{"title":"Searching for Needles in a Haystack: Exploring Alternative Operational Approaches to Classify the Safety of Induced Abortions Using Respondent-Driven Sampling Data From Two Sub-Saharan African Settings.","authors":"Onikepe O Owolabi,Clémentine Rossier,Rachidatou Compaore,Caron Kim,Bela Ganatra,Ramatou Ouedraogo,Moussa Zan,Martin Bangha,Adama Baguiya,","doi":"10.1111/sifp.12276","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/sifp.12276","url":null,"abstract":"This study aims to describe the circumstances under which women obtained abortions in two sites, explore more nuanced approaches to classify abortion safety and examine the relationship between safety and self-reported health outcomes. We analyze data on the most recent abortion or only abortion reported by 551 women in Nairobi slums and 479 women in rural Kaya ages 15-49 years within the three years preceding the study, recruited via respondent-driven sampling. Using the most liberal safety classification, there were very few safe abortions (8 percent in Nairobi and 5 percent in Burkina Faso). A significant proportion of women reported using unidentified pills which we hypothesize may be medication abortion. Although a smaller proportion of women with safe abortions reported side effects, more of them reported side effects suggestive of infections and sought care for their symptoms. It is important that we explore and move towards more nuanced global safety classifications that more accurately reflect the risk associated with different methods and can capture women's access to comprehensive abortion care and its impact on their health.","PeriodicalId":22069,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Family Planning","volume":"191 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142328677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Carolina Cardona, Dana Sarnak, Alison Gemmill, Peter Gichangi, Mary Thiongo, Philip Anglewicz
{"title":"Are Contraceptive Method Preferences Stable? Measuring Change in the Preferred Method among Kenyan Women.","authors":"Carolina Cardona, Dana Sarnak, Alison Gemmill, Peter Gichangi, Mary Thiongo, Philip Anglewicz","doi":"10.1111/sifp.12271","DOIUrl":"10.1111/sifp.12271","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Contraceptive preferences are important for reproductive outcomes, such as contraceptive continuation and pregnancy. Current approaches to measuring reproductive preferences in population surveys are limited to exploring only fertility preferences and implicitly assume that contracepting people are using a method they want. We know that people change their fertility preferences over the life course as a response to life events, but there is no information about changes in contraceptive preferences, given the limited evidence about the measurement and distribution of contraceptive preferences. In this study, we examined the extent of change in women's contraceptive preferences over one year and identified characteristics associated with this change in Kenya using three rounds of nationally representative longitudinal data. Over one year, 18 percent of contraceptive users and 46 percent of contraceptive nonusers reported changes in their preferred contraceptive. Experiencing a pregnancy or birth and changes in marital status were associated with changes in contraceptive preferences for users and nonusers. We found that contraceptive preferences are dynamic, suggesting that family planning programs should ensure people's access to various methods to respond to women's changing circumstances and preferences.</p>","PeriodicalId":22069,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Family Planning","volume":" ","pages":"193-214"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141620961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ann Gottert, Sanyukta Mathur, Mayi Gnofam, Jim Sailer, Julie Pulerwitz, Lisa B Haddad
{"title":"Men's Willingness to Use and Preferences for Novel Male Contraceptive Methods in Malawi.","authors":"Ann Gottert, Sanyukta Mathur, Mayi Gnofam, Jim Sailer, Julie Pulerwitz, Lisa B Haddad","doi":"10.1111/sifp.12275","DOIUrl":"10.1111/sifp.12275","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Evidence is needed in low- and middle-income countries regarding men's willingness to use new male contraceptive methods in development, preferences regarding method attributes, and what shapes willingness/preferences. We analyzed data from cross-sectional surveys with 611 men in Malawi, concerning willingness to use each of four types of new male methods. Mean age was 24.5 years; half (50 percent) were married/cohabiting. Over half (51 percent) of men expressed willingness to use at least one new male method, including a topical contraceptive gel (33 percent), injection (32 percent), pill (29 percent), and implant (14 percent). Many male product attributes were considered important (with 59-67 