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Equity analysis: identifying who benefits from family planning programs
Nuriye Ortayli1, Shawn Malarcher
1Reproductive Health, UNFPA, 220 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017, USA. ortayli@unfpa.org
Studies in Family Planning
|April 7, 2011
Summary
Young married women and disadvantaged groups face significant barriers to family planning services in developing countries. Addressing these access disparities is crucial for equitable health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Demography
- Public Health
- Reproductive Health
Background:
- Access to family planning services is a critical component of reproductive health and socioeconomic development.
- Disparities in access can lead to unmet needs for contraception and adverse health outcomes, particularly in developing countries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine current disparities in access to family planning services in developing countries.
- To identify specific population subgroups facing greater challenges in meeting their contraceptive needs.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 64 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted between 1994 and 2008.
- Employed the 'percent of demand satisfied' as a proxy measure for family planning access.
- Analyzed disparities based on age, economic status, area of residence, and education level across different regions.
Main Results:
- Married women aged 15-19 consistently experienced greater difficulty accessing contraceptive services compared to older women across all regions.
- Significant inequities in the percent of demand satisfied were observed based on economic status, area of residence, and education in most regions, notably excluding Central Asia.
- These access gaps were found to be larger and more prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa.
Conclusions:
- Strategies for increasing contraceptive use must consider and address the needs of disadvantaged populations to avoid exacerbating existing inequities.
- Monitoring progress towards reproductive health and development goals requires disaggregating data beyond national averages to capture the experiences of vulnerable groups.
- Targeted interventions are necessary to ensure equitable access to family planning services for all individuals, especially those at greatest risk.
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