In Ukraine, two of every three pregnancies end in abortion, and women rarely receive family planning counseling or information during pregnancy and after childbirth and abortion. In September 1999, the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, USAID, and Johns Hopkins University Population and Communication Sevices launched the first ever postpartum/postabortion (PP/PA) reproductive health campaign designed to increase modern contraceptive use among Ukrainian women during the post-pregnancy period.
The strategy of the six-month campaign focuses on the PP/PA period as a missed opportunity for the promotion of modern methods, and uses two approaches to: 1) increase demand among women for family planning information and services in the postpregnancy period, and, 2) build counseling capacity at maternity hospitals to meet this increased demand.
Working with Ukrainian trainers, JHU/PCS conducted four workshops in counseling and contraceptive technology in the PP/PA period for 80 doctors and midwives at maternity hospitals participating in two cities - Kharkiv and Simferopil. In addition, a promotional campaign is underway, featuring television and radio advertisements, posters, client brochures, job aids for providers, and local hotlines. Posters and brochures promote the hotline and modern methods at participating facilities. Finally, JHU/PCS obtained donations of methods from pharmaceutical companies active in Ukraine.
After less than three months, campaign hotlines received more than 900 calls, over one-third came from men. The campaign's impact will be evaluated through pre-and post-campaign exit interviews, hotline data, and provider monitoring cards.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to describe the overall effect that a regional family planning promotional campaign has had on family planning behaviors of women in Ukraine
Keywords: Post-Abortion, Family Planning
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.