Helping Egyptian women achieve optimal birth spacing intervals through fostering linkages between family planning and maternal/child health services

Population Councils USAID-funded Frontiers in Reproductive Health (FRONTIERS) program in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP) and the NGO Social Planning Analysis and Administration Consultants; (SPAAC) conducted an operations research study to measure the acceptability and effectiveness of two birth spacing message models. For Model I (health services model) birth spacing messages were communicated through services by health workers to women during prenatal and postpartum periods. Model II (community awareness model) provided this service plus an awareness raising component that targeted men through training community influentials to communicate messages. Both models proved effective in changing womens knowledge and attitudes towards birth spacing and in enhancing use of contraception at 10-11 months postpartum by 48 percent among Model I mothers and 43 percent among Model II mothers compared with 31 percent among control group mothers. Over the postpartum period women in the two intervention groups used contraception more consistently than women in the control group (median duration of protection against pregnancy was 6.8 months for Model I mothers 4.5 months for Model II mothers and 2.9 months for control group mothers). Both intervention models were associated with an increased utilization of services especially family planning services by women who only had one child (36 percent increase in Model I clinics 47 percent increase in Model II clinics and 3.2 percent in control clinics). However a fear of contraceptive side-effects continues to be a major concern among women and men in all groups and is an obstacle in achieving healthy birth intervals. (Excerpts)