RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Young newly married women and first-time parents (FTPs), particularly those living in slum settlements, have a high unmet need for modern contraceptive methods to limit and space births. We describe an intervention in which adolescents and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH) services tailored to FTPs were incorporated into the government's existing family planning (FP) program in 5 cities of Uttar Pradesh. We examined the effect of this intervention on modern contraceptive use among FTPs aged 15-24 years. METHODS: To assess the effect of this pilot, in 2019, 1 year after the implementation of the program, we analyzed community-based output tracking survey data on 549 married women who are FTPs in the pilot cities. These FTPs were compared with 253 women who were FTPs from other cities where the program was implemented without a specific focus on FTPs. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression analysis were applied to understand the association between exposure to FP information, either through accredited social health activists or through service delivery points, and use of modern contraceptives. RESULTS: Use of modern contraceptives was higher among FTPs in the 5 pilot cities than non-pilot cities (39% vs. 32%; P<.05). The interaction effect of city type and exposure to the information showed a positive association between modern contraceptive use and program exposure, greater in pilot cities than non-pilot cities. CONCLUSIONS: Higher uptake of modern contraceptives among young women may be achieved when an FTP-focused intervention is layered on the government's existing FP programs. Future studies with a longer duration of implementation, in a wider geography, and with longitudinal design are recommended to provide more robust measures of high impact intervention/practices in urban areas.
RESUMO
Global declines in donor funding present a substantial threat to development financing in low- and middle-income countries. In Nigeria, the resources required to achieve states' health goals surpass existing government budgets and available donor funding, a shortfall that incentivizes efforts to expand nondonor sources of financing, including public-driven cofinancing models. The Challenge Initiative (TCI) in Nigeria implements a demand-led model wherein 13 state governments requested technical support from TCI to adapt and scale up high-impact family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) interventions. TCI provides a blend of technical coaching and financial support through the Challenge Fund, a mechanism designed to incentivize domestic funding for FP programming. To qualify as a recipient, states must demonstrate political will, financial commitment, and potential for impact at scale. However, state financial commitments alone are insufficient to guarantee the successful implementation of health scale-up initiatives. For this reason, the TCI Nigeria cofinancing strategy builds positive relations among key actors (donors, implementers, and government) and improves accountability in FP/RH financing. Although there are several donor-led cofinancing primary health care initiatives in Nigeria, such as the Saving One Million Lives Performance for Results project and Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, little is known about the role of government in driving the process specifically for improving domestic FP/RH financing. In Nigeria, state governments, in collaboration with TCI, developed a cofinancing model that helps states meet their FP/RH financing commitments. To promote effectiveness and sustainability, this model operates within an existing state structure, the State Annual Operation Plan. TCI's cofinancing model motivates continuous improvement in state governments' fiscal capacity, using a framework to measure, track, and reward financial and nonfinancial state commitments. Although the model is not a replacement for existing program tracking and monitoring tools, it helps subnational governments better harness their resources to accelerate improvement in FP/RH outcomes.
