by Emily Bridges, Director, Public Information Services

Here are some relevant studies from recent weeks.

1. Satisfying the unmet need for contraception could save 100,000 lives each year. This special collection of family planning articles from the Lancet was released to coincide with the Family Planning Summit in London.   For this article, researchers examined data from 172 countries to estimate how many maternal deaths had been averted by contraception (over 272,000). Then, working with the estimates of unmet contraceptive needs, they estimated how many lives might be saved by meeting the need for contraception (104,000).  Complications from pregnancy, including childbirth and unsafe abortion, are the leading cause of death for young women ages 15-19 in low and middle income countries.
2. The HPV vaccine may already be creating “herd immunity.” “Herd immunity” is a term that refers to when vaccination protects even those who are not vaccinated by reducing the number of people who are susceptible to a disease and breaking the chain of infection. The study found that between a group of young women ages 13-26 seen at a clinic in 2006, and a group seen in 2009 after the vaccine was widely available, rates of HPV had dropped by 50% even among those who had not received the vaccination.  The participants in the study were low-income African American women living in an urban area; nationwide, urban African American young women experience high rates of STDs, which this vaccination may help lower.
3. Health Affairs assesses PEPFAR. The most recent issue of the journal Health Affairs assesses the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.  As activists work for an AIDS-free generation, the journal examines the successes and failures of the project and makes recommendations for “third wave” strategies.  Earlier this year, Advocates for Youth assessed PEPFAR’s youth-focused policy and found that while promising components are visible, many policies are confusing or inadequate to address youth HIV prevention needs.
4. Sexually abused boys are more likely to report risky sexual behaviors. Researchers examined existing studies on sexual abuse and risky sexual behavior and found that boys who have been sexually abused are more likely to report unprotected sex, multiple partners, and involvement in pregnancy in adolescence.  Advocates recently published 2 papers on sexual abuse statistics, signs, and prevention:  an Overview,  and an in-depth look at Prevention and Resilience.