James Blanchard
Biographic Data
| ID | 4218491 |
|---|---|
| NAME | James Blanchard |
| GIVEN NAMES | James |
| FAMILY NAME | Blanchard |
| SIGNATURE | BLANCHARD J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Sevgi O. Aral is with the Division of STD Prevention, The National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia. James Blanchard is with the Centre for Global Public Health, Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9855-7728 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 19 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 19 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Declining fertility and increasing use of traditional methods of family planning
Uttar Pradesh (UP), with more than 220 million people, is the most populous state in India. Despite a high unmet need for modern family planning methods, the state has experienced a substantial decline in fertility. India has also seen a decline during this period which can be attributed to the increased prevalence of modern methods of family planning, particularly female sterilisation, but in UP, the corresponding increase was marginal. At the s…
A cross-sectional survey exploring HIV and HCV prevalence among men who purchase sex in Dnipro, Ukraine
Prevalence of HIV and HCV in this population was high. Given high rates of study enrolment and testing, efforts should be made to reach men who purchase sex with expanded STBBI programming
Facilities are substantially more influential than care providers in the quality of delivery care received
INTRODUCTION: Improving the quality of care during childbirth is essential for reducing neonatal and maternal mortality. One barrier to improving quality of care is understanding the appropriate level to target interventions. We examine quality of care data during labour and delivery from multiple countries to assess whether quality varies primarily from nurse to nurse within the same facility, or primarily between facilities. METHODS: To assess …
Closing the gap on institutional delivery in northern India
INTRODUCTION: Meeting ambitious global health goals with limited resources requires a precision public health (PxPH) approach. Here we describe how integrating data collection optimisation, traditional analytics and causal artificial intelligence/machine learning (ML) can be used in a use case for increasing hospital deliveries of newborns in Uttar Pradesh, India. METHODS: Using a systematic behavioural framework we designed a large-scale survey …
The contribution of district prioritization on maternal and newborn health interventions coverage in rural India
BACKGROUND: In 2001, India prioritized eight most socioeconomically disadvantaged states known as Empowered Action Group (EAG) states and in 2013, it prioritized 190 of the 718 as high priority districts (HPDs) to accelerate the decline in maternal and newborn mortality. This paper assesses whether the HPDs achieved a greater coverage of maternal and newborn health interventions than the non-HPDs and HPDs in EAG states achieved greater coverage t…
Money boys in Chengdu, China
This qualitative study highlights the complex interplay between the social and structural conditions in Chengdu, China that shape the possibilities and vulnerabilities of money boys' sexual health. Within the context of China's liberalised market economy, we explore (1) how money boys' enter the sex trade market and navigate their sexual networks; (2) how their lives are enmeshed in fields of sexual desire, stigma and coercion; and (3) how the il…
The Samata intervention to increase secondary school completion and reduce child marriage among adolescent girls
BACKGROUND: Secondary education and delayed marriage provide long-term socio-economic and health benefits to adolescent girls. We tested whether a structural and norms-based intervention, which worked with adolescent girls, their families, communities, and secondary schools to address poverty, schooling quality and gender norms, could reduce secondary school drop-out and child marriage among scheduled-caste/scheduled-tribe (SC/ST) adolescent girl…
Assessing the influence of conflict on the dynamics of sex work and the HIV and HCV epidemics in Ukraine
BACKGROUND: Armed conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and still continues. This conflict has resulted in an intensification of poverty, displacement and migration, and has weakened the local health system. Ukraine has some of the highest rates of HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV) in Europe. Whether and how the current conflict, and its consequences, will lead to changes in the HIV and HCV epidemic in Ukraine is unclear. Our study aims to characte…
Evaluation of community-based HIV self-testing delivery strategies on reducing undiagnosed HIV infection, and improving linkage to prevention and treatment services, among men who have sex with men in…
This study is one of the first programme science studies in Sub-Saharan Africa exploring the effectiveness of integrating HIVST interventions within already existing HIV prevention and treatment programmes for MSM in Kenya at scale. Findings from this study will inform national best approaches to scale up HIVST among MSM in Kenya
Effects of Exposure to an Intensive HIV-prevention Programme on Behavioural Changes among Female Sex Workers in Nairobi, Kenya
While Kenya has had a long-standing national HIV-prevention program, evidence on the level of exposure to its interventions and related effects on behavioral changes among female sex workers (FSWs) is limited. Using cross-sectional behavioral data collected in 2013 from 1 357 FSWs aged 18 years and above in Nairobi, Kenya, this study explores the relationship between FSW program exposure levels and behavioral outcomes including condom use, sexual…
Estimating early HIV risk among at risk adolescent girls and young women in Dnipro, Ukraine
By 2016, Ukraine had the second largest HIV epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia with 280,358 people living with HIV. Interventions targeted for FSWs are a key component of HIV prevention programs as heterosexual contacts continue to gain higher epidemic significance – the proportion of the sexual way of HIV transmission has steadily increased [...]
