Contraceptive practice in the Philippines: a synthesis.

Area of Science:

• Demography
• Public Health
• Reproductive Health

Background:

• Fertility reduction is a key goal of population programs.
• Assessing the effectiveness of family planning programs is crucial for public health.
• Data from 1968-1983 provides a historical perspective on contraceptive use in the Philippines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the performance of the Philippine family planning program in reducing fertility.
• To analyze contraceptive prevalence and effectiveness using available data.
• To identify factors influencing contraceptive prevalence, including the Outreach project.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of contraceptive prevalence and effectiveness data from 1968-1983.
• Discussion of three key indicators: Pearl pregnancy rates, 12-month continuation rates, and effective protection levels.
• Examination of factors associated with contraceptive prevalence and the impact of specific project variables.

Main Results:

• The study presents findings on contraceptive prevalence and effectiveness over a 15-year period.
• Analysis includes Pearl pregnancy rates, continuation rates, and effective protection levels.
• Factors influencing contraceptive use and the impact of the Outreach project are detailed.

Conclusions:

• Population programs can influence demographic behavior.
• The success of such programs is contingent upon program design and implementation quality.
• Effective family planning programs are vital for fertility reduction.