How well do perceptions of family planning service quality correspond to objective measures? Evidence from Tanzania

This study examines the relationship between common objective measures of quality and perceptions of the quality of family planning facilities. Results of prior research indicate that such perceptions are an important determinant of contraceptive use in rural Tanzania. The data for this study are drawn from two surveys conducted in rural Tanzania. Three models are tested separately for women and for men. The important determinants of perceptions of quality among women and men are: perceived travel time to the facility, availability of immunizations, and availability of maternal and child health services. Additionally, the ratio of the number of staff to outpatients is important to men. The data explain a moderate amount of the variance in the quality measures, indicating that perceived quality is not fully predicted by common objective measures of quality. Future surveys of facility quality should develop objective measures to better predict the perceived quality, with the underlying goal of increasing contraceptive use.