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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Dana G. Aronovich¹, Alan H. Bornbusch, PhD², William Winfrey, PhD³, Ali Karim, PhD¹, and Elizabeth Bunde¹. (1) John Snow, Inc., 1616 N. Fort Myer Drive, 11th floor, Arlington, VA 22209, 703-528-7474, dana_aronovich@jsi.com, (2) Bureau for Global Health, Office of Population and Reproductive Health, Commodities Security and Logistics Division, U.S. Agency for International Development, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20523-3601, (3) Constella Futures, 1 Thomas Circle, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20005

The concept of contraceptive security (CS), or ensuring a supply of contraceptives so that every person is able to choose, obtain, and use quality contraceptives whenever s/he needs them, is a critical component of family planning programