To help fill the gap between demand for and access to health services, in 1996 a community-based reproductive health (CBRH) project using an alternative service delivery mechanism was started in two zones of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia by the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY)/South Central Synod (SCS) with financial support from Pathfinder International. This USAID-supported project covers 225 kebeles or villages in the two zones.
A baseline survey of the project revealed that teenage motherhood was widespread, with 47 percent of all mothers having given birth before age 18, and only 7 percent of currently married women were using modern FP methods. A cross sectional study was conducted in the spring of 1999 to assess FP and selected reproductive health activities and compare project and non-project areas. Using a multi-stage sampling, a written questionnaire on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of females age 15–49 and males age 15–64 was administered in 1,500 households from 16 kebeles.
Analysis of project and non-project areas revealed 67 percent and 6.2 percent current use of modern FP methods, respectively. Knowledge about FP, maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS, ante- and postnatal care, and vaccinations was significantly higher in kebeles included in the CBRH project.
The overall result shows better health service achievement in the project areas. Therefore, the use of community-based RH service is recommended as a priority in filling the gap between demand and access in underserved areas.
Learning Objectives: 1. Analyze the impact of community-based reproductive health services on communities in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region of Ethiopia. 2. Define the conditions under which CBRH projects can have the greatest impact
Keywords: Community-Based Health Promotion, Reproductive Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.