Strengthening Family Planning with Community-based Nutrition Interventions in Ethiopia : A Qualitative Study
A small-scale, exploratory, and qualitative operational research study was conducted in early 2011 to capture and examine stakeholder perspectives on integrated family planning (FP) programs implemented through Ethiopia's health extension prog...
Main Authors: | , , , |
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Format: | Working Paper |
Language: | English en_US |
Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2013
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2012/06/16510378/strengthening-family-planning-community-based-nutrition-interventions-ethiopia-qualitative-study http://hdl.handle.net/10986/13576 |
Summary: | A small-scale, exploratory, and
qualitative operational research study was conducted in
early 2011 to capture and examine stakeholder perspectives
on integrated family planning (FP) programs implemented
through Ethiopia's health extension program (HEP).
Qualitative indications are that various stakeholders on
both the supply and the demand side perceive that specific
community-based nutrition (CBN) activities also delivered
within HEP serve to link nutrition, family planning, and
other health issues in socially acceptable and qualitatively
effective ways. Remarkable concordance of qualitative
indicators of service delivery, uptake, and satisfaction was
noted on both the supply and demand side of service delivery
at the sites studied. Respondent reports suggested the
following: (i) active and successful delivery of both CBN
and FP activities; (ii) some challenges with record keeping,
supervision, and supplies; (iii) strong uptake of services
and messages; (iv) a highly positive community-level
perception of service quality, even in a partially
capacitated kebele (neighborhood); and (v) an engaged
response by participants. Qualitative indicators of
community-level HEP staff, volunteer performance, and
community satisfaction were generally positive. However,
gaps and challenges to improving integration and delivery of
FP and CBN within HEPs and in achieving sustainability in
scale-up of integrated programs include (i) increasing
capacity to support implant removal, (ii) maintaining human
resources for health within the health extension program,
and (iii) addressing the needs of youth in general and
out-of-school youth in particular. Recommendations for
improved delivery of integrated FP and CBN programs are to
explore ways to (i) step up planning and resourcing for
contraceptive implant removal, (ii) reduce staff turnover at
the health posts and health centers, (iii) strengthen
integrative supportive supervision and management of CBN,
(iv) enhance recruitment and training of youth as health
workers, (v) target adolescents and out-of-school youth for
FP and CBN, (vi) harmonize integrated FP and CBN messaging,
(vii) harmonize donor support for integration, and (viii)
measure the effectiveness of integration. |
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