Over-the-Counter Oral Contraception as an Opportunity to Reduce Contraceptive Access Inequity.

This Viewpoint argues that making a progestin-only contraceptive pill available for sale as an over-the-counter product will help reduce logistic barriers to safe and effective birth control.

A cross-country qualitative study on contraceptive method mix: contraceptive decisionmaking among youth.

BACKGROUND: Youth ages 15 to 24, who comprise a large portion of sub-Saharan Africa, face a higher burden of unmet contraceptive need than adults. Despite increased international and national commitments to improving young people's access to contraception, significant barriers impede their access to a full range of methods. To further explore these barriers among youth in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda, we conducted a qualitative study to capture the challenges that affect contraceptive method decisionmaking and complicate youth access to the full method mix. METHODS: To understand factors that impact young people's contraceptive decisionmaking process across all three countries, we conducted a total of 35 focus group discussions with 171 youth ages 15 to 24 and 130 in-depth interviews with key stakeholders working in youth family planning. Questionnaires aligned with the High Impact Practices in Family Planning's elements of adolescent-friendly contraceptive services. Data were coded with MAXQDA and analyzed using a framework for contraceptive decisionmaking to identify relevant patterns and themes. RESULTS: In all three countries, youth reported that condoms are the most commonly sought contraceptive method because they are easiest to access and because youth have limited knowledge of other methods. Youth from diverse settings shared uncertainty and concern about the safety and side effects of many methods other than condoms, complicating their ability to take full advantage of other available methods. While most youth in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda reported at least moderate confidence in obtaining the information needed to help choose a method, and only a few youth reported that they are completely unable to access contraceptives, other barriers still present a major deterrent for youth, including cost, inconvenient facility hours and long wait times, and stigma from family, community members, and providers. CONCLUSIONS: Young people's ability to fully exercise their method choice remains limited despite availability of services, leading them to take the path of least resistance. Program implementers and policymakers should consider the diverse and often interconnected barriers that youth face in attempting to enjoy the benefits of a full spectrum of contraceptive methods and design multi-level interventions to mitigate such barriers.

Despite increased international and national commitments to improving young people's access to contraception, youth ages 15 to 24 face significant barriers to accessing a full range of contraceptive methods. This study conducted in-depth interviews with key stakeholders and focus group discussions with youth in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda to understand what factors impact youth's decision to use or not use certain contraceptive methods. In all three countries, youth reported that condoms are the most commonly sought contraceptive method because they are easiest to access and because youth have limited knowledge of other methods. Youth from diverse settings shared uncertainty and concern about the safety and side effects of many methods other than condoms. While most youth in Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda reported at least moderate confidence in obtaining the information needed to help choose a method, other barriers like cost, inconvenient facility hours and long wait times, and stigma from family, community members, and providers still present a major deterrent for youth who want information on contraceptive methods. Program implementers and policymakers should consider the diverse and often interconnected barriers that youth face in attempting to enjoy the benefits of a full spectrum of contraceptive methods and design multi-level interventions to mitigate such barriers.

