Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #110053

Elvira Beracochea, MD MPH, Deputy Director, Advance Africa Project, 4301 Fairfax Drive, Suite 400, Arlington, VA 22203-1627, 703-248-1631, eberacochea@advanceafrica.org, Elizabeth Baca, Harvard University, 4301 Fairfax Dr, Arlington, VA 22203, Linda Tawfik, Center of Health Services and Systems, Management Sciences for Health, 4301 Fairfax Dr, Arlington, VA 22203, and Issakha Diallo, MD DrPH, Project Director, Advance Africa Project, 4301 Fairfax Drive, Suite 400, Fairfax, VA 22203-1627.

An interval of three to five years between births is considered optimal birth spacing because it is associated with improved child and maternal survival (Conde-Agudelo 2000). In Mozambique, child and infant mortality rates are almost three times higher when the interval between births is less then 24 months (DHS 2003). Maternal deaths rates are also high (980 per 100,000 live births, Population Reference Bureau, 2002), while contraceptive prevalence low (9%). The repositioned family planning (FP) program in Mozambique needs to promote longer birth intervals to decrease maternal and child mortality. The Optimal Birth Spacing project (OBSP) was designed to inform the repositioning of FP services to increase their use and the use of contraceptive methods. The OBSP first identified the current knowledge of the community, and used this information to develop, implement and test the feasibility of an intervention. The objectives of the OBSP were to increase knowledge about the benefits of birth intervals of 3 to 5 years, and about the risks of short intervals, and support making the decision to space for an optimal interval. The OBSP identified social networks and used them to disseminate information about the benefits of spacing the birth of a couple's next child and family planning methods. The community networks also supported families to choose the birth month of their next child. This presentation will show results of the feasibility test of this social network approach, and discuss options for scaling it up.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the components of a social network approach used to promote 3 to 5 year birth intervals in a community in Mozambique
• Discuss ways of identifying social networks in a community and assess communication patterns
• Evaluate results of the approach
• Discuss options for scaling up the social network approach

Keywords: Community Health Programs, Family Planning

Related Web page: www.advanceafrica.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commertial supporters WITH THE EXCEPTION OF being deputy director of the Advance Africa Project that implemented the project.