Reproductive health and culture

In the field of reproductive health, the PRC collaborates with the NIDI (Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute) in The Hague, in the HERA research programme (HEalthy reproduction: Research for Action).

Projects

• Ongoing research projects
• Research for Action
• Capacity building

HERA was established in 1996 and is partly funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Netherlands. Inge Hutter is the coordinator of HERA. The Steering Committee consists of Nico van Nimwegen (NIDI), Bart de Bruijn (NIDI), Frans Willekens and Inge Hutter.

HERA is involved in different activities, not only in research but also in the dissemination of research. Research is disseminated through health educational campaigns, education via courses and workshops, and consultation.

Research Perspectives adopted by HERA

• a particular theoretical framework, the process-context approach, in which reproductive health behaviour is seen as the outcome of a decision-making process within the particular context (economic, social, cultural, life course or historical) in which people live
• the quantitative and qualitative research methods implied by the adoption of the process-context approach
• a comparative framework - research is conducted in different countries and states
• research projects are always conducted in cooperation with research institutes and NGOs in the countries concerned; research should not only lead to knowledge, but results should also be used and return to the people concerned in order to improve their reproductive health status