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Hellwig F, Moreira LR, Silveira MF, Vieira CS, Rios-Quituizaca PB, Masabanda M, Serucaca J, Rudasingwa S, Nyandwi A, Mulu S, Rashad H, Barros AJD. Policies for expanding family planning coverage: lessons from five successful countries. Front Public Health 2024; 12:1339725. [PMID: 38808004 PMCID: PMC11131167 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1339725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Enhancing the design of family planning interventions is crucial for promoting gender equality and improving maternal and child health outcomes. We identified, critically appraised, and synthesized policies and strategies from five selected countries that successfully increased family planning coverage. Methods We conducted a policy analysis through a scoping review and document search, focusing on documents published from 1950 to 2023 that examined or assessed policies aimed at enhancing family planning coverage in Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Rwanda. A search was conducted through PubMed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science. Government documents and conference proceedings were also critically analyzed. National health surveys were analyzed to estimate time trends in demand for family planning satisfied by modern methods (mDFPS) at the national level and by wealth. Changes in the method mix were also assessed. The findings of the studies were presented in a narrative synthesis. Findings We selected 231 studies, in which 196 policies were identified. All countries started to endorse family planning in the 1960s, with the number of identified policies ranging between 21 in Ecuador and 52 in Ethiopia. Most of the policies exclusively targeted women and were related to supplying contraceptives and enhancing the quality of the services. Little focus was found on monitoring and evaluation of the policies implemented. Conclusion Among the five selected countries, a multitude of actions were happening simultaneously, each with its own vigor and enthusiasm. Our findings highlight that these five countries were successful in increasing family planning coverage by implementing broader multi-sectoral policies and considering the diverse needs of the population, as well as the specific contextual factors at play. Successful policies require a nuanced consideration of how these policies align with each culture's framework, recognizing that both sociocultural norms and the impact of past public policies shape the current state of family planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franciele Hellwig
- International Center for Equity in Health, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Alypio Nyandwi
- African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Hoda Rashad
- Social Research Center, The American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Aluísio J. D. Barros
- International Center for Equity in Health, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
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Krug C, Neuman M, Rosen JE, Weinberger M, Wallach S, Lagaay M, Punton M, Prakash A, Nsanya MK, Ayieko P, Kapiga S, Ajayi YP, Crawford EE, Tenaw E, Mussa M, Shrestha SK, Bottomley C, Hargreaves JR, Doyle AM. Effect and cost-effectiveness of human-centred design-based approaches to increase adolescent uptake of modern contraceptives in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania: Population-based, quasi-experimental studies. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 3:e0002347. [PMID: 37851610 PMCID: PMC10584105 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Around half of adolescent pregnancies in low- and middle-income countries are unintended, contributing to millions of unsafe abortions per year. Adolescents 360 (A360), a girl-centred initiative, aimed to increase voluntary uptake of modern contraceptives among adolescents in Nigeria, Ethiopia and Tanzania. We evaluated the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of A360 in increasing modern contraceptive use in selected geographies. We used before-and-after cross-sectional studies of adolescent girls in four settings. Two Nigerian settings had purposefully selected comparison areas. Baseline and endline household surveys were conducted. The primary study outcome was modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR). Secondary outcomes mapped onto the A360 Theory of Change. Interpretation was aided by a process evaluation along with secular mCPR trends and self-reported A360 exposure data. Incremental design and implementation costs were calculated from implementer systems, site visits, surveys, and interviews. mCPR change was modelled into maternal disability-adjusted life years (DALY) averted to calculate incremental cost-effectiveness ratios. In Oromia, Ethiopia, mCPR increased by 5% points (95% CI 1-10; n = 1,697). In Nigeria, there was no evidence of an effect of A360 on mCPR in Nasarawa (risk ratio: 0·96, 95% CI: 0·76-1·21; n = 5,414) or in Ogun (risk ratio: 1·08, 95% CI: 0·92-1·26; n = 3,230). In Mwanza, Tanzania, mCPR decreased by 9% points (-17 to -0.3; n = 1,973). Incremental cost per DALY averted were $30,855 in Oromia, $111,416 in Nasarawa, $30,114 in Ogun, and $25,579 in Mwanza. Costs per DALY averted were 14-53 times gross domestic product per capita. A360 did not lead to increased adolescent use of modern contraceptives at a population level, except in Oromia, and was not cost-effective. This novel adolescent-centred design approach showed some promise in addressing the reproductive health needs of adolescents, but must be accompanied by efforts to address the contextual drivers of low modern contraceptive use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Krug
