Fertility reduction in an MCH/family planning program: a model for projection

Area of Science:

• Maternal and Child Health
• Family Planning
• Demography

Background:

• Integrated maternal and child health and family planning programs aim to impact fertility rates.
• Accurately estimating the potential fertility decline from such programs is complex.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and illustrate a procedure for estimating potential fertility declines.
• To provide a method for assessing the impact of family planning services on fertility rates within a target population.

Main Methods:

• Estimating the size of the target population.
• Making assumptions regarding contraceptive acceptance, age distribution of acceptors, and continuation rates.
• Utilizing age/method-specific data for calculations.

Main Results:

• The article outlines a systematic procedure for fertility decline estimation.
• The described method accounts for various demographic and programmatic factors.

Conclusions:

• A viable procedure exists for estimating potential fertility decline in integrated programs.
• This methodology aids in program planning and impact assessment.