Keywords
Contraception; Birth spacing; Baseline survey; Rural Pakistan
Abstract
Background High fertility, ill-timed and unwanted pregnancies, closely spaced births and slow as well as limited utilization of Family Planning (FP) services, despite the huge demand for such services, are well documented contributors to maternal and child mortality and morbidity. Moreover, there are wide disparities between urban and rural areas with worst maternal and child health indicators being in poor and rural areas. This paper describes the overall rationale, design and baseline population metrics of the research project “Evidence for Innovating to Save Lives”.
Methods A multi-year operational research quasi-experimental (pre and post intervention with control) mixed method study with sequential implementation at design level was employed in eight districts of Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa (KPK) provinces using two separate interventions. The cross-sectional baseline (or pre evaluation) survey was conducted both in proposed intervention and control areas with a total of 5566 married women of reproductive age (15-49 years) to capture contraceptive practice, behaviour and future intentions
Results More than 11% of the respondents reported as currently pregnant and out of those around 40% in the intervention arms and more than 30% in control reported that they did not want to get pregnant. Around 45% of respondents in both interventions arms and more than 35% in control did not wanted any more children. Only 30% of the respondents from Suraj intervention, 14% of the women in CMW intervention areas and 24% in the control arm were using any modern contraception and majority cited affordability, quality and short term effectiveness as reasons for using these methods. Across all study sites, condoms followed by injections and pills were the common method while only around 3% reported IUD use. About two thirds of the women currently not using contraception in intervention and more than half in control areas expressed their intention to use contraception in future.
Conclusion: The baseline findings demonstrate a huge need for contraception, desire to space births and willingness of the majority of women to avail FP and birth spacing services.
Citation
Azmat SK, Mustafa G, Ishaque M, Hameed W, Abbas G, Khan OF, Ali S, and Ahmed A. Modern Family Planning Method Practices, Awareness and Future Use in the Evidence for Innovating to Save Lives Project Sites – Research Design and Baseline Population Metrics. SM J Public Health Epidemiol. 2019; 5(1): 1055.