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Melissa Neuman
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- MRC International Statistics and Epidemiology Group, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Annapoorna Prakash
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mussa Kelvin Nsanya
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania
| | - Philip Ayieko
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- MRC International Statistics and Epidemiology Group, London, United Kingdom
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania
| | - Saidi Kapiga
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- Mwanza Intervention Trials Unit, National Institute for Medical Research, Mwanza, Tanzania
| | | | | | | | | | - Som Kumar Shrestha
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Christian Bottomley
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- MRC International Statistics and Epidemiology Group, London, United Kingdom
| | - James R. Hargreaves
- Department of Public Health, Environment and Society Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Aoife Margaret Doyle
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- MRC International Statistics and Epidemiology Group, London, United Kingdom
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Baynes C, Steyn P, Soi C, Dinis A, Tembe S, Mehrtash H, Narasimhan M, Kiarie J, Sherr K. Use of implementation science to advance family planning programs in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review. Front Glob Womens Health 2022; 3:1038297. [PMID: 36561275 PMCID: PMC9763469 DOI: 10.3389/fgwh.2022.1038297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective As environmental and economic pressures converge with demands to achieve sustainability development goals, low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) increasingly require strategies to strengthen and scale-up evidence-based practices (EBP) related to family planning (FP). Implementation science (IS) can help these efforts. The purpose of this article is to elucidate patterns in the use of IS in FP research and identify ways to maximize the potential of IS to advance FP in LMIC. Design and methods We conducted a systematic review that describes how IS concepts and principles have been operationalized in LMIC FP research published from 2007-2021. We searched six databases for implementation studies of LMIC FP interventions. Our review synthesizes the characteristics of implementation strategies and research efforts used to enhance the performance of FP-related EBP in these settings, identifying gaps, strengths and lessons learned. Results Four-hundred and seventy-two studies were eligible for full-text review. Ninety-two percent of studies were carried out in one region only, whereas 8 percent were multi-country studies that took place across multiple regions. 37 percent of studies were conducted in East Africa, 21 percent in West and Central Africa, 19 percent in Southern Africa and South Asia, respectively, and fewer than 5 percent in other Asian countries, Latin America and Middle East and North Africa, respectively. Fifty-four percent were on strategies that promoted individuals' uptake of FP. Far fewer were on strategies to enhance the coverage, implementation, spread or sustainability of FP programs. Most studies used quantitative methods only and evaluated user-level outcomes over implementation outcomes. Thirty percent measured processes and outcomes of strategies, 15 percent measured changes in implementation outcomes, and 31 percent report on the effect of contextual factors. Eighteen percent reported that they were situated within decision-making processes to address locally identified implementation issues. Fourteen percent of studies described measures to involve stakeholders in the research process. Only 7 percent of studies reported that implementation was led by LMIC delivery systems or implementation partners. Conclusions IS has potential to further advance LMIC FP programs, although its impact will be limited unless its concepts and principles are incorporated more systematically. To support this, stakeholders must focus on strategies that address a wider range of implementation outcomes; adapt research designs and blend methods to evaluate outcomes and processes; and establish collaborative research efforts across implementation, policy, and research domains. Doing so will expand opportunities for learning and applying new knowledge in pragmatic research paradigms where research is embedded in usual implementation conditions and addresses critical issues such as scale up and sustainability of evidence-informed FP interventions.Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42020199353.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin Baynes
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States,Correspondence: Colin Baynes
| | - Petrus Steyn
- Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Caroline Soi
