Empowering Women's Voices on Reproductive Health in the Media
On Nov. 10, women journalists from 12 countries representing four continents gathered at PRB to equip themselves with information to reach out to those who need reproductive health services. The weeklong seminar covered key topics in reproductive health as part of PRB's Women's Edition project. (December 2008)

What Explains the Disparities Between Men's and Women's Health?
Worldwide, men have higher mortality and greater disability than women. In nearly every country, they die at younger ages. Why, then, is the international health community so concerned about women's health disadvantages? A new fact sheet from the Disease Control Priorites Project explains that just because women live longer, they do not necessarily have better health. (November 2008)

Preventing Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Developing Countries
Millions of adults worldwide struggle with chronic respiratory diseases that sap their energy and can lead to their deaths. In 2007, an estimated 210 million people suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)— including emphysema and chronic bronchitis; 3 million died from COPD that year. The World Health Organization warns that COPDs and other chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma, will increase 30 percent in the next 10 years if urgent actions are not taken. (November 2008)

Africa Faces Mixed Progress, Daunting Challenges, in Improving Population Well-Being
Fertility has declined in many African countries from highs of six or seven children per woman down to about five children on average. But although African women use family planning more and bear fewer children, the continent's youthful population will fuel the continent's growth for many decades to come. Africa's 2008 population of 967 million is projected to grow to 1.9 billion by 2050, according to the 2008 Africa Population Data Sheet, published by the Population Reference Bureau and the African Population and Health Research Center. (October 2008)

Population, Health, and Environment Issues in the Philippines: A Profile of Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)
This regional PHE profile highlights key population, health, and environment indicators and important development challenges for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The profile is designed to help educators, policymakers, and community leaders identify key threats to sustainable development and explore possible approaches to addressing them. This profile is part of a series covering select regions of the Philippines, and is intended as a companion publication to the Population Reference Bureau's 2006 data sheet, Making the Link in the Philippines: Population, Health, and the Environment. (October 2008)

New Report Reveals Growing Inequality and Economic Hardships for Children in North America
Globalization has contributed to rising incomes in Canada, the United States, and Mexico but has not improved economic security for vulnerable children across the three countries, according to a new report, Growing Up in North America: The Economic Well-Being of Children in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. (October 2008)

Population, Health, and Environment Issues in the Philippines: A Profile of Calabarzon Region
This regional PHE profile highlights key population, health, and environment indicators and important development challenges for the Calabarzon Region (Region 4-A). The profile is designed to help educators, policymakers, and community leaders identify key threats to sustainable development and explore possible approaches to addressing them. This profile is part of a series covering select regions of the Philippines, and is intended as a companion publication to the Population Reference Bureau's 2006 data sheet, Making the Link in the Philippines: Population, Health, and the Environment. (October 2008)

World Food Day Highlights Plight of Nearly 1 Billion Undernourished People
Oct. 16 is World Food Day, an occasion to highlight the plight of 923 million undernourished people in the world. Most of these people live in rural areas, their livelihoods dependent on the agricultural sector. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that the deepening financial crisis, global warming, and even the boom in biofuels threaten to expand the populations at risk of chronic undernourishment in coming decades. (October 2008)

Use of Biomarkers in Predicting Health and Mortality
This e-newsletter is the 14th in a series funded by the University of Michigan Demography Center. This issue, "Use of Biomarkers in Predicting Health and Mortality," reviews research sponsored by the National Institute of Aging and other institutions that investigates the link between biological risk factors and health or mortality in the older populations. (September 2008)

Obesity, Economics, and Health
This e-newsletter is the 13th in a series funded by the University of Michigan Demography Center. This issue, "Obesity, Economics, and Health," reviews research sponsored by the National Institute of Aging, and other research, on the health consequences of obesity and the factors associated with becoming obese. (September 2008)