PRB Webcasts

Nafis Sadik has had an unequaled international career as a champion of women's reproductive health and rights. Sadik joined the United Nations in 1971 and served from 1987 to 2000 as the executive director for UNFPA, becoming the first woman to head one of the United Nations' major agencies. Since 2001, she has served as the Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific for the UN Secretary General. Sadik has consistently called attention to the importance of addressing the needs of women, and of involving women directly in making and carrying out development policy, particularly important for population policies and programs. Sadik talked with PRB as part of PRB's celebration of the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day, and discussed the accomplishments and unfinished work for women she has witnessed in her career, how HIV/AIDS affects women, the importance of mentors and parental support in her life, and how reproductive health is crucial to women's rights and well-being.

Kakenya Ntaiya was born in a rural village in southern Kenya, one of eight children. When she was 5 years old, her parents arranged an engagement to a local boy. She was to be circumcised before becoming a teenager to signify the end of her education and the start of married life. It seemed that a future of working on her rural family farm was set. But she made a deal with her father: She would agree to be circumcised only if he would allow her to finish high school. He agreed. She then negotiated with the village elders to do what no girl had done before: leave her village to go to college in the United States. Kakenya is now finishing her Ph.D. in education. Kakenya was the first youth adviser to the United Nations Population Fund, and she has traveled around the world to speak on the importance of educating girls, particularly as a means to fight the practices of female genital mutilation and child marriage. And, she started the only primary school for girls in her home region. The school has 95 girls in grades 4 through 6 and six teachers, and accepts 30 new girls each year. In this interview, Ntaiya discusses the opportunities that come with education for girls in her community, the effects of early marriage on girls' livelihoods, and how the practice of FGM/C has changed in Kenya. (Passed by Kenya's parliament in 2001, the Children's Act outlaws various forms of violation against children, including FGM, for females 18 and younger.)

Susan Cutter is a distinguished professor of geography at the University of South Carolina where she directs the Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute. Cutter researches what makes people and the places where they live vulnerable to extreme events such as hurricanes or tornadoes, and how vulnerability and resilience are measured, monitored, and assessed. In this interview, Cutter discusses disaster vulnerability and resilience, how these are measured, and how their measurement helps inform disaster preparedness and recovery.

The 2004 hurricane season was the worst in Florida's history. Four hurricanes caused $45 billion in damages and widespread population displacement. About 1.6 million people evacuated their homes—and many had to more than once in the year. Based on sample surveys with 11,000 residents in heavily hit areas, Stanley Smith has found new results on how the hurricanes affected communities, the demographic impact of evacuation, and what lessons these effects have for future disaster relief. In this interview, Smith discusses the demographic impact of the 2004 Florida hurricanes, the ensuing evacuations, and how these effects compare with Hurricane Katrina, along with recommendations for future disaster and evacuation preparedness based on his research.

A wide range of antipoverty programs have been in place in the United States for decades, and millions of Americans depend on them. How effective have these programs been? Are they wasteful or efficient? Who do they reach? In this interview, Bill Butz, president of PRB, talks with Robert Moffitt, the Krieger-Eisenhower professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University, about the various types of U.S. antipoverty programs and policies and how the current recession will affect these programs. Moffitt's research specialties include labor economics, econometrics, population economics, and the economics of antipoverty policies and programs. Moffitt is also currently the chief editor of the American Economic Review.

Family planning and reproductive health is an important, and often overlooked, component of poverty reduction. To study this connection further, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation supported the creation of the PopPov Research Network, a group of academic researchers and funders that examine how population issues affect economic well-being. By studying how population policies can be used for poverty reduction and economic growth, the network aims to increase the interest of these issues within the academic and the funding community. In this interview, Sara Seims, program director of the Population Program at the Hewlett Foundation, discusses the PopPov Network, ongoing research on population and poverty, links between family planning and poverty reduction, and how this research will be used in poverty reduction programs and policy.

Working parents in the United States face complex decisions on the type of care to provide for their children while they are at work, and child care costs continue to rise. As more families include working mothers, child care has become the norm in the United States. Almost two-thirds of preschoolers are in some kind of regular child care arrangement. The U.S. Census Bureau's recent report "Who's Minding the Kids?" tracks data on child care arrangements by income level, race/ethnicity, family arrangement, and more. The report provides an analysis of data released in February 2008. These data show the number and characteristics of children in different types of child care arrangements, the differences between child care for preschoolers and older children, and the extent of self-care. Information is also provided about the cost of child care arrangements and the number of fathers providing care for their children. Additionally, the report examines new topics such as summer child care arrangements for both preschoolers and grade-schoolers. In this interview, Lynda Laughlin, a family demographer with the U.S. Census Bureau and author of the report, discusses trends in child care over the past 20 years, how families deal with increasing facility-based care costs, and how extended families still play an integral role in caring for children.