Dutiful daughters
Decades of research have documented how sex workers worldwide, particularly female sex workers (FSWs), shoulder a disproportionate burden of the HIV epidemic. In India, although a substantial progress has been made in controlling the epidemic, its prevalence among FSWs and the Devadasis (also called traditional sex workers) in northern Karnataka is still significantly high. On the other hand, much of the HIV prevention research has focused on the…
Enhancing the capacity and effectiveness of community health volunteers to improve maternal, newborn and child health
Characterizing HIV risk and vulnerability among commercial sex workers in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine
Rates of new HIV infection in Ukraine are among the highest in Europe, with the epidemic disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, including commercial sex workers (CSW). HIV prevention programme coverage for CSW in Ukraine is generally high, but the Zaporizhzhya oblast remains underserved, despite its geographic proximity to the eastern and southern regions of the country, [...]
Understanding the role of peer group membership in reducing HIV-related risk and vulnerability among female sex workers in Karnataka, India
In Karnataka state, South India, we analyzed the role of membership in peer groups in reducing HIV-related risk and vulnerability among female sex workers (FSWs). Data from three surveys conducted in Karnataka, a behavioral tracking survey and two rounds of integrated biological and behavioral assessments (IBBAs), were analyzed. Using propensity score matching, we examined the impact of group membership on selected outcomes, including condom use,…
Biomedical and Social Dimensions of HIV Prevention
The recent article by Kippax and Stephenson argues that increasing bio medicalization distorts prevention efforts.1 All prevention requires that people change their social practices and such changes can only be effectively sustained if they are supported by broader social transformation. Developing effective HIV prevention requires that the field move beyond the distinction between biomedical and social dimensions of HIV. Effective prevention req…
The Drayang Girls of Thimphu
Bhutan's sustained low HIV prevalence can be attributed to its political commitment to maintain isolation from foreign cultural influence. Recently, rising HIV prevalence has coincided with the increase in human traffic along Bhutan's borders. The majority of infections, occurring primarily through sexual contact, have appeared in the urban environments that are situated along the main transport routes. This qualitative study explored the sexual …
Use of Rapid Ethnographic Methodology to Develop a Village-Level Rapid Assessment Tool Predictive of HIV Infection in Rural India
In rural India, with hundreds of thousands of villages, a priority from a programmatic perspective is to efficiently determine which villages are at highest risk of HIV/AIDS transmission. The authors first report on the use of a rapid ethnographic approach in 10 rural villages of Karnataka, India, to develop a domains and indicators framework of village-level HIV/AIDS risk and a subsequent rapid assessment tool. They then analyze the rapid ethnog…
Migration and HIV transmission in rural South India
There is a widespread assumption in Northern Karnataka, India that HIV transmission is due to the large volume of male seasonal labour out-migration. In order to examine this issue, an ethnographic study was conducted in one of the Northern Karnataka districts using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. Findings indicate that migration does not seem to be a key factor affecting sexual behaviour among married men. Nearly 35% of ma…
Use of Rapid Ethnographic Methodology to Develop a Village-Level Rapid Assessment Tool Predictive of HIV Infection in Rural India
In rural India, with hundreds of thousands of villages, a priority from a programmatic perspective is to efficiently determine which villages are at highest risk of HIV/AIDS transmission. The authors first report on the use of a rapid ethnographic approach in 10 rural villages of Karnataka, India, to develop a domains and indicators framework of village-level HIV/AIDS risk and a subsequent rapid assessment tool. They then analyze the rapid ethnog…
