period, Implanon was removed from 20 participants. No problem was encountered during its placement or removal. Patients considering use of Implanon must be carefully selected and informed about its expected side effects
before placement.
The full article is not available to the RTC, but we thought the findings were still valuable.

Riggs, M., et al. (December 2007). Longitudinal association between hormonal contraceptives and bacterial vaginosis in women of reproductive age. Sexually Transmitted Diseases: 34(12).
This study examined whether hormonal contraceptive use is associated with diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis (BV) over 1 year. A total of 3077 women of reproductive age were recruited from gynecologic and family planning clinics for a 1-year prospective longitudinal study. Data collected over 5 visits included demographics, health and hygiene behaviors, and gynecological exams. Gram stains were used to quantify vaginal flora. There was a decreased risk of overall BV prevalence among oral contraceptive users (odds ratio, OR 0.76; confidence interval, CI 0.63-0.90) and among those using hormonal injection/implant (OR 0.64; CI 0.53-0.76). An increased risk for BV prevalence (OR 1.38; CI 1.11-1.71) and incidence (OR 1.43; 1.02-2.07) was observed among those subjects who had tubal ligation. Greater remission of BV was found among those using hormonal injection or implant (OR 1.67; CI 1.23-2.27) whereas less remission occurred among those subjects who had tubal ligation (OR 0.56; CI 0.39-0.80). Hormonal contraceptive use is associated with a decreased risk of BV.
(see attached)

Male Advisory Committee - MAC

Male birth control pill discussed at futuristic medical conference
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/health/news-article.aspx?storyid=96763

Vaillant, G., et al. (January 2008) The natural history of male mental health: Health and religious involvement. Social Science and Medicine: 66(2).
Results from this long-term study suggest that religious involvement may exert the greatest mental health benefits on people with the fewest alternative social and personal resources.
(see attached)

Calendar of Events
Keep an eye out for an email announcing the RTC's spring training calendar.

Announcements

Copies of Counseling Teen Clients Experiencing Sexual Coercion are still available!
Please complete and send the attached order form to order extra copies.

Video summary:
Family planning providers have the opportunity to help teen clients avoid and resist sexual coercion, and the responsibility to comply with laws requiring the reporting of suspected abuse, rape or incest. Yet providers often feel unsure about how to raise these issues with clients, and uncertain about how to respond when coercion or abuse is revealed. This training video for family planning providers demonstrates counseling approaches for situations commonly encountered in family planning settings, and is designed to help providers buildupon their experience working with teenage clients in difficult circumstances.In one scenario a young client is being pressured by her teenage boyfriend; the second scenario focuses on a teen experiencing sexual exploitation at home.

The video is available in both VHS and DVD formats, and is accompanied by a discussion guide.Additional resources on sexual coercion can be found at: www.famplan.org/coerc.htm. Please contact Amy Behrens at abehrens@jsi.comwith questions.

First Rise in U.S. Teen Births Since '91--Washington Post 12/6/07 - The National Center for Health Statistics released last week preliminary birth data for 2006 and final birth data for 2005. The preliminary birth data is the first set of birth data released for 2006, and is based on 99.2% of all births. The report showed a rise in teen birth rates for the first time since 1991 and reignited the debate over federal funding allocated to abstinence-only-until-marriage sex education. Opponents of the funding believe the increase is due to the ineffectiveness of these programs to decrease or delay sexual activity among youth while proponents of the funding pointed to failed contraceptive-focused education as the cause of the increase. The full NCHS report can be viewed at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/nvsr/nvsr.htm

 

Region I Title X Family Planning Training Center
JSI Research & Training Institute, Inc.
44 Farnsworth Street
Boston, MA 02210
e-mail: rtctitlex@jsi.com
www.famplan.org