Family Planning and Reproductive Health
- Leveraging the Client-Provider Interaction to Address Contraceptive Discontinuation: A Scoping Review of the Evidence That Links Them
After examining existing evidence on contraceptive counseling and its impact on discontinuation, this scoping review identifies principles and priorities for better rights-based counseling, yet also illuminates the need for more evidence to understand relationships between counseling and discontinuation.
- Using Human-Centered Design to Develop, Launch, and Evaluate a National Digital Health Platform to Improve Reproductive Health for Rwandan Youth
Human-centered design, done with attention to meaningful participation, equity, and accessibility, is an effective methodology to design digital health interventions with and for youth as it places their unique needs and motivations at the center of the design and helps to ensure usability, equity, and accessibility.
- Young People’s Experiences With an Empowerment-Based Behavior Change Intervention to Prevent Sexual Violence in Nairobi Informal Settlements: A Qualitative Study
This study indicates that an empowerment-based, behavioral intervention can contribute to equipping both adolescent girls and boys with concrete skills to recognize and resist sexual violence and can promote positive, nonviolent masculinities among adolescent boys.
- Trends in National-Level Governance and Implementation of the Philippines’ Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law from 2014 to 2020
National-level implementation of the Philippines’ Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law has been fragmented and programmatic and centered on family planning rather than multisectoral and holistic. Establishing a common narrative can secure the buy-in of different sectors and open policy solutions to address the structural determinants of reproductive health.
- Faith-Based Advocacy for Family Planning Works: Evidence From Kenya and Zambia
Faith-based organizations and religious leaders can be effective family planning advocates for policy change, funding, and services. To do so, they need evidence-based knowledge, training, support within their faith communities, as well as respect for their beliefs and values.
- Use of Fertility Awareness-Based Methods for Pregnancy Prevention Among Ghanaian Women: A Nationally Representative Cross-Sectional Survey
At least 18% of Ghanaian female contraceptors rely primarily upon a fertility awareness-based method (FABM), and most wish to learn how to improve its effectiveness but are insufficiently supported to do so. Researchers, programmers, and funders should better understand and address FABM users' needs, in commitment to reproductive autonomy and choice.
- Economic Evaluation of Provision of Postpartum Intrauterine Device Services in Bangladesh and Tanzania
Provision of a postpartum intrauterine device (PPIUD) within 48 hours of delivery was highly cost-effective compared with standard practice in 2 lower middle-income countries. Policy makers should consider expansion of postpartum family planning counseling and introduction of immediate PPIUD services as an added tool to address the unmet need for contraception.
- Expanding Contraceptive Method Choice With a Hormonal Intrauterine System: Results From Mixed Methods Studies in Kenya and Zambia
Although the hormonal intrauterine system has limited availability in low- and middle-income countries, this highly effective long-acting reversible contraceptive method has the potential to be an important addition to the method mix. Introduction of the method in the public sector under “real-world” conditions in Kenya and Zambia shows promise to increase contraception use and continuation.
- Meeting the Global Target in Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Care Services in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
What progress has been achieved toward reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health service related Sustainable Development Goals? Analyzing data to estimate coverage of these indicators, we observed that acceleration is needed in coordinated global efforts and government policies to ensure universal access to RMNCH care services by 2030.
- Contraceptive Method Mix: Updates and Implications
Trends in contraceptive method mix show that dominance of 1 method in the mix remains very common, though countries and regions throughout the world are diverse as to which method is dominant. Our analysis argues for continued concerted efforts of programs to increase contraceptive method choice.