Equity Analysis: Identifying Who Benefits from Family Planning Programs

Abstract

This study examines current disparities in access to family planning services in developing countries with data drawn from 64 Demographic and Health Surveys conducted between 1994 and 2008. The percent of demand satisfied is used as a proxy measure for access to family planning. In all regions, married women aged 15-19 have greater difficulty than older women in meeting their need for contraceptive services. Inequities in the percent of demand satisfied among individuals of varying economic status, area of residence, and education are observed in all regions except Central Asia. These gaps are larger and more common in sub-Saharan Africa. Strategies that seek to increase contraceptive use rapidly without consideration for disadvantaged groups are likely to increase observed inequities in percent of demand satisfied in the short-term. Efforts to monitor progress toward the goals enumerated in 1994 at the International Conference on Population and Development and toward other development goals must go beyond global, regional, and national averages to address the needs of population groups that are at greatest risk of adverse health outcomes.

What Works? Strategies to Increase Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health in Difficult to Access Mountainous Locations: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Gabrysch and Campbell noted that these barriers frequently interact and further identified that groups in remote areas often face worse health infrastructure and transport, limited access to information, poverty and strong traditional systems [8]. Likewise, these factors influence the utilisation of antenatal care, family planning, and care for common childhood illnesses with greater impact on remote families [9], [10].…”

Context-specific, evidence-based planning for scale-up of family planning services to increase progress to MDG 5: health systems research

“…Beyond the access as a barrier, quality service is critical for effective and sustained use [7]. Inequity in those unserved is marked [8-10] in both utilisation of and ability to demand family planning [10,11]. In a sample of 41 developing countries the poorest wealth quintile was found to have twice the number of unwanted births than the richest (1.1 vs. 0.5) and endure less access to information and health workers [10].…”

“…In a sample of 41 developing countries the poorest wealth quintile was found to have twice the number of unwanted births than the richest (1.1 vs. 0.5) and endure less access to information and health workers [10]. In another analysis of 64 developing countries, inequitable unmet need for family planning was associated with area of residence, age and woman’s education, in addition to wealth [11]. …”

Descriptive study of the role of household type and household composition on women’s reproductive health outcomes in urban Uttar Pradesh, India

“…Gaps in attaining universal access to reproductive health and FP are most apparent among the least educated and poorest segments of the population [2–5]. Across multiple countries and in both urban and rural settings, young, poorer, and uneducated women are less likely to use modern FP and to have an institutional delivery [3–5].…”

“…Gaps in attaining universal access to reproductive health and FP are most apparent among the least educated and poorest segments of the population [2–5]. Across multiple countries and in both urban and rural settings, young, poorer, and uneducated women are less likely to use modern FP and to have an institutional delivery [3–5]. These gaps in FP use and institutional delivery may be related to social barriers in contexts where mothers-in-law play an important role in household decision-making [6–8].…”