Demand satisfied by modern contraceptive among married women of reproductive age in Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Demand for family planning met/satisfied with modern contraceptive methods (mDFPS) has been proposed to track progress in Family Planning (FP) programs for Sustainable Development Goals. This study measured mDFPS among married women of reproductive age (MWRA) in Kenya to identify which groups were not being reached by FP programs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Performance, Monitoring and Accountability 2020 (PMA2020) survey data from 2014-2018 was used. PMA2020 surveys are cross-sectional including women 15-49 years. PMA2020 used a 2-stage cluster design with urban/rural regions as strata with random selection of households. Univariate and multivariate analysis was done using stata V15. RESULTS: Of the 34,832 respondents interviewed from 2014 to 2018, 60.2% were MWRA. There was a significant decrease in demand for FP from 2014 to 2018, p = 0.012. Lowest demand was among 15-19 and 45-49 years old women. Overall, modern contraceptive prevalence rate increased significantly from 54.6% to 60.8%, p = 0.004, being higher for women from urban areas, home visits by health care worker (HCW), educated, wealthy, visited health facilities and exposed to mass media. Unmet need for FP decreased from 23.0-13.8% over the 5-years, p<0.001. Married adolescent 15-19 had the highest unmet need and those from rural areas, poor, uneducated and not exposed to mass media. mDFPS increased significantly from 69.7-79.4% over the 5-years, p<0.001, with increase in long acting reversible contraception/permanent methods from 19.9-37.2% and decrease in short acting methods from 49.9-42.2%. Significant determinants of mDFPS were age, rural/urban residence, education, wealth, health facility visitation, exposure to FP messages via mass media in the last 12 months, year of study and county of residence. CONCLUSIONS: Results show a good progress in key FP indicators. However, not all MWRA are being reached and should be reached if Kenya is to achieve the desired universal health coverage as well as Sustainable Development Goals. Targeted home visits by HCW as well increase in mass media coverage could be viable interventions.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on economic security and pregnancy intentions among people at risk of pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected women of reproductive age, specifically their economic conditions, desire for pregnancy, and access to contraceptive services during the pandemic. STUDY DESIGNS: A total of 554 women respondents age 18 to 49 and reside in the United States were recruited using social media between May 16, 2020 and June 16, 2020. Logistic regression models assessed predictors of reporting pandemic-related changes in economic conditions, desire for pregnancy, and contraceptive access. RESULTS: Compared to White/Caucasian respondents, Hispanics/Latinx and Black/African Americans have 4 times the odds of experiencing inability to afford food, transportation, and/or housing (p < 0.01) during the pandemic; Hispanics/Latinx have twice the odds of experiencing food insecurity (p < 0.05). Inability to afford food, transportation, and/or housing was associated with drop in desire to be pregnant (p < 0.01). Despite the 25% of participants who reported a drop in desire for pregnancy, 1 in 6 reported difficulty accessing contraceptives, particularly those who experienced reduced income (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: In our sample, the pandemic unevenly affected people from different socioeconomic groups. Many simultaneously experienced reduced income, difficulties in accessing contraception, and a greater desire to avoid a pregnancy. This combination of factors increases the chance that people will experience unintended pregnancies. IMPLICATIONS: The pandemic caused economic hardship and an increased desire to postpone or prevent pregnancy at the same time that it created new barriers to contraceptive services. This pattern may lead to a potential net effect of an increase in unintended pregnancy, particularly among people who had difficulty affording food, transportation, and/or housing during the pandemic.

Guia para la provisión de métodos anticonceptivos en el subsistema público de salud de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires / Guide for the provision of contraceptive methods in the public health subsystem of the City of Buenos Aires

La presente Guía para la provisión de métodos anticonceptivos en el subsistema público de salud de la ciudad de Buenos Aires propone pautas para los equipos y profesionales vinculados a la salud sexual y reproductiva de los hospitales y centros de salud y acción comunitaria que integran la red de cuidados progresivos. Aborda tres aspectos centrales: la población destinataria de los métodos, las prácticas previas que son indispensables para el uso de cada uno de ellos y la modalidad de provisión recomendada. Las definiciones sobre población destinataria, así como las prácticas previas indispensables, están basadas en los criterios de la Guía Práctica para el uso de métodos anticonceptivos del Ministerio de Salud de la Nación (Dirección de Salud Sexual y Reproductiva, 2019). La modalidad de provisión recomendada surge de decisiones técnico-políticas orientadas a mejorar el acceso y la adherencia a los métodos anticonceptivos, en particular a la anticoncepción hormonal de emergencia y los métodos de corta duración (pastillas e inyectables). Debido a la especificidad territorial que tiene la Guía, se han incluido aquellos métodos que forman parte de la canasta de disponible en el ámbito público porteño al momento de preparar este material. (AU)

Utilization of Private Sector Family Planning Services in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: The private sector is playing an increasingly important role in family planning services globally. The active participation of private providers is associated with a higher contraceptive prevalence rate. OBJECTIVES: To examine the differentials and determinants of the utilization of private providers for family planning services. METHOD: This study used the 2014 Malaysian Population and Family Survey data. Cross-tabulations and logistic regression were performed on 1,817 current users of modern methods. RESULTS: Overall, 26% of modern method users obtained their supplies from private clinics/pharmacies and 15.2% from other sources, such as drug stores and sundry shops. The odds of utilizing the private sector for family planning services differ significantly across regions and socio-economic groups. The odds of obtaining supply from the private clinics/pharmacies were higher among the Chinese and urban women (AOR > 1), and it was lower among those from the eastern region (AOR = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.30-0.73). Non-Bumiputera, urban, higher educated, and working women, and those whose husbands decided on family planning had higher odds of obtaining the supply from the other sources (AOR > 1). CONCLUSION: The private sector complements and supplements the public sector in providing family planning services to the public.

Demand- and supply-side factors associated with the use of contraceptive methods in Pakistan: a comparative study of demographic and health surveys, 1990-2018.

