Trending Topics
The Compass team undertakes an intensive search to identify and make available quality resources & tools for our users each month. Users are also encouraged to participate in the process by contributing materials & ideas for future packages.
The community of practitioners working in HIV as well as donors look for strong evidence to support program outcomes and to guide the development of effective HIV approaches. The field of health communication also applies as much rigor as possible when evaluating interventions. While there are many innovative methods for evaluating the impact of health communication programs, there are also challenges. Choosing the most appropriate design is critical and largely depends both on the purpose of the study and the goals of the research and/or evaluation.
[UPDATED OCTOBER 2015] Chlorhexidine, a low-cost antiseptic, prevents deadly infections that enter an infant’s body through a newly cut umbilical cord. Few other interventions have as much promise to rapidly reduce newborn deaths at an affordable price—less than $1 per dose. Chlorhexidine has no toxicity risks and virtually no potential for misuse. It has a long shelf life, requires no cold chain, and is extremely easy to apply with minimal training and no equipment.
[UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2015] Most of the time when we think about representing numbers in a visual way, we think about things like bar graphs and pie charts. These can be great tools for displaying development indicators, but recent software advancements have created a wealth of additional resources and tips for presenting data in ways that are both visually appealing and easy to understand. This field is called 'data visualization', and is loosely defined as the creation and study of the visual representation of data.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays a pivotal role in Social and Behavior Change (SBCC) initiatives. ICT is defined in this package as electronic digital communication and information technology that is intended to directly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of project interventions.
Counseling is an interpersonal exchange in which a service provider and a client engage in a dialog about a health issue. Effective counseling is essential to ensuring quality of care in services. In their vital role as counselors, service providers educate clients about their options, support clients' choices, and encourage clients to speak openly about their concerns and to ask questions.
[UPDATED JUNE 2016] Long-acting reversible contraceptive methods (LARCs) include intrauterine devices (IUDs), contraceptive implants, and contraceptive injectables. For young women, LARCs are ideal methods of contraception, since they are not only safe but are also highly effective, easy to use, and eliminate the need to remember contraception on a daily basis. The use of LARCs among young women is growing.
[UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2016] While much progress has been made against malaria in the last decade, SBCC can be used to reach populations who remain at risk as transmission dynamics change. It can also be used to identify people with asymptomatic infections and monitor their compliance with treatment, as well as informing communities of optimal times for malaria control interventions.
Youth represent the world of tomorrow, and a heightening force in urban environments around the globe today. According to the UNFPA’s State of the World Population’s 2007 Youth Supplement, Growing Up Urban, “[t]he world is undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in history.” Exciting opportunities face adolescents in urban centers.
Many of the communities in the world follow a faith tradition or traditions. The materials we share in this Trending Topic were specifically developed for faith leaders or within specific faith communities. These may be implemented by FBOs, NGOs or secular or non-secular service providers.