Migration and HIV transmission in rural South India
There is a widespread assumption in Northern Karnataka, India that HIV transmission is due to the large volume of male seasonal labour out-migration. In order to examine this issue, an ethnographic study was conducted in one of the Northern Karnataka districts using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. Findings indicate that migration does not seem to be a key factor affecting sexual behaviour among married men. Nearly 35% of ma…
Use of Rapid Ethnographic Methodology to Develop a Village-Level Rapid Assessment Tool Predictive of HIV Infection in Rural India
In rural India, with hundreds of thousands of villages, a priority from a programmatic perspective is to efficiently determine which villages are at highest risk of HIV/AIDS transmission. The authors first report on the use of a rapid ethnographic approach in 10 rural villages of Karnataka, India, to develop a domains and indicators framework of village-level HIV/AIDS risk and a subsequent rapid assessment tool. They then analyze the rapid ethnog…
The Drayang Girls of Thimphu
Bhutan's sustained low HIV prevalence can be attributed to its political commitment to maintain isolation from foreign cultural influence. Recently, rising HIV prevalence has coincided with the increase in human traffic along Bhutan's borders. The majority of infections, occurring primarily through sexual contact, have appeared in the urban environments that are situated along the main transport routes. This qualitative study explored the sexual …
Biomedical and Social Dimensions of HIV Prevention
The recent article by Kippax and Stephenson argues that increasing bio medicalization distorts prevention efforts.1 All prevention requires that people change their social practices and such changes can only be effectively sustained if they are supported by broader social transformation. Developing effective HIV prevention requires that the field move beyond the distinction between biomedical and social dimensions of HIV. Effective prevention req…
Understanding the role of peer group membership in reducing HIV-related risk and vulnerability among female sex workers in Karnataka, India
In Karnataka state, South India, we analyzed the role of membership in peer groups in reducing HIV-related risk and vulnerability among female sex workers (FSWs). Data from three surveys conducted in Karnataka, a behavioral tracking survey and two rounds of integrated biological and behavioral assessments (IBBAs), were analyzed. Using propensity score matching, we examined the impact of group membership on selected outcomes, including condom use,…
Characterizing HIV risk and vulnerability among commercial sex workers in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine
Rates of new HIV infection in Ukraine are among the highest in Europe, with the epidemic disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, including commercial sex workers (CSW). HIV prevention programme coverage for CSW in Ukraine is generally high, but the Zaporizhzhya oblast remains underserved, despite its geographic proximity to the eastern and southern regions of the country, [...]
Enhancing the capacity and effectiveness of community health volunteers to improve maternal, newborn and child health
Effects of Exposure to an Intensive HIV-prevention Programme on Behavioural Changes among Female Sex Workers in Nairobi, Kenya
While Kenya has had a long-standing national HIV-prevention program, evidence on the level of exposure to its interventions and related effects on behavioral changes among female sex workers (FSWs) is limited. Using cross-sectional behavioral data collected in 2013 from 1 357 FSWs aged 18 years and above in Nairobi, Kenya, this study explores the relationship between FSW program exposure levels and behavioral outcomes including condom use, sexual…
Estimating early HIV risk among at risk adolescent girls and young women in Dnipro, Ukraine
By 2016, Ukraine had the second largest HIV epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia with 280,358 people living with HIV. Interventions targeted for FSWs are a key component of HIV prevention programs as heterosexual contacts continue to gain higher epidemic significance – the proportion of the sexual way of HIV transmission has steadily increased [...]