BACKGROUND: A remarkable decline in fertility rates has been observed in many countries, with a primary determinant being an increase in the use of contraceptives. However, the birth rate in Pakistan is still higher compared to the other countries of the region. Therefore, this study aims to assess the effect of demand- and supply-side factors associated with the use of contraceptive measures in Pakistan. METHODS: Secondary data analysis of four data series of the Pakistan Demographic and Health Surveys (PDHS 1990-1991, 2006-2007, 2012-2013 and 2017-2018) were used. The data includes ever-married women aged 15-49 years who had given birth in the previous five years and participated in the family planning module of the PDHS. A total of 25,318 women were included in the analysis. Data were analysed by investigating the associations between independent variables (demand- and supply-side factors) and the use of contraceptive measures through unadjusted odds ratios (OR) and adjusted OR (AOR). RESULTS: The results among demand-side factors indicated that in 2012-2013, women without media exposure were less likely to use contraceptives and the trend remains almost constant for 2017-2018 (AOR = 0.664, 95% CI 0.562-0.784) in 2012-2013 and (AOR = 0.654, 95% CI 0.483-0.885) in 2017-2018. However, they still show a lower likelihood of using contraceptives without media exposure. The results among supply-side factors indicated that absence of transport (2012-2013) and limited visits by family planning workers over the previous 12 months (2006-2007, 2012-2013 and 2017-2018) remained significant factors for not using contraceptive methods. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study indicate that certain demand- and supply-side factors are associated with the use of contraceptive measures in Pakistan. It highlights the need for the provision of family planning resources and further structural factors, particularly in remote areas.

Anticoncepción hormonal y COVID-19 / Hormonal contraception and COVID-19

La enfermedad producida por el nuevo coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 se identificó por primera vez en diciembre de 2019 en la ciudad de Wuhan, en la República Popular China, y en pocos meses se convirtió en una pandemia. Desde el comienzo ha sido un desafío mundial, que amenazó la salud pública y obligó a tomar medidas estrictas de aislamiento social. Como consecuencia de la emergencia sanitaria se ha producido una reducción importante de la actividad asistencial, que puso en riesgo el acceso y la continuidad de los métodos anticonceptivos, exponiendo a mujeres a embarazos no intencionales. Los derechos sexuales y reproductivos resultan esenciales y deben garantizarse siempre. (AU)

The disease caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 was identified for the first time in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, in the People's Republic of China, and within a few months it became a pandemic. From the beginning, it has been a global challenge, threatening public health, having to take strict measures of social isolation. As a consequence of the health emergency, there has been a significant reduction in healthcare activity, putting access and continuity of contraceptive methods at risk, exposing women to unintended pregnancies. Sexual and reproductive rights are essential and must always be guaranteed. (AU)

From non-use to covert and overt use of contraception: Identifying community and individual factors informing Nigerian women's degree of contraceptive empowerment.

OBJECTIVE: In Nigeria, unmet need for contraception is high despite improved access to modern contraception. To identify factors that support Nigerian women's contraceptive decisions to achieve their reproductive goals, in the presence or absence of their partner's support, we seek to identify individual/couple and community level determinants of a spectrum of contraceptive practices, from non-use to covert and overt use of contraception. METHODS: Data were drawn from a national probability survey conducted by Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 in Nigeria in 2017-2018. A sample of 12,948 women 15-49 years was included, 6433 of whom were in need of contraception at the time of the survey. We conducted bivariate and multivariate analysis to identify individual/couple and community level factors associated with covert use relative to non-use and to overt use of contraception. RESULTS: Altogether, 58.0% of women in need of contraception were non-users, 4.5% were covert users and 37.5% used contraception overtly. Covert users were more educated and wealthier than non-users, but less educated and less wealthy than overt users. Covert users were less likely to cohabitate with their partner compared to non-users [AOR = 4.60 (95%CI: 3.06-6.93)] and overt users [AOR = 5.01 (95%CI: 3.24-7.76)] and more likely to reside in urban areas. At the community level, covert users were more likely to live in communities with higher contraceptive prevalence and higher levels of female education relative to non-users. They were also more likely to live in communities with higher female employment [AOR = 1.62, (95%CI: 0.96-2.73)] compared to overt users. CONCLUSION: By identifying individual and community level factors associated with the spectrum from non-use to covert use and overt use of contraception, this study highlights the importance of integrating individual and community interventions to support women's realization of their reproductive goals.

