Suchergebnisse

This study examines the relationship between common objective measures of quality and perceptions of the quality of family planning facilities. Results of prior research indicate that such perceptions are an important determinant of contraceptive use in rural Tanzania. The data for this study are drawn from two surveys conducted in rural Tanzania. Three models are tested separately for women and for men. The important determinants of perceptions of quality among women and men are: perceived travel time to the facility, availability of immunizations, and availability of maternal and child health services. Additionally, the ratio of the number of staff to outpatients is important to men. The data explain a moderate amount of the variance in the quality measures, indicating that perceived quality is not fully predicted by common objective measures of quality. Future surveys of facility quality should develop objective measures to better predict the perceived quality, with the underlying goal of increasing contraceptive use.

This paper explores the association between pregnancy intention and father involvement in Guatemala. Father involvement is measured by whether the child lives with his/her father, whether a non-residential father provides financial support, and whether the child is registered with the non-residential father's last name. Data are from separate surveys of women and men. Overall, a greater percentage of men reported that they live with their children and that their children were intended than the percentage of women who reported residential fathers and intended pregnancies. Multivariate logistic regression analyses, controlling for other variables, find that pregnancy intention is associated with father involvement. Both men and women reported that their child was more likely to be registered with the father's name if that child was intended. Men also reported that they were significantly more likely to be involved in their children's lives financially if those non- residential children were intended. Programs and policies that try to prevent unintended pregnancies or that try to involve the father in the pregnancy before the birth may result in an increase in father involvement and thus may have a significant impact on child well-being in Guatemala.

A quasi‐experimental design is used in this study to evaluate the "Entre Nous Jeunes" peer‐educator program to promote STI/HlV‐preventive behaviors in Nkongsamba, Cameroon. The main objective of the study is to assess whether the young people exposed to a peer educator gained greater knowledge and practiced more protective behaviors than did those in the control community and those who were not exposed. During the 18‐month intervention period, the peer educators were able to reach a large number of young people, specifically those who were sexually experienced and in need of reproductive health information. Multivariate analyses indicate that contact with a peer educator is statistically significantly associated with greater spontaneous knowledge of modern contraception, the symptoms of sexually transmitted infections, and greater use of modern contraceptives, including the condom. In the absence of a peer‐education program, current contraceptive use in the intervention community would have been significantly lower.

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, and its population is expected to double in <25 years (Central Intelligence Agency 2012; Fotso et al. 2011). Over half of the population already lives in an urban area, and by 2050, that proportion will increase to three quarters (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division 2012; Measurement Learning & Evaluation Project, Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative, National Population Commission 2012). Reducing unwanted and unplanned pregnancies through reliable access to high-quality modern contraceptives, especially among the urban poor, could make a major contribution to moderating population growth and improving the livelihood of urban residents. This study uses facility census data to create and assign aggregate-level family planning (FP) supply index scores to 19 local government areas (LGAs) across six selected cities of Nigeria. It then explores the relationships between public and private sector FP services and determines whether contraceptive access and availability in either sector is correlated with community-level wealth. Data show pronounced variability in contraceptive access and availability across LGAs in both sectors, with a positive correlation between public sector and private sector supply environments and only localized associations between the FP supply environments and poverty. These results will be useful for program planners and policy makers to improve equal access to contraception through the expansion or redistribution of services in focused urban areas.

A panel study examining the effects of women's individual characteristics, side effects experienced, and service quality on their contraceptive discontinuation was undertaken in four urban areas of Honduras. Data were collected from October 2006 to December 2007. The baseline sample consisted of 800 women aged 15–44 who were new or continuing users of an injectable contraceptive, the IUD, or an oral contraceptive. A total of 671 women (84 percent) were reinterviewed after one year. Life tables and Cox proportional hazards models were used to present discontinuation rates and factors associated with contraceptive discontinuation. Among new users, discontinuation of the baseline method at 12 months was high (45 percent), especially for users of an injectable method (50 percent). In the hazards model, service quality had little effect on discontinuation, whereas individual characteristics and the experience of specific side effects showed significant effects. The results suggest that programs should emphasize continuous contraceptive coverage rather than continuous use of a particular method.