Resolution of Uncertainty Through Testing

Summary

Given the high rate of delayed adoption of antenatal care (ANC), and high rates of unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion in Uganda, research on the period of time before confirmation of pregnancy is critical to understand underlying beliefs that guide behaviors ultimately important for maternal and neonatal health (UDHS, 2011; Hussain, 2013).

Home pregnancy tests - which now cost less than 10 cents each - have the potential to facilitate FP uptake and significantly improve reproductive, maternal and child health outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa, including Uganda. These tests are easy to administer, disposable, inexpensive, and have a low false positive rate. Yet, for women living in rural areas in sub-Saharan countries, these tests are typically unavailable outside of health centers or they are prohibitively expensive.

This study will investigate women's underlying beliefs about pregnancy status and examine how providing access to home-based pregnancy tests - thus facilitating earlier resolution of uncertainty of pregnancy status - influences such beliefs and decisions to take up family planning (FP) or seek appropriate pregnancy services.

The results will inform the design of a larger study in the future.

Conditions

• Pregnancy Tests

Interventions

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Pregnancy test at Baseline

Among respondents who are randomly selected to receive a free home pregnancy test service, they will be offered the chance to take the test in the presence of the enumerator. Specifically, this would mean they would be given a cup to collect a sample of urine. The respondent would do so privately, then bring the cup back to the enumerator who would dip the home pregnancy tests and assist with interpreting the result. However, respondents can decline to take the test with the enumerator. Treatment assignment will be stratified by whether respondent use modern family planning at baseline.

DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Pregnancy test at follow up survey

We will provide a free pregnancy tests in for the future use, they are randomly selected from intervention #1 treatment group.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, San Francisco

  collaborator OTHER

• Mbarara University of Science and Technology

  collaborator OTHER

• Ichuli Consulting Limited

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

35 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2017-09-28

Primary Completion

2017-12-01

Completion

2017-12-02

Countries

• Uganda

Study Locations