[Contraceptive use by married women or concubines living in rural areas in Burkina Faso: a qualitative study of free voucher use]. / Utilisation des contraceptifs par les femmes rurales mariées ou en concubinage au Burkina Faso: une analyse qualitative de l'utilisation d'un bon gratuit.

INTRODUCTION: low levels of contraceptive use in Western Africa are responsible for high fertility rates, which limits economic development. The cost of modern contraceptives is a significant constraint, then the government of Burkina Faso has implemented free family planning. Given this new policy, we provided rural women with a healthcare voucher giving free access to modern contraceptives. We conducted an analysis of the determinants of good free voucher use in order to implement adequate government policy. METHODS: six months after the distribution of vouchers to women living in 30 villages in the Houet Province, we conducted a focus-group study based on individual in-depth health care provider interviews in partner healthcare centers. RESULTS: the benefits of family planning, free contraceptive use, husband's approval and moral obligation were factors facilitating voucher use. The desire to become pregnant, husband's opposition, women's reluctance, women's lack of knowledge of contraceptives and factors associated with the intervention were the leading reasons for not using the vouchers. CONCLUSION: the promotion of modern contraceptive use among married women or concubines requires a holistic approach combining free access to modern contraceptives, effective policies involving men in family planning and the reduction of fertility preferences among the couples.

The Role of Public-Private Partnerships to Increase Access to Contraception in an Emergency Response Setting: The Zika Contraception Access Network Program.

The Zika Contraception Access Network (Z-CAN) program was a short-term emergency response intervention that used contraception to prevent unintended pregnancies to reduce Zika-related adverse birth outcomes during the 2016-2017 Zika virus outbreak in Puerto Rico. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that a collaborative and coordinated response was needed from governments and private-sector partners to improve access to contraception during the Zika outbreak in Puerto Rico. In response, the National Foundation for the CDC, with technical assistance from CDC, established the Z-CAN program, a network of 153-trained physicians, that provided client-centered contraceptive counseling and same-day access to the full range of the Food and Drug Administration-approved reversible contraceptive methods at no cost for women who chose to prevent pregnancy. From May 2016 to September 2017, 29,221 women received Z-CAN services. Through Z-CAN, public-private partnerships provided a broad range of opportunities for partners to come together to leverage technical expertise, experience, and resources to remove barriers to access contraception that neither the public nor the private sector could address alone. Public-private partnerships focused on three areas: (1) the coordination of efforts among federal and territorial agencies to align strategies, leverage resources, and address sustainability; (2) the mobilization of private partnerships to secure resources from private corporations, domestic philanthropic organizations, and nonprofit organizations for contraceptive methods, physician reimbursement, training and proctoring resources, infrastructure costs, and a health communications campaign; and (3) the engagement of key stakeholders to understand context and need, and to identify strategies to reach the target population. Public-private partnerships provided expertise, support, and awareness, and could be used to help guide programs to other settings for which access to contraception could improve health outcomes.

Socio-economic and demographic predictors of unmet need for contraception among young women in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from cross-sectional surveys.

INTRODUCTION: Globally, sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) bears the highest proportion of women with unmet need for contraception as nearly 25% of women of reproductive age in the sub-region have unmet need for contraception. Unmet need for contraception is predominant among young women. We examined the association between socio-economic and demographic factors and unmet need for contraception among young women in SSA. METHODS: Data for this study obtained from current Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2018 in 30 sub-Saharan African countries. The sample size consisted of young women (aged 15-24), who were either married or cohabiting and had complete cases on all the variables of interest (N = 59,864). Both bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were performed using STATA version 14.0. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of unmet need for contraception among young women was 26.90% [95% CI: 23.82-29.921], ranging from 11.30% [95% CI: 5.1-17.49] in Zimbabwe to 46.7% [95% CI: 36.92-56.48] in Comoros. Results on socio-economic status and unmet need for contraception showed that young women who had primary [aOR = 1.18; CI = 1.12-1.25, p < 0.001] and secondary/higher levels of formal education [aOR = 1.27; CI = 1.20-1.35, p < 0.001] had higher odds of unmet need for contraception compared to those with no formal education. With wealth status, young women in the richest wealth quintile had lower odds of unmet need for contraception compared with those in the poorest wealth quintile [aOR = 0.89; CI = 0.81-0.97, p < 0.01]. With the demographic factors, the odds of unmet need for contraception was lower among young women aged 20-24 [aOR = 0.74; CI = 0.70-0.77, p < 0.001], compared with 15-19 aged young women. Also, young women who were cohabiting had higher odds of unmet need for contraception compared to those who were married [aOR = 1.35; CI = 1.28-1.43, p < 0.001]. CONCLUSION: Our study has demonstrated that unmet need for contraception is relatively high among young women in SSA and this is associated with socio-economic status. Age, marital status, parity, occupation, sex of household head, and access to mass media (newspaper) are also associated with unmet need for contraception. It is therefore, prudent that organisations such as UNICEF and UNFPA and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation who have implemented policies and programmes on contraception meant towards reducing unmet need for contraception among women take these factors into consideration when designing interventions in sub-Saharan African countries to address the problem of high unmet need for contraception among young women.

