PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Burke, Holly M. AU - Callahan, Rebecca L. AU - Lawton, Anna AU - Turinayo, Abigail AU - Oyekenu, Oluwatoyin AU - Niyonsaba, Sheila AU - Taiwo, Oladunni AU - Semaganda, Victor Muwonge AU - Awiti, Andy AU - Fratus, Audrey AU - Mubiru, Fredrick AU - OlaOlorun, Funmilola M. TI - Using Human-Centered Design to Explore Potential Users' and Men's Views of New Injectable Contraceptives in Kampala and Lagos AID - 10.9745/GHSP-D-23-00215 DP - 2023 Dec 22 TA - Global Health: Science and Practice PG - e2300215 VI - 11 IP - 6 4099 - http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/11/6/e2300215.short 4100 - http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/11/6/e2300215.full SO - GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT2023 Dec 22; 11 AB - Key FindingsMarket research was conducted to assess users' attitudes in Kampala and Lagos about potential 4- and 6-month injectable products and found that current and potential injectable users and men liked both injectable products because of the reduced number of facility visits.Participants cited the option to self-inject as another benefit of the 4-month injectable but had concerns about side effects, cost, fear of improper administration with self-injection, and availability of the product because of continuous stock-outs of the 3-month injectable.For the 6-month injectable, participants reported the benefits of provider administration and longer length of action, which they also cited as a concern because of delayed return to fertility for those wanting to have children. Side effects and cost were also concerns.Participants felt the 4-month injectable would benefit young, busy people, whereas the 6-month would benefit women with children wanting to space births.Key ImplicationsThe new 4- and 6-month injectables explored in this study were appealing to women and men in Kampala and Lagos. Family planning program planners can apply the marketing insights we identified when these new injectables become available.Background:Injectable contraceptives are the most used method in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted market research to assess potential user attitudes toward 4- and 6-month injectables. We also present user suggestions for marketing these new injectables once they are available.Methods:We implemented a 2-phase market research study from October through December 2021 in Kampala, Uganda, and Lagos, Nigeria. We conducted 11 focus group discussions (FGDs) with 51 participants in Kampala and 12 FGDs with 67 participants in Lagos. FGDs included current and potential injectable users and men stratified by marital status and age. Next, 23 women in Kampala and 24 in Lagos participated in cocreation workshops using human-centered design methods to explore marketing and communications strategies for each injectable. Data collection teams completed semistructured data extraction tables that were then analyzed thematically.Results:Participants liked both injectable options due to the reduced number of facility visits that would save time and money and increase privacy. Primary concerns included side effects, delayed return to fertility, cost, self-efficacy to self-inject, and stock-outs. Participants in Kampala preferred a shorter reinjection window (or “grace period”) because it is easier to remember and they assumed it meant a quicker return to fertility, but participants in Lagos preferred a longer window because it provides extra time for reinjection. Citing norms around women needing to get pregnant quickly after marriage, participants in both sites felt that the 4-month injectable would benefit young people with busy lifestyles or limited access to facilities, whereas the 6-month injectable would benefit women who already had children.Conclusions:We found that participants in Kampala and Lagos would prefer additional injectable options to meet the wide-ranging needs of users in different stages of their reproductive lives. Family planning program planners can apply the marketing insights we identified when these new injectables become available.