percent endorsement), including ease of use, comfort of use, side effects, partner approval, type of method, frequency of facility visits, and cost. A prevalent reported reason for willingness was to \"share responsibility for family planning with my partner\" (44 percent). In multivariate regression analyses, willingness was inversely associated with inequitable gender attitudes (p < 0.001) and was not associated with married/cohabiting status, using condoms, or perceived risk for HIV. These findings add to growing evidence that a majority of men express willingness to use new male contraceptive methods like a topical gel, injectable, or pill. Reflection around gender roles is likely critical within future education about male contraceptive methods.</p>","PeriodicalId":22069,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Family Planning","volume":" ","pages":"215-227"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141907758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
John B Casterline, Laila El-Zeini, Mobolaji Ibitoye
{"title":"Assessing Trends in the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy: A Cautionary Note.","authors":"John B Casterline, Laila El-Zeini, Mobolaji Ibitoye","doi":"10.1111/sifp.12270","DOIUrl":"10.1111/sifp.12270","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The desire to avoid pregnancy-to delay the next birth or have no further births-is a fundamental sexual and reproductive health indicator. We show that two readily available measures-prospective fertility preferences and the demand for contraception [Demand] construct-provide substantially different portraits of historical trends. They also yield correspondingly different assessments of the sources of contraceptive change. We argue, with supporting empirical evidence, that Demand enormously overstates the historical trend in the desire to avoid pregnancy because Demand as currently constructed is in part a function of contraceptive prevalence. This makes for \"reverse causality\" in decompositions of contraceptive change, producing an upward distortion on the order of 25 percentage points in the amount of contraceptive change attributed to a change in fertility desires. Decomposition of contraception change free of the distortion reveals that contraceptive change has been due almost entirely to more complete implementation of fertility preferences. This is explained in part by the surprisingly slight historical change in preferences, a fact we document and then show is a consequence of a historical shift in parity composition toward lower parities.</p>","PeriodicalId":22069,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Family Planning","volume":" ","pages":"175-191"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141752778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Thomas Spoorenberg, Ellen Øen Carlsen, Martin Flatø, Marcin Stonawski, Vegard Skirbekk
{"title":"The Global Adolescent Fertility Decline is Counteracted by Increasing Teen Births in Sub-Saharan Africa.","authors":"Thomas Spoorenberg, Ellen Øen Carlsen, Martin Flatø, Marcin Stonawski, Vegard Skirbekk","doi":"10.1111/sifp.12273","DOIUrl":"10.1111/sifp.12273","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There is a lack of understanding of the persistence of elevated teen fertility rates in certain regions and countries, in contrast to the significant decline observed in other regions globally. This report considers fertility trends among 15- to 19-year olds in the period 1950-2020 and explores potential driving factors behind the significant shifts that occurred over this period. The countries where teen fertility remains high are those with fast-growing populations, primarily located in sub-Saharan Africa. Countries with higher teen fertility are typically characterized by limited use of modern contraception, lower education levels, and early marriage. Sub-Saharan Africa has emerged as the world region with the most teen births, increasing its proportion of global teen births from 12 percent in 1950 to 47 percent in 2020, a time during which this region's share of the global adolescent (15-19) population grew from 7.5 percent to 19 percent. By 2035, 67 percent of all teen births globally are projected to occur in this region. Consequently, the future number of births to teenage mothers will to a large extent depend on the development in sub-Saharan Africa over the coming decades.</p>","PeriodicalId":22069,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Family Planning","volume":" ","pages":"229-245"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141620962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kendal Danna, Danielle M Harris, Claire W Rothschild, Beth Brogaard, Elizabeth LaCroix, Mahesh Paudel