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Aneth Dinis
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States,The National Directorate of Public Health, Ministry of Health of Mozambique, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Stelio Tembe
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Hedieh Mehrtash
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Manjulaa Narasimhan
- Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - James Kiarie
- Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Kenneth Sherr
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States,Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States,Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
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Liu C, Lee JH, Gupta AJ, Tucker A, Larkin C, Turimumahoro P, Katamba A, Davis JL, Dowdy D. Cost-effectiveness analysis of human-centred design for global health interventions: a quantitative framework. BMJ Glob Health 2022; 7:bmjgh-2021-007912. [PMID: 35346954 PMCID: PMC8961136 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Human-centred design (HCD) is a problem-solving approach that is increasingly used to develop new global health interventions. However, there is often a large initial cost associated with HCD, and global health decision-makers would benefit from an improved understanding of the cost-effectiveness of HCD, particularly the trade-offs between the up-front costs of design and the long-term costs of delivering health interventions. Methods We developed a quantitative framework from a health systems perspective to illustrate the conditions under which HCD-informed interventions are likely to be cost-effective, taking into consideration five elements: cost of HCD, per-client intervention cost, anticipated number of clients reached, anticipated incremental per-client health benefit (ie, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted) and willingness-to-pay. We evaluated several combinations of fixed and implementation cost scenarios based on the estimated costs of an HCD-informed approach to tuberculosis (TB) contact investigation in Uganda over a 2-year period to illustrate the use of this framework. Results The cost-effectiveness of HCD-informed TB contact investigation in Uganda was estimated to vary from US$8400 (2400 clients reached, lower HCD cost estimate) to US$306 000 per DALY averted (120 clients reached, baseline HCD cost estimate). In our model, cost-effectiveness was improved further when the interventions were expected to have wider reach or higher per-client health benefits. Conclusion HCD can be cost-effective when used to inform interventions that are anticipated to reach a large number of clients, or in which the cost of HCD is smaller relative to the cost of delivering the intervention itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Liu
- Department of Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jae Hyoung Lee
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Amanda J Gupta
- Department of Health Equity and Social Justice, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Uganda Tuberculosis Implementation Research Consortium, Makerere University, Kampala, Central, Uganda
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Austin Tucker
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Patricia Turimumahoro
- Uganda Tuberculosis Implementation Research Consortium, Makerere University, Kampala, Central, Uganda
| | - Achilles Katamba
- Uganda Tuberculosis Implementation Research Consortium, Makerere University, Kampala, Central, Uganda
- Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - J Lucian Davis
- Uganda Tuberculosis Implementation Research Consortium, Makerere University, Kampala, Central, Uganda
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Center for Methods in Implementation and Prevention Science, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - David Dowdy
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Uganda Tuberculosis Implementation Research Consortium, Makerere University, Kampala, Central, Uganda
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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Mavhu W, Neuman M, Hatzold K, Buzuzi S, Maringwa G, Chabata ST, Mangenah C, Taruberekera N, Madidi N, Munjoma M, Ncube G, Xaba S, Mugurungi O, Johnson CC, Corbett EL, Weiss HA, Fielding K, Cowan FM. Innovative demand creation strategies to increase voluntary medical male circumcision uptake: a pragmatic randomised controlled trial in Zimbabwe. BMJ Glob Health 2021; 6:bmjgh-2021-006141. [PMID: 34275877 PMCID: PMC8287600 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-006141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Reaching men aged 20-35 years, the group at greatest risk of HIV, with voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) remains a challenge. We assessed the impact of two VMMC demand creation approaches targeting this age group in a randomised controlled trial (RCT). METHODS We conducted a 2×2 factorial RCT comparing arms with and without two interventions: (1) standard demand creation augmented by human-centred design (HCD)-informed approach; (2) standard demand creation plus offer of HIV self-testing (HIVST). Interpersonal communication (IPC) agents were the unit of randomisation. We observed implementation of demand creation over 6 months (1 May to 31 October 