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

Abstract #111994

Maria R. Borda, MPH and Carol Shepherd, ScD, PhD. Futures Group, 1 Thomas Circle, Suite #200, Washington, DC 20005, 202-777-0962, mborda@futuresgroup.com

Maria Borda APHA 2005 ABSTRACT

Purpose: In 2004, the POLICY Project conducted a review of 45 Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) to determine: •If family planning (FP) and reproductive health (RH) plans are included. •How FP/RH plans are addressed regarding finance, logistics, commodities, and quality of service. •If a budget line item was assigned for FP/RH commodities.

Description of data: The data include the PRSPs and background papers. The PRSPs outline a country's macroeconomic and social policies and programs to be pursued in the medium-term with external and internal financing.

Methodology: The review focused on countries with PRSPs available on the World Bank website and examined sections that might include RH/FP initiatives.

Major results: The 45 countries included 27 Sub-Saharan Africa countries, 3 LAC countries, 8 Asia and Near East countries, and 7 Europe & Eurasia countries. Out of those countries, only 10 have noteworthy FP/RH plans. This implies that these countries had detailed information on how to achieve FP/RH plans and/or had budget lines allocated to these programs. Only 5 countries had a budget line for RH/FP.

Recommendations RH/FP are central to poverty reduction but have been disregarded in the PRSPs. For low income counties who do not have FP/RH plans in their PRSPs, raising awareness on the importance of FP/RH would be a preliminary step. Governments with underdeveloped FP/RH plans should consider making plans concrete while those with developed FP/RH plans but without a budget line would benefit from funding them. Governments' progress toward poverty reduction requires inclusion of FP/RH in PRSPs.

Learning Objectives:

• Articulate the importance of family planning and reproductive health within a country's poverty reduction strategy.
• Identify various aspects of FP/RH which must be considered in carrying out a feasible FP/RH program.
• Identify and understand the linkages between poverty reduction and FP/RH and between FP/RH programs and the necessary funding to carry them out.

Keywords: Reproductive Health, Family Planning

Related Web page: www-wds.worldbank.org/navigation.jsp?pcont=browdoc

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 commercial supporters.