Predictors of unmet need for contraception among adolescent girls and young women in selected high fertility countries in sub-Saharan Africa: A multilevel mixed effects analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the desire of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to use contraceptives, the majority of them have challenges with access to contraceptive services. This is more evident in high fertility countries in SSA. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors of unmet need for contraception among AGYW in selected high fertility countries in SSA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from current Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) carried out between 2010 and 2018 in 10 countries in SSA were analysed. A sample size of 24,898 AGYW who were either married or cohabiting was used. Unmet need for contraception was the outcome variable in this study. The explanatory variables were age, marital status, occupation, educational level, frequency of reading newspaper/magazine, frequency of listening to radio, frequency of watching television and parity (individual level variables) and wealth quintile, sex of household head, place of residence and decision-maker in healthcare (household/community level variables). Descriptive and multilevel logistic regression analyses were carried out. The results of the multilevel logistic regression analyses were reported using adjusted odds ratios at 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: The prevalence of unmet need for contraception in all the countries considered in this study was 24.9%, with Angola, recording the highest prevalence of 42.6% while Niger had the lowest prevalence of 17.8%. In terms of the individual level predictors, the likelihood of unmet need for contraception was low among AGYW aged 20-24 [aOR = 0.82; 95% CI = 0.76-0.88], those with primary [aOR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.13-1.31] and secondary/higher levels of formal education [aOR = 1.18; 95% CI = 1.08-1.28, p < 0.001], cohabiting AGYW [aOR = 1.52; 95% CI = 1.42-1.63] and AGYW with three or more births [aOR = 3.41; 95% CI = 3.02-3.85]. At the household/community level, the odds of unmet need for contraception was highest among poorer AGYW [aOR = 1.36; 95% CI = 1.21-1.53], AGYW in female-headed households [aOR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.13-1.33], urban AGYW [aOR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.11-1.32] and AGYW who took healthcare decisions alone [aOR = 1.10; 95% CI = 1.01-1.21]. CONCLUSION: This study has identified disparities in unmet need for contraception among AGYW in high fertility countries in SSA, with AGYW in Angola having the highest prevalence. Both individual and household/community level factors predicted unmet need for contraception among AGYW in this study. However, based on the ICC values, household/community level factors prevailed the individual level factors. Enhancing access to contraception among poorer AGYW, those in female-headed households, those in urban areas and those who take healthcare decisions alone by both governmental and non-governmental organisations in high fertility countries is recommended.

Facilitating community participation in family planning and contraceptive services provision and uptake: community and health provider perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Although community participation has been identified as being important for improved and sustained health outcomes, designing and successfully implementing it in large scale public health programmes, including family planning and contraceptive (FP/C) service provision, remains challenging. Zambian participants in a multi-country project (the UPTAKE project) took part in the development of an intervention involving community and healthcare provider participation in FP/C services provision and uptake. This study reports key thematic areas identified by the study participants as critical to facilitating community participation in this intervention. METHODS: This was an exploratory qualitative research study, conducted in Kabwe District, Central Province, in 2017. Twelve focus group discussions were conducted with community members (n = 114), two with healthcare providers (n = 19), and ten in-depth interviews with key community and health sector stakeholders. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. RESULTS: Four thematic categories were identified by the participants as critical to facilitating community participation in FP/C services. Firstly, accountability in the recruitment of community participants and incorporation of community feedback in FP/C. programming. Secondly, engagement of existing community resources and structures in FP/C services provision. Thirdly, building trust in FP/C methods/services through credible community-based distributors and promotion of appropriate FP/C methods/services. Fourthly, promoting strategies that address structural failures, such as the feminisation of FP/C services and the lack FP/C services that are responsive to adolescent needs. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding and considering community members' and healthcare providers' views regarding contextualized and locally relevant participatory approaches, facilitators and challenges to participation, could improve the design, implementation and success of participatory public health programmes, including FP/C.