2018), with number of men circumcised assessed over 7 months. The primary outcome was the number of men circumcised per IPC agent using the as-treated population of actual number of months each IPC agent worked. We conducted a mixed-methods process evaluation within the RCT. RESULTS We randomised 140 IPC agents, 35 in each arm. 132/140 (94.3%) attended study training and 105/132 (79.5%) reached at least one client during the trial period and were included in final analysis. There was no evidence that the HCD-informed intervention increased VMMC uptake versus no HCD-informed intervention (incident rate ratio (IRR) 0.87, 95% CI 0.38 to 2.02; p=0.75). Nor did offering men a HIVST kit at time of VMMC mobilisation (IRR 0.65, 95% CI 0.28 to 1.50; p=0.31). Among IPC agents that reported reaching at least one man with demand creation, both the HCD-informed intervention and HIVST were deemed useful. There were some challenges with trial implementation; <50% of IPC agents converted any men to VMMC, which undermined our ability to show an effect of demand creation and may reflect acceptability and feasibility of the interventions. CONCLUSION This RCT did not show evidence of an effect of HCD-informed demand intervention or HIVST on VMMC uptake. Findings will inform future design and implementation of demand creation evaluations. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER PACTR201804003064160.
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Affiliation(s)
- Webster Mavhu
- Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research (CeSHHAR) Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe .,Department of International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Melissa Neuman
- MRC International Statistics and Epidemiology Group, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Karin Hatzold
- Population Services International, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Stephen Buzuzi
- Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research (CeSHHAR) Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Galven Maringwa
- Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research (CeSHHAR) Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Sungai T Chabata
- Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research (CeSHHAR) Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Collin Mangenah
- Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research (CeSHHAR) Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | | | | | - Malvern Munjoma
- Population Services International Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | | | | | | | | | - Elizabeth L Corbett
- Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Helen A Weiss
- MRC International Statistics and Epidemiology Group, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Katherine Fielding
- MRC International Statistics and Epidemiology Group, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Frances M Cowan
- Centre for Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Research (CeSHHAR) Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe,Department of International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
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Skinner J, Hempstone H, Raney L, Galavotti C, Light B, Weinberger M, Van Lith L. Elevating Social and Behavior Change as an Essential Component of Family Planning Programs. Stud Fam Plann 2021; 52:383-393. [PMID: 34268743 PMCID: PMC8457161 DOI: 10.1111/sifp.12169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The global family planning community has made significant progress towards enabling 120 million more women and girls to use contraceptives by 2020, though we enter the decade ahead with a long road yet to travel. While investment in strong health systems and supply chains is still needed, the supply‐driven approach dominant in family planning fails to address the individual, relational, and social barriers faced by women and couples in achieving their reproductive intentions and desired family size. Overcoming these barriers will require a better understanding of behavioral drivers and the social environment in which family planning decisions are made, and an increased investment in the proven, yet underutilized, approach of social and behavior change (SBC). We make the case that a more intentional focus on the science of human behavior in family planning can help advance the achievement of global, regional, and national goals while also calling for strategic and sustained investment that reflects the critical importance and proven impact of SBC approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Skinner
- Joanna Skinner and Lynn Van Lith are at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, Baltimore, MD, 21202, USA
| | - Hope Hempstone
- Hope Hempstone is at the United States Agency for International Development, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Laura Raney
- Laura Raney is at the FP2030, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Christine Galavotti
- Christine Galavotti is at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Benedict Light
- Benedict Light is at the United Nations Population Fund, New York, USA
| | | | - Lynn Van Lith
- Joanna Skinner and Lynn Van Lith are at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, Baltimore, MD, 21202, USA
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