NCT04767139

EPI, a Missed Opportunity for Postpartum Family Planning Utilization

Expanded Program for Immunization, a Missed Opportunity for Postpartum Family Planning Utilization: A Quasi Experimental Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 1,474 (actual)
• Sponsor: Hawassa University · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 15 Years – 49 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The global unmet need for postpartum family planning remains high, while immunization services are among the most widely utilized health services. Most women in the extended postpartum period want to delay or avoid future pregnancies but many are not using a modern contraceptive method. Establishing systematic screening, counseling, and referral systems from different contact points particularly from infant immunization units may improve family planning access and uptake in the extended postpartum period. Hence, this study is aimed to assess the effect of counseling for family planning at immunization units on postpartum contraceptive uptake during the extended postpartum period.

Detailed description

Background: The global unmet need for postpartum family planning remains high, while immunization services are among the most widely utilized health services. Most women in the extended postpartum period want to delay or avoid future pregnancies but many are not using a modern contraceptive method. Establishing systematic screening, counseling, and referral systems from different contact points particularly from Expanded Program for Immunization (EPI) units may improve family planning access and uptake in the extended perinatal period. Therefore, this study is proposed to assess the effect of counseling for family planning at immunization units on postpartum contraceptive uptake during the extended postpartum period. To do this, a before-and-after type of quasi-experimental study will be conducted in purposively selected health centers in Sidama, South Ethiopia. All mothers coming to the selected health centers for infant immunization services will be screened for, counseled, and referred for family planning. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire will be used to collect quantitative data from a total of 1474 randomly selected women coming to purposively selected health centers before and after the intervention. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusting for possible confounding variables will be computed.

Conditions

• Contraception

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	counseling for family planning	all mothers presented to infant immunization units of the selected health centers will be counseled for family planning service and referred to the family planning unit if they decided to use.

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-02-01
• Primary completion: 2022-02-25
• Completion: 2022-10-28
• First posted: 2021-02-23
• Last updated: 2023-03-03

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Ethiopia