Comparison of General FP Program Interventions and Additional AYSRH Interventions in Three Ugandan Local Governments
General FP Program Only | General FP+AYSRH Program | |
---|---|---|
Advocacy | Increased government allocations to FP | Increased government financial allocations for FP and AYSRH |
FP champions |
Youth engagement: • Governance level: monthly program implementation team meetings through youth champions • Community level: intergenerational dialogues with parents, community leaders, and key elder influencers With interfaith religious leaders discussing AYSRH | |
Service delivery | Whole-site orientations related to FP, including commodity and data management | • Additional whole-site orientations for reducing bias toward youth who access contraceptives and dispelling myths about the appropriateness of all methods |
Health facility strengthening through 72-hour makeovers | Quality improvement through application of national standards for adolescent- and youth-friendly health services and supervisory checklists, with specific attention to reducing health provider biases | |
Integrated FP outreachesa and in-reachesb | Integrated youth-focused outreachesa and in-reachesb | |
Fixed-day services at facilities | Additional fixed-day services for youth in the same facilities as fixed-day services for general FP program | |
Supportive supervision on providing FP methods | Supportive supervision by district quality assessment teams emphasized the provision of all contraceptive methods including long-acting reversible contraceptive methods; assessment and implementation of the quality checklist | |
Postpartum FP for all women |
• Postpartum FP for young mothers (particularly unmarried teenagers) Pharmacy engagement and training on reducing bias and eliminating myths and misconceptions about AYSRH and ensuring referrals for long-acting reversible contraceptive methods | |
Demand generation | Counseling and referrals through trained community health volunteers | • Counseling and referrals through trained community health volunteers, who include youth recruits and youth champions |
Male engagement initiatives |
• WhatsApp groups for youth • Social mobilization through community events • Radio segments on AYSRH |
Abbreviations: AYSRH, adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health; FP, family planning.
↵a An integrated FP outreach is a health service delivery activity done in the community away from the facility to bring contraceptive services closer to the community. The services are provided at the community level within locally available venues—such as schools, social halls, workplaces, community grounds, markets, and religious facilities—focusing on both men and women of reproductive age.27
↵b In-reaches describe the provision of FP services to clients mobilized from the community to a particular facility, usually a primary health center, on designated days of the week. The facility providers where in-reaches occur work closely with the community social mobilizers to synchronize mobilization days to clinic days for seamless service provision.28