Intention to Use Contraception: Promises and Pitfalls of Family Planning's Emerging Demand Indicator

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Reproductive Health
• Family Planning

Background:

• The intention to use (ITU) contraception indicator is increasingly prominent for family planning (FP) programs.
• ITU is proposed as a metric to better capture individuals' desires regarding contraception.
• Traditional indicators like contraceptive prevalence and unmet need have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically examine the advantages and disadvantages of the ITU indicator for measuring family planning demand.
• To position ITU as a transitional measure rather than a definitive person-centered breakthrough.
• To advocate for complementary indicators that capture broader aspects of contraceptive decision-making.

Main Methods:

• Commentary and critical analysis of the ITU indicator in the context of family planning measurement.
• Review of existing literature and programmatic use of the ITU indicator.
• Argumentation for a more comprehensive approach to measuring contraceptive needs and use.

Main Results:

• The ITU indicator offers advantages for measuring family planning demand but has limitations.
• ITU is not inherently person-centered, despite its potential.
• Reliance on ITU as a sole metric for programmatic success is cautioned against.

Conclusions:

• ITU serves as a valuable transitional measure, bridging current practices toward more person-centered indicators.
• Comprehensive indicators capturing access, agency, and preferences are needed alongside ITU.
• ITU should complement, not replace, efforts to develop next-generation family planning metrics.