{"title":"There's an App for That: Exploring the Market for Contraceptive Fertility Tracking Apps in the Philippines.","authors":"Kendal Danna, Danielle M Harris, Claire W Rothschild, Beth Brogaard, Elizabeth LaCroix, Mahesh Paudel","doi":"10.1111/sifp.12265","DOIUrl":"10.1111/sifp.12265","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>For generations, women have relied on fertility awareness methods to plan and prevent pregnancy, for over a decade, many have been aided by digital tools to do so. New contraceptive fertility tracking apps (CFTAs)-that are backed by clinical efficacy trials to support their effectiveness as contraception-have the potential to enhance method choice and offer users a unique contraceptive option, but there is little evidence to inform the decisions around expanding access, particularly in low-and middle-income countries. We conducted a mixed methods study with quantitative online surveys (n = 1600) and qualitative interviews (n = 36) to explore the potential appeal of and demand for a hypothetical CFTA in one such market, the Philippines. Interest in using a CFTA was high among our Internet-engaged, urban study population, with 83.9% \"definitely\" or \"probably\" interested in using it. Across demographic profiles, respondents perceived the appeal of the method as \"natural\" and \"convenient.\" A majority were willing to pay for the method, though notably at a price (5.20 USD) below that of currently available CFTAs. We discuss various important factors to be considered before bringing a method like this to new markets, including the potential implications of equity constraints in reaching a wider market and the unexpected prevalence of other period-tracking apps not intended as contraception being used in this market that could complicate any future roll-out. These issues could be explored further with additional research.</p>","PeriodicalId":22069,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Family Planning","volume":" ","pages":"151-169"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141293726","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lauren B. Zapata, Katherine Kortsmit, Kathryn M. Curtis, Lisa Romero, Stacey Hurst, Eva Lathrop, Edna Acosta Perez, Marizaida Sánchez Cesáreo, Maura K. Whiteman
{"title":"Continuation of Reversible Contraception Following Enrollment in the Zika Contraception Access Network (Z‐CAN) in Puerto Rico, 2016–2020","authors":"Lauren B. Zapata, Katherine Kortsmit, Kathryn M. Curtis, Lisa Romero, Stacey Hurst, Eva Lathrop, Edna Acosta Perez, Marizaida Sánchez Cesáreo, Maura K. Whiteman","doi":"10.1111/sifp.12262","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/sifp.12262","url":null,"abstract":"The Zika Contraception Access Network (Z‐CAN) provided access to high‐quality client‐centered contraceptive services across Puerto Rico during the 2016–2017 Zika virus outbreak. We sent online surveys during May 2017–August 2020 to a subset of Z‐CAN patients at 6, 24, and 36 months after program enrollment (response rates: 55–60 percent). We described contraceptive method continuation, method satisfaction, and method switching, and we identified characteristics associated with discontinuation using multivariable logistic regression. Across all contraceptive methods, continuation was 82.5 percent, 64.2 percent, and 49.9 percent at 6, 24, and 36 months, respectively. Among continuing users, method satisfaction was approximately ≥90 percent. Characteristics associated with decreased likelihood of discontinuation included: using an intrauterine device or implant compared with a nonlong‐acting reversible contraceptive method (shot, pills, ring, patch, or condoms alone); wanting to prevent pregnancy at follow‐up; and receiving as their baseline method the same method primarily used before Z‐CAN. Other associated characteristics included: receiving the method they were most interested in postcounseling (6 and 24 months) and being very satisfied with Z‐CAN services at the initial visit (6 months). Among those wanting to prevent pregnancy at follow‐up, about half reported switching to another method. Ongoing access to contraceptive services is essential for promoting reproductive autonomy, including supporting patients with continued use, method switching, or discontinuation.","PeriodicalId":22069,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Family Planning","volume":"98 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140651825","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Salomé Henriette Paulette Drouard, Stephan Brenner, Delphin Antwisi, Ndeye Khady Toure, Supriya Madhavan, Günther Fink, Gil Shapira