Dutiful daughters
Decades of research have documented how sex workers worldwide, particularly female sex workers (FSWs), shoulder a disproportionate burden of the HIV epidemic. In India, although a substantial progress has been made in controlling the epidemic, its prevalence among FSWs and the Devadasis (also called traditional sex workers) in northern Karnataka is still significantly high. On the other hand, much of the HIV prevention research has focused on the…
The Samata intervention to increase secondary school completion and reduce child marriage among adolescent girls
BACKGROUND: Secondary education and delayed marriage provide long-term socio-economic and health benefits to adolescent girls. We tested whether a structural and norms-based intervention, which worked with adolescent girls, their families, communities, and secondary schools to address poverty, schooling quality and gender norms, could reduce secondary school drop-out and child marriage among scheduled-caste/scheduled-tribe (SC/ST) adolescent girl…
Assessing the influence of conflict on the dynamics of sex work and the HIV and HCV epidemics in Ukraine
BACKGROUND: Armed conflict erupted in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and still continues. This conflict has resulted in an intensification of poverty, displacement and migration, and has weakened the local health system. Ukraine has some of the highest rates of HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV) in Europe. Whether and how the current conflict, and its consequences, will lead to changes in the HIV and HCV epidemic in Ukraine is unclear. Our study aims to characte…
Evaluation of community-based HIV self-testing delivery strategies on reducing undiagnosed HIV infection, and improving linkage to prevention and treatment services, among men who have sex with men in…
This study is one of the first programme science studies in Sub-Saharan Africa exploring the effectiveness of integrating HIVST interventions within already existing HIV prevention and treatment programmes for MSM in Kenya at scale. Findings from this study will inform national best approaches to scale up HIVST among MSM in Kenya
Facilities are substantially more influential than care providers in the quality of delivery care received
INTRODUCTION: Improving the quality of care during childbirth is essential for reducing neonatal and maternal mortality. One barrier to improving quality of care is understanding the appropriate level to target interventions. We examine quality of care data during labour and delivery from multiple countries to assess whether quality varies primarily from nurse to nurse within the same facility, or primarily between facilities. METHODS: To assess …
Closing the gap on institutional delivery in northern India
INTRODUCTION: Meeting ambitious global health goals with limited resources requires a precision public health (PxPH) approach. Here we describe how integrating data collection optimisation, traditional analytics and causal artificial intelligence/machine learning (ML) can be used in a use case for increasing hospital deliveries of newborns in Uttar Pradesh, India. METHODS: Using a systematic behavioural framework we designed a large-scale survey …
The contribution of district prioritization on maternal and newborn health interventions coverage in rural India
BACKGROUND: In 2001, India prioritized eight most socioeconomically disadvantaged states known as Empowered Action Group (EAG) states and in 2013, it prioritized 190 of the 718 as high priority districts (HPDs) to accelerate the decline in maternal and newborn mortality. This paper assesses whether the HPDs achieved a greater coverage of maternal and newborn health interventions than the non-HPDs and HPDs in EAG states achieved greater coverage t…
Money boys in Chengdu, China
This qualitative study highlights the complex interplay between the social and structural conditions in Chengdu, China that shape the possibilities and vulnerabilities of money boys' sexual health. Within the context of China's liberalised market economy, we explore (1) how money boys' enter the sex trade market and navigate their sexual networks; (2) how their lives are enmeshed in fields of sexual desire, stigma and coercion; and (3) how the il…
Declining fertility and increasing use of traditional methods of family planning
Uttar Pradesh (UP), with more than 220 million people, is the most populous state in India. Despite a high unmet need for modern family planning methods, the state has experienced a substantial decline in fertility. India has also seen a decline during this period which can be attributed to the increased prevalence of modern methods of family planning, particularly female sterilisation, but in UP, the corresponding increase was marginal. At the s…
A cross-sectional survey exploring HIV and HCV prevalence among men who purchase sex in Dnipro, Ukraine
Prevalence of HIV and HCV in this population was high. Given high rates of study enrolment and testing, efforts should be made to reach men who purchase sex with expanded STBBI programming
Medicine (16 works) · Environmental health (13 works) · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk (10 works) · HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions (10 works) · Sex work and related issues (10 works) · Demography (8 works) · Family medicine (8 works) · Global Maternal and Child Health (7 works) · Nursing (7 works) · Population (7 works)