Modern Contraception Initiation: Does Involving Husbands hake a Difference?
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Date
1991-04
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Addis Abeba Universty
Abstract
A field trial to initiate modern contraception (MC)
was conducted in Kotebe Awraja, Addis Ababa
Administrative Region, between August 1990 and January
1991. The purpose of the field trial was to examine what
effect involving husbands in a family planning (FP)
intervention program would have on the initiation of
modern contraception (MC) by the couple. A total of 528
married women aged 15-49 were included in the study,
randomly divided into two groups on the basis of
"blocked" assignments to home visitors. The experimental
group, totalling 267 received the intervention package
with their husbands, while the control group, totalling
261 received the intervention package without the
involvement of their husbands. The FP intervention
package was the same . A baseline interview conducted to
assess socio-demographic, reproducti ve, knowledge and
attitudes of the wives, as well as of their husbands
prior to group assignment did not reveal any
statistically significant differences between the
experimental and control groups. Of the 528 married
couples who were entered into the study, 106 initiated
MC. A statistically significant higher propor tion of
couples in the experiment group initiated MC as compared
to those in the control group. (relative risk 1.61), 95%
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CI (1.13, 2.3), p < .007 . The younger age of wife and
husband, higher educational level of wife, greater number
of barriers identified to use MC, and having a husband's
support were positively associated with the verified
initiation of MC. It is concluded that FP programs for
married women of reproductive age which include husbands
have a higher degree of success than those only directed
to wives. It is therefore recommended that future family
planning programs should include men and that further
investigation of its effectiveness be implemented .
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Modern Contraception Initiation