There are more than 16 million children in immigrant families in the United States, and they are one of the most rapidly growing segments of the U.S. population. Most are U.S. citizens who were born in the United States to foreign-born parents. They face complex cultural and social challenges, navigating between their parents' backgrounds and traditions, and their local communities. They also face unique challenges in terms of health and education and they are at the heart of several key U.S. social and policy issues. In this interview, Jennifer Van Hook, professor of sociology and demography at Pennsylvania State University and Jennifer Glick, associate professor of sociology at Arizona State University discuss why it is important to examine how immigrant children are faring, the health and education challenges facing immigrant children, their future prospects, and important unanswered research questions.

With Millennium Development Goal 6, the international community pledged to "combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases" throughout the world. Worldwide, 1.4 billion people are infected with one or more of these less-known "other diseases." They come from the poorest of the poor who live on $1.25 or less per day, mostly on farms and in urban slums of the developing world. While these diseases have serious adverse effects on communities and exacerbate poverty, there are limited resources available for their research and treatment. In this interview, Peter Hotez, distinguished research professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine at The George Washington University, and president of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, discusses neglected tropical diseases and their impact on developing countries. In what way do these diseases affect poor countries and what are some of the possible options for their control and elimination?

Most of what we hear in the media about how the recession is affecting individuals and families in the United States is based on broad population surveys. These tell us what has happened since the recession started but there is not as much reporting based on data tied to the events that led up to the recession. However, data from The American Life Panel shed some light on how the recession and events leading up to the recession have affected Americans. Michael Hurd, director of the Center for the Study of Aging and a senior economist at the RAND Corporation, has studied the economics of aging and the elderly; savings, wealth, and retirement; Social Security; and U.S. labor markets. According to Hurd, the current recession is the worst since the Great Depression because it has affected three major sectors of the economy: housing, the stock market, and the labor market. In this interview, Hurd discusses how the declines in each of these sectors have affected older Americans, the kinds of data we need to look at to assess the effect of the events that led up to the recession, and who has such data.

Investing in youth helps achieve the Millennium Development Goals, promotes gender equality, reduces child mortality, improves maternal health, and combats HIV/AIDS. Yet calls for appropriate programs, services, and funding have gone largely unanswered and many of the world’s 1.2 billion youth are at high risk of unplanned pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and sexually transmitted infections. In this interview, James Gribble, vice president of International Programs at PRB and author of the brief, explains why investing in reproductive health for youth is critical to economic development, what types of programs have proven effective to address the reproductive health needs of youth, and what policies need to be put into place to strengthen outreach to youth.

It is estimated that 100 to 140 million girls and women worldwide have been affected by female genital mutilation, or FGM. The practice, involving partial or total removal of the external genitals of girls and women for nonmedical reasons, has devastating immediate and long-term health and social effects. The Honorable Amina Salum Ali is the Permanent Representative of the African Union to the United States. In this interview, Ali describes what the African Union has done to combat FGM, what is needed to eliminate the practice beyond legal instruments, the social context of the practice, and how she feels about the future for Africa's women.

How equipped Americans are with the knowledge and skills they need to make financial decisions determine retirement options, homeownership, college education, and more. The National Financial Capability Survey, released in December 2009 by the FINRA Foundation, is the first of its kind in the United States. The survey explores how Americans manage their resources and how they make financial decisions. As Americans grapple with the current recession, the results are troubling: Only 41 percent of parents have set aside money for their children's college education, the majority of Americans don't have an emergency fund for financial emergencies and are not prepared for retirement, and more than one in five respondents use high-cost borrowing methods such as payday loans or pawn shops. Annamaria Lusardi has studied financial literacy and financial capability in the United States and around the world. She is a professor of economics at Dartmouth College, a regular contributor to the International Business Times, and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. In this interview, she discusses how the financial landscape has become more complex, how Americans score on financial capability and literacy, and the personal implications of low financial capability.

It is estimated that 5,000 women worldwide are murdered every year in so-called "honor killings"—committed by a woman's relatives in order to cleanse the family of acts the woman has engaged in that they consider "immoral." Feminist and human rights defender, Jordanian Rana Husseini is a leading international investigative journalist whose reporting has put violence against women on the public agenda around the world. The recipient of numerous awards for bravery in journalism, she is a regular speaker at major international events. In this interview, Husseini describes her personal journey of investigating this practice over the years, the varied countries and cultures in which "honor killings" take place, and what types of policy and grassroots efforts are needed to address this abuse.

Despite the extensive research done on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, there have been relatively few studies on the impact of HIV/AIDS on older persons in developing countries. While some older persons are at risk or infected, a much larger number are affected through the illness or death of their adult sons and daughters and other family members. John Knodel, has studied the involvement of older people in the HIV/AIDS epidemic, specifically in Southeast Asia. He is Research Professor Emeritus at the Population Studies Center and Professor Emeritus, Sociology at the University of Michigan. His research focuses not only on the consequences of HIV/AIDS on older persons, but also their contributions to helping their family members and communities cope with the disease.

