Effect of Community-Based Interventions on Increasing Family Planning Utilization in Pastoralist Community

Summary

The cluster randomized controlled trial was done in Pastoralist community of Afar region, Ethiopia for a total of nine months. There was three arms in the study. The type of randomization will be a cluster randomized controlled trial where kebele are randomized to two different interventions and control groups. These interventions are women education to use family planning and male education/involvement to enhance family planning use in the community.

Conditions

• Family Size

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Women Education

This intervention intends to provide health education message for women enhance FP utilization in pastoralist community. It was cognizant that, Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa. And there is a great discrepancy between contraceptive use, unmet need for FP and maternal and child morbidity and mortality between the pastoralist and agrarian community. Pastoralist community in the country expressed as low contraceptive users, a high unmet need for FP and highest maternal and child morbidity and mortality. The previous study indicates that only 5.4% of the women use contraceptive. The most common reason mentioned for not using of contraceptive are lack of awareness, demand for a large number of children and male dominance in all decision making power in general and FP in particular. In light of this, the study hypothesized that working with men and educating women towards the use of FP could enhance the use of family planning utilization.

BEHAVIORAL

Male Involvement

Male involvement was a feature of intervention in this arm. Comprehensive health education about FP was given in addition to the video message about FP. In pastoralist community the most reason mentioned for not using of FP are husband objection and religion influence. And most of the decisions are in the palm of husband to seek care for reproductive, maternal and neonatal health in general and FP in particular. Besides, the pastoralist community manifested by high total fertility rate and maternal and child morbidity and mortality.

OTHER

Control group

The third group in this community based intervention was following the community without provision of male iand married women education. In this group there was no intervention by the researchers. However, the activities performed by the government about family planning provision was maintained.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Mekelle University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Belete Assefa · Mekelle University College of Health Science, Academic and research Director

• Mohamed Ahmed · Semera University, Director of Research and community Service

• Yasin Habib · Deputy Head of Afar regional Health Bureau

• Mussie Alemayehu · Mekelle University, College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

15 Years

Max Age

49 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2018-01-01

Primary Completion

2018-09-05

Completion

2018-09-27

Countries

• Ethiopia

Study Locations