Obstetrics and Gynecology Commons^™

The Case For Investing In Family Planning In The Pacific: Costs And Benefits Of Reducing Unmet Need For Contraception In Vanuatu And The Solomon Islands, Elissa C. Kennedy, Sean Mackesy-Buckley, Sumi Subramaniam, Andreas Demmke, Rufina Latu, Annette Sachs Robertson, Kabwea Tiban, Apisai Tokon, Stanley Luchters

Population Health, East Africa

Background: Unmet need for family planning in the Pacific is among the highest in the world. Better understanding of required investments and associated benefits of increased access to family planning in the Pacific may assist prioritisation and funding.

Methods: We modelled the costs and associated health, demographic and economic impacts of reducing unmet need for family planning between 2010-2025 in Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. Baseline data were obtained from census reports, Demographic and Health Surveys, and UN agency reports. Using a demographic modelling program we compared a scenario of "no change in unmet need" with two distinct scenarios: 1) …

Family Planning Knowledge, Attitude And Practice Among Married Couples In Jimma Zone, Ethiopia, Tizta Tilahun, Gily Coene, Stanley Luchters, Wondwosen Kassahun, Els Leye, Marleen Temmerman, Olivier Degomme

Population Health, East Africa

Background: Understanding why people do not use family planning is critical to address unmet needs and to increase contraceptive use. According to the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey 2011, most women and men had knowledge on some family planning methods but only about 29% of married women were using contraceptives. 20% women had an unmet need for family planning. We examined knowledge, attitudes and contraceptive practice as well as factors related to contraceptive use in Jimma zone, Ethiopia.

Methods: Data were collected from March to May 2010 among 854 married couples using a multi-stage sampling design. Quantitative data based on …

Performance And Measurement Of A Community-Based Distribution Model Of Family Planning Services In Pakistan, Syed Khurram Azmat, Shirin Ahmed, Waqas Hameed, Mohsina Bilgrami, Ayesha Khan, Adnan Ahmad Khan, Ghulam Mustafa

Community Health Sciences

Introduction: Community-based distribution (CBD) has been successfully applied to family planning (FP) services worldwide. It forms the basis for the large lady health worker (LHW) programme in Pakistan which serves a limited number of women with contraception services. Thus, the concept has seen limited application in Pakistan. We present the outcomes of a CBD model that was implemented in 49 districts across Pakistan by a non-government organization (NGO).
Methods: The Marie Stopes Society (MSS) developed a CBD model around its fixed centres and reached around half a million married women of reproductive age (MWRA) with services. The services provided included …

Social Franchising And Vouchers To Promote Long-Term Methods Of Family Planning In Rural Pakistan: A Qualitative Stocktaking With Stakeholders, Syed Khurram Azmat, Ghulam Mustafa, Waqas Hameed, Jamshaid Asghar, Aftab Ahmed, Babar T. Shaikh

Community Health Sciences

Background: The overall use of modern contraception in Pakistan is quite low, especially in rural areas. Several studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of social franchising (SF) approaches in increasing access to modern contraception and improving the quality of healthcare in resource-poor areas in Asia and Africa. Drawing on best practices in SF, the Marie Stopes Society (MSS) implemented an SF model in certain rural areas of Pakistan to increase access to affordable and quality family planning (FP) services. The model was branded as Suraj (sun) and complemented with an innovative voucher scheme for intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUCDs). This paper describes …