Family Planning Needs In Developing Countries Spurs W.H.O., Johns Hopkins, To Publish Science-Based Contraception Handbook

Family Planning Needs In Developing Countries Spurs W.H.O., Johns Hopkins, To Publish Science-Based Contraception Handbook

BALTIMORE, MD. - The World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins University, have published a handbook on family planning for developing nations. The handbook, is based on the best available scientific evidence was driven by the urgent unmet needs of millions of women and families who seek information on contraception.

"People need help now," says Paul F.A. Van Look, Director of WHO's Department of Reproductive Health and Research. "The Global Handbook stands alone as the single most important, authoritative resource for family planning in the developing world. It will go a long way in helping to inform and instruct the correct applications of family planning methods."

He adds, "The handbook offers practical guidance to meet reproductive health needs of women at various stages during their child bearing years. It provides information to those practitioners in reproductive health whether they are training health professionals or working with clients."

Published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs' INFO Project, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the handbook brings together the best available scientific evidence on family planning methods and related topics into one easy-to-use publication. The book is a result of collaboration among 30 leading health organizations around the world.

Despite great progress over the last several decades, more than 100 million married women worldwide want to prevent pregnancy but are not using a contraceptive method.(1) Reasons for this unmet need are numerous. Services and supplies are not yet available everywhere; therefore, contraceptive choices are limited. Fears of social disapproval regarding use of contraception or partner's opposition to contraceptive use also pose formidable barriers. Worries about side effects or lack of knowledge about contraceptive options also prevent many women from using contraception.

The handbook updates a previous book, The Essentials of Contraceptive Technology. First published in 1997 by the Center for Communication Programs, nearly one million copies of The Essentials of Contraceptive Technology have been published in over 10 languages. This book is used extensively by family planning providers in the developing world.

"This was a remarkable undertaking that WHO convened with 30 of the world's leading health organizations," said Michael J. Klag, Dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Pubic Health.

As the fourth in WHO's cornerstones of family planning guidance series, Family Planning: A Global Handbook for Providers offers technical information to help health care providers deliver family planning methods appropriately and effectively. Together, the four cornerstones support the safe and effective provision and use of family planning methods and can be used to develop national guidelines.

The handbook is currently available in an English edition both on-line and as a printed and bound publication. Translations are planned for 10 languages, including: Spanish, French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Portuguese (African), Romanian, Russian, Swahili, Arabic and Urdu.

All handbooks will be distributed with a free copy of "Do You Know Your Family Planning Choices?" a wall chart summarizing key points for each contraceptive method that providers can display to clients.

Further information and instructions for ordering can be found at: http://www.fphandbook.org/.

What People Say About The Handbook

On behalf of CEDPA, I feel honored that I was part of the team which worked on the handbook. Hope this is used extensively in the field and as was discussed at the last meeting in Geneva, we should have a plan to disseminate this new book soon in the field. Hope this would result in providers giving evidence based advice to their clients. -- Dr. Bulbul Sood, Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA)/India

Good work -- We're glad to have been an integral part of the handbook's conceptualization and realization! -- Dr. Roy Jacobstein, EngenderHealth

It is an honor for JSI to be added to the list of contributing organizations to use and promote this handbook in the field projects throughout the world. Congratulations to your department WHO, USAID, and JHSPH for this excellent contribution to the cause of reproductive health. -- Dr. Theo Lippeveld, Vice President, John Snow Inc.

I have just returned from the DR, where I was working with PROFAMILIA. Once more I realized that the Handbook will be a tremendous help to providers and policy-makers. -- Roberto Rivera, Family Health International (FHI)

Thank you very much for this major contribution to our efforts towards mainstreaming family planning into reproductive health programming. -- Prof. O. A. Ladipo FRCOG, OON, President/CEO, Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH), Ibadan

About the INFO Project:

The INFO Project, based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs, envisions a world of interconnected communities where shared reproductive health information improves and saves lives. Our mission is to support health care decision- making in developing countries by providing global leadership in reproductive health knowledge management.

The project receives support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

About the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs:

With representatives in more than 30 countries, The Center for Communication Programs (CCP) is a leader in the field of strategic, evidence- based, communication programs for behavior change to save lives, improve health, and enhance well-being in communities around the world. The Center is part of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the oldest and best-ranked institution of its kind. CCP works with a variety of public and private sector partners to design, implement and evaluate strategic communication programs that address the world's most pressing health concerns including HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health, Malaria, Avian and Pandemic Influenza, Safe Water, Nutrition, and Infectious and Chronic Diseases. For more information visit: http://www.jhuccp.org/.

(1)This is from a study released July 2007 by the Guttmacher Institute. See: http://www.guttmacher.org/media/nr/2007/07/09/index.html

Source: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Communication Programs