Whether countries with large youth populations will be able to provide education and employment opportunities to young people over the coming years and decades is one of the major questions facing developing countries. The answer not only affects the well-being of youth, but affects many countries' stability and security as well. Henrik Urdal, senior researcher at the Center for the Study of Civil War and associate editor of the Journal of Peace Research at International Peace Research Institute in Oslo, Norway, talked with PRB about youth bulges and urbanization and their effects on conflict.

The Population Reference Bureau released its 2009 World Population Data Sheet on Aug. 12, 2009, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC with presentations highlighting children and youth, the theme of this year's data sheet. Carl Haub, senior demographer and Conrad Taeuber chair of population information; Linda Jacobsen, vice president of Domestic Programs; and James Gribble, vice president of International Programs.

Family planning is one of the most cost-effective health interventions in the developing world. For decades, research has shown that for a relatively modest investment, family planning saves lives and improves maternal and child health. However, there have been relatively few studies that detail the ways in which family planning also lifts families out of poverty by helping poor women have fewer children. Now, a new study on Bangladesh provides evidence that long-term investment in an integrated family planning and maternal and child health program contributes to improved economic security for families, households, and communities through larger incomes, greater accumulation of wealth, and higher levels of education. In this interview, Jay Gribble, vice president of International Programs at PRB and a co-author of the brief, discusses how the FPMCH program benefitted women and families in the Matlab area villages in terms of livelihoods, health, and education, as well as the policy implications of the recent study's findings.

Social relationships keep older people healthy, and the marriage relationship is especially beneficial. A growing body of research helps explain how social interaction interacts with social, physical, and psychological factors that affect an individual's health, and the importance of maintaining social networks and relationships later in life. Social relationships and interaction are associated with a wide range of health benefit, especially in older ages. The benefits of marriage extend beyond the daily social interaction and the shared network of family and friends. Sociologist and demographer Linda Waite discussed her research on these interactions with PRB.

With continued population aging—the number of Americans ages 65 or older is projected to swell from around 41 million to 65 million over the next 15 years—the loss of cognitive function among some older Americans foreshadows a potentially enormous social and economic burden. In this interview, Kenneth Langa, University of Michigan School of Medicine and Institute for Social Research, discusses cognitive impairment and its causes, trends, and effects in the United States. He warns that certain trends may adversely affect the brain health of Americans, especially rising obesity rates and a consequent increase in diabetes, which is also associated with declining cognitive function among older adults.

With continued population aging—the number of Americans ages 65 or older is projected to swell from around 41 million to 65 million over the next 15 years—the loss of cognitive function among some older Americans foreshadows a potentially enormous social and economic burden. In this interview, Kenneth Langa, University of Michigan School of Medicine and Institute for Social Research, discusses cognitive impairment and its causes, trends, and effects in the United States. He warns that certain trends may adversely affect the brain health of Americans, especially rising obesity rates and a consequent increase in diabetes, which is also associated with declining cognitive function among older adults.

Eileen Crimmins is a professor of gerontology and sociology at the Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California and the director of training, Multidisciplinary Research Training in Gerontology. She is currently working on a number of projects related to aging, mortality, and health including "The Role of Biological Factors in Determining Differences in Health by Education and Income Level," the Healthy Life Expectancy in the Older Population Project, and looking at male/female differences in health and mortality as well as differences by gender in life stresses and strains. Crimmins talked with PRB about life expectancy in the United States compared with other countries; the reasons for differing mortality trends; and the effects of lifestyle, behavior, and the health care system on mortality.

Samuel Preston is the Fredrick J. Warren professor of demography, Population Aging Research Center, at the University of Pennsylvania. In the 1970s, Preston produced a landmark study, "Older Male Mortality and Cigarette Smoking," on the effects of smoking on mortality patterns. Preston talked with PRB about the current rates of smoking in the United States and its contribution to mortality in the United States and other developed countries.

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) refers to the practice of full or partial removal of female external genitalia for nonmedical reasons. The procedure is practiced in at least 28 countries in Africa, parts of Asia and the Middle East, and among some communities in the United States, Canada, and Europe. FGM/C is practiced for a variety of reasons ranging from reducing female sexuality, perceived health and hygiene benefits, social reasons, and a mistaken belief in religious mandate. Since the early 1990s, FGM/C has gained recognition as a health and human rights issue. For over two decades, Berhane Ras-Work has been active in the fight against 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 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.

International public health assistance and policy has largely focused on HIV/AIDS and malaria in recent years, and family planning programs have often been overlooked. Despite a common misperception that global population growth has halted, an enormous and growing need for family planning exists.Five former directors of USAID's Population and Reproductive Health Program urge immediate action on family planning funding in the report, Making the Case for U.S. International Family Planning Assistance. The authors argue that investing in family planning provides substantial returns, not only by reducing unintended pregnancies and saving millions of lives, but also by making progress toward antipoverty and development goals. Steven Sinding, a senior scholar at the Guttmacher Institute and director of the USAID Office of Population from 1983 to 1986, spoke to PRB about the need for increased focus on family planning, the successes of previous family planning programs, and his hopes for the report's impact.