{"title":"Effects of performance‐based financing on availability, quality, and use of family planning services in the Democratic Republic of Congo: An Impact Evaluation","authors":"Salomé Henriette Paulette Drouard, Stephan Brenner, Delphin Antwisi, Ndeye Khady Toure, Supriya Madhavan, Günther Fink, Gil Shapira","doi":"10.1111/sifp.12264","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/sifp.12264","url":null,"abstract":"Access to high‐quality family planning services remains limited in many low‐ and middle‐income countries, resulting in a high burden of unintended pregnancies and adverse health outcomes. We used data from a large randomized controlled trial in the Democratic Republic of Congo to test whether performance‐based financing (PBF) can increase the availability, quality, and use of family planning services. Starting at the end of 2016, 30 health zones were randomly assigned to a PBF program, in which health facilities received financing conditional on the quantity and quality of offered services. Twenty‐eight health zones were assigned to a control group in which health facilities received unconditional financing of a similar magnitude. Follow‐up data collection took place in 2021–2022 and included 346 health facility assessments, 476 direct clinical observations of family planning consultations, and 9,585 household surveys. Findings from multivariable regression models show that the PBF program had strong positive impacts on the availability and quality of family planning services. Specifically, the program increased the likelihood that health facilities offered any family planning services by 20 percentage points and increased the likelihood that health facilities had contraceptive pills, injectables, and implants available by 23, 24, and 20 percentage points, respectively. The program also improved the process quality of family planning consultations by 0.59 standard deviations. Despite these improvements, and in addition to reductions in service fees, the program had a modest impact on contraceptive use, increasing the modern method use among sexually active women of reproductive age by 4 percentage points (equivalent to a 37 percent increase), with no significant impact on adolescent contraceptive use. These results suggest that although PBF can be an effective approach for improving the supply of family planning services, complementary demand‐side interventions are likely needed in a setting with very low baseline utilization.","PeriodicalId":22069,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Family Planning","volume":"301 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140608126","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yasaman Zia, Ushma Upadhyay, Isaac Rhew, Syovata Kimanthi, Ouma Congo, Maricianah Onono, Ruanne Barnabas, Nelly Mugo, Elizabeth A. Bukusi, Elizabeth K. Harrington
{"title":"Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Validation of the Sexual and Reproductive Empowerment Scale for Adolescents and Young Adults in Kenya","authors":"Yasaman Zia, Ushma Upadhyay, Isaac Rhew, Syovata Kimanthi, Ouma Congo, Maricianah Onono, Ruanne Barnabas, Nelly Mugo, Elizabeth A. Bukusi, Elizabeth K. Harrington","doi":"10.1111/sifp.12263","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/sifp.12263","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding the levels of power that adolescent girls and young women exercise in their sexual and reproductive lives is imperative to inform interventions to help them meet their goals. We implemented an adapted version of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Empowerment (SRE) Scale for Adolescents and Young Adults among 500 adolescent girls and young women aged 15–20 in Kisumu, Kenya. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess factor structure, and logistic regression to examine construct validity through the relationship between empowerment scores and ability to mitigate risk of undesired pregnancy through consistent contraceptive use. Participants had a mean age of 17.5, and most were students (61 percent), were currently partnered (94 percent), and reported having sex in the past 3 months (70 percent). The final, 26‐item CFA model had acceptable fit. All subscales had Cronbach's alpha scores >0.7, and all items had rotated factor loadings >0.5, indicating good internal consistency and robust factor‐variable associations. The total SRE‐Kenya (SRE‐K) score was associated with increased odds of the consistent method used in the past three months (adjusted odds ratio: 1.98, 95 percent CI: 1.29–3.10). The SRE‐K scale is a newly adapted and valid measure of sexual and reproductive empowerment specific to adolescent girls and young women in an East African setting.","PeriodicalId":22069,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Family Planning","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-04-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140551923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/sifp.12261","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/sifp.12261","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":22069,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Family Planning","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140040315","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}