Economic Recession Presents Further Challenges to Uninsured Children in the United States
One in every 10 children in the United States had no health insurance in 2007, and the cost of insurance to families and employers is rising, according to a new report by the Institute of Medicine. America’s Uninsured Crisis: Consequences for Health and Health Care documents an increasing burden on families with children. The economic recession further strains families' resources to provide care for their children. As costs and unemployment rise, employer-sponsored health care is becoming less of a guarantee for families. (April 2009)

The Art of Coalition Building: A Population, Health, and Environment Consortium in Ethiopia
For more than a decade, PRB has nurtured national and international coalitions that address population, maternal and child health, global health priorities, and the environment. Sharing the successes and challenges of coalitions in similar contexts can motivate and instigate new coalitions. This article captures the experiences from a newly formed but rapidly advancing coalition focused on population, health, and environment issues in Ethiopia, with the hope that their experience will be valuable to similar groups. (April 2009)

PRB Discuss Online: A Call to Action: World Malaria Day 2009
Malaria threatens close to one-half of the world's population, and more than 1 million children die each year of malaria-related complications. In sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 250,000 pregnant women die annually: Up to 30 percent of these deaths are due to hemorrhage, with malaria often an important contributing factor. Eliminating malaria has proved elusive given the inadequate infrastructure and health systems in many of the countries where the disease is most prevalent. But there are effective ways to combat malaria even in low-income countries. Malaria expert and epidemiologist Joel Breman of the Fogarty International Center, U.S. National Institutes of Health, answered questions during a PRB Discuss Online about the challenge of eradicating malaria: What countries are most at risk? What are cost-effective ways to reduce exposure? What breakthrough research is needed to break the back of malaria? Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (April 2009)

Birth Spacing and Childhood Undernutrition
One factor often overlooked when considering strategies to reduce undernutrition is birth spacing, the time interval between births. According to a recent study published in Maternal and Child Nutrition, birth spacing plays an important role in nutritional status among children under five years of age, with shorter birth intervals increasing the risk of both stunting and underweight. (March 2009)

Integrating Population, Health, and Environment in Rwanda
The last decade in Rwanda's history has been one of transition and rebirth. Ten years ago, the country was emerging from several years of strife and civil conflict; in 2009, urban and rural areas are energized with the promise of steadily improving economic, social, and health conditions. Despite this impressive transformation, Rwanda faces various challenges, many related to the complex relationships between population trends, poverty, and environmental conditions. Continued improvement in the quality of life of Rwanda's citizens depends in large part on finding innovative and integrated solutions to complex population, health, and environment problems. (February 2009)

International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM: Interview With Berhane Ras-Work, Founding President of IAC
For over two decades, Berhane Ras-Work has been active in the fight against female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). She is the founding president of the Inter-African Committee (IAC), a nongovernmental organization that promotes the health of women and children in Africa by fighting traditional practices that are harmful to the health of women. Ras-Work talked with PRB from the IAC office in Geneva about the risks of FGM/C, the significance of the International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM, and the range of measures being taken by governments and local communities to publicize the risks and end the practice. (February 2009)

Commemorating International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation
An estimated 100 million to 140 million girls and women have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and more than 3 million girls are at risk for cutting each year on the African continent alone. FGM/C poses serious physical and mental health risks for women and young girls and since the early 1990s, FGM/C has gained recognition as a health and human rights issue. February 6 was adopted by the UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights as the International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM and ceremonies marking this day have taken place around the world. PRB marks Zero Tolerance to FGM Day by highlighting our work to bring attention to and present accurate data on this practice that affects millions of women and young girls worldwide. (February 2009)

PRB Discuss Online: Birth Defects: A Hidden Toll for Developing Countries
Each year, an estimated 9 million infants are born with a serious birth defect that may kill them or result in a lifelong disability. Such birth defects have an especially severe effect on children in developing countries. What are the causes of birth defects? Which defects can be treated or prevented? How can we fight the common misconceptions about them? Arnold Christianson, director of the Division of Human Genetics at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, answered participants questions on this topic. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (January 2009)

'Making the Case for U.S. International Family Planning Assistance,' Steven Sinding, Guttmacher Institute
International public health assistance and policy has largely focused on challenges such as HIV/AIDS and malaria in recent years, and family planning programs have often been overlooked. Despite a common mistaken perception that global population growth has halted, governments recognize the need for family planning. Now is the time for increased investment, according to the report, Making the Case for U.S. International Family Planning Assistance. (January 2009)

'The World is Fat' – A PRB Policy Seminar With Professor Barry Popkin
The global confluence of changing diets, increased food marketing, access to technology, and lifestyle changes has led to an upsurge in global obesity, especially in developing countries. According to Barry M. Popkin, professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and director of the UNC-CH's Interdisciplinary Center for Obesity, 1.3 billion people are overweight while 800 million are underweight. The burden of obesity-related diseases is shifting rapidly toward the poor. On Dec. 10, Popkin visited PRB to discuss rising obesity worldwide and his new book, The World is Fat as part of PRB's ongoing Policy Seminar series. (December 2008)