EPI, a Missed Opportunity for Postpartum Family Planning Utilization (EPI)

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

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Contraception
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: counseling for family planning

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.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 1474

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Ethiopia
  • Sidama
    • Hawassa, Sidama, Ethiopia
      • Sidama regional health bureau

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 15 years to 49 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

All women in the extended postpartum period visiting the selected health centers for infant immunization service are the study populations.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• all women visiting the selected health facilities at least two times during the pre-intervention period will be included

Exclusion Criteria:

• No exclussion critera

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Other
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
pre-intervention group; mothers included for the pre-intervention assessment of contraceptive prevalence rate in the selected health centers
post intervention group; mothers included for the post-intervention assessment of contraceptive prevalence rate in the selected health centers	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.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
improved contraceptive uptake	the contraceptive utilization rate will be increased after the initiation of the intervention	March 3, 2021

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Hawassa University
• Collaborators: EngenderHealth
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Abebaw Abeje Muluneh, MSc, Hawassa University; Study Chair: Abel Gedefaw, MD, MPh, Hawassa University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 25, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): October 28, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 19, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 19, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): February 23, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): March 3, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 1, 2023
• Last Verified: March 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: g6t4n7gi

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No