Primary and secondary three-month outcomes of a cluster-randomized trial of home-based postpartum contraceptive delivery in southwest Trifinio, Guatemala.

DESIGN: This a cluster-randomized parallel arm pragmatic trial to observe the association of home-based postpartum contraceptive provision, including the contraceptive implant, with implant utilization rates at 3 months post-enrollment. METHODS: In a region of rural Guatemala referred to as the Southwest Trifinio, twelve communities are served by a community-based antenatal and postnatal care program. The communities were combined into eight clusters based on 2017 birth rates and randomized to receive the home-based contraceptive delivery (condoms, pills, injection, implant) during the routine 40-day postpartum visit. All participants receive comprehensive contraceptive counseling beginning at the first antenatal visit, so control clusters received this as part of routine care; this education preceded the study intervention. RESULTS: Once the 12 communities were combined into 8 clusters by expected birth volume and nurse team, which we expected to translate to eventual postpartum visits, the allocation sequence was generated in SAS. Of 208 women enrolled in the study, 108 were in four intervention and 100 in four control clusters. We used descriptive statistics to produce counts and percentages of characteristics of the study population overall and by intervention arm followed by univariate modeling using a mixed effects regression adjusted for cluster. Three-month contraceptive initiation rates were 56.0% in the control clusters compared to 76.8% in the intervention clusters, p < 0.001. Women in control clusters overwhelmingly opted for the injectable contraceptive (94.6%) while women in intervention clusters chose both the injection (61.5%) and the implant (33.7%), p < 0.001. Implant use by 3 months, the primary outcome of the study, was significantly higher in the intervention arm (25.9%) compared to the control arm (3.6%), p < 0.001, RR 1.3 CI [1.2, 1.4]. CONCLUSION: Our study was designed to respond to previously identified barriers to contraceptive uptake, and it was successful. Not only did it increase overall use of contraception by 3 months, but it shifted that contraceptive use away from short-acting methods in favor of longer-acting methods, with high continuation and satisfaction rates and no adverse outcomes reported. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov , NCT04005391 ; Retrospectively Registered 7/2/2019.

Evaluation of Senegal supply chain intervention on contraceptive stockouts using routine stock data.

BACKGROUND: Until 2011, stockouts of family planning commodities were common in Senegalese public health facilities. Recognizing the importance of addressing this problem, the Government of Senegal implemented the Informed Push Model (IPM) supply system, which involves logisticians to collect facility-level stock turnover data once a month and provide contraceptive supplies accordingly. The aims of this paper were to evaluate the impact of IPM on contraceptive availability and on stockout duration. METHODS AND FINDINGS: To estimate the impact of the IPM on contraceptive availability, stock card data were obtained from health facilities selected through multistage sampling. A total number of 103 health facilities pertaining to 27 districts and nine regions across the country participated in this project. We compared the odds of contraceptive stockouts within the health facilities on the 23 months after the intervention with the 18 months before. The analysis was performed with a logistic model of the monthly time-series. The odds of stockout for any of the five contraceptive products decreased during the 23 months post-intervention compared to the 18 months pre-intervention (odds ratio, 95%CI: 0.34, 0.22-0.51). To evaluate the impact of the IPM on duration of stockouts, a mixed negative binomial zero-truncated regression analysis was performed. The IPM was not effective in reducing the duration of contraceptive stockouts (incidence rate ratio, 95%CI: 0.81, 0.24-2.7), except for the two long-acting contraceptives (intrauterine devices and implants). Our model predicted a decrease in stockout median duration from 23 pre- to 4 days post-intervention for intrauterine devices; and from 19 to 14 days for implants. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the IPM has resulted in greater efficiency in contraceptive stock management, increasing the availability of contraceptive methods in health facilities in Senegal. The IPM also resulted in decreased duration of stockouts for intrauterine devices and implants, but not for any of the short-acting contraception (pills and injectables).

Improving access to and use of contraception by adolescents: What progress has been made, what lessons have been learnt, and what are the implications for action?

This article sets out the progress that has been made in reducing levels of adolescent childbearing and in meeting adolescent contraceptive needs, over the last 25 years, and also makes the public health, economic, and human rights rationale for continued attention to and investment in these areas. Using an analytic framework that covers the perspectives of both the use and the provision of contraception, it examines the factors that make it difficult for adolescents to obtain and use contraceptives to avoid unintended pregnancies, and outlines what could be done to address these factors, drawing from research evidence and programmatic experience. In doing this, the article provides concrete examples from low- and middle-countries that have made tangible progress in these areas.