Where There Is A Will, There Is A Way: Enhancing Contraceptive Uptake In Pakistan

To assess the contribution of a series of interventions on contraceptive uptake and reduction in unmet need in areas covered by the Family Advancement for Life and Health project.

The study was conducted from 2008-09 to 2011-12 in 14 districts across Pakistan. The sample comprised all urban and rural households in each district. A total or 40 blocks/villages were selected, with 13 households selected per block/village. Within each household, all married women of reproductive age 15-49 years were interviewed, and their husbands who were present at the time were also interviewed to a maximum of 5 per block. Baseline data was collected in 2008-09, while end line data was collected in 2010-11. Change in family planning uptake attributed to the project interventions were estimated. Besides, a situation analysis of service delivery points was also conducted. Data was analysed using SPSS 21.

The panel comprised 5,304 women and 950 husbands. Interventions with the most robust effects were LHWs' home visits, attending women's group meetings, and watching family planning messages on television (p<0.05). The greatest changes were observed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in urban areas and among younger women (p<0.05).

Investing in public-sector services does pay off in terms of meeting family planning needs, and so do better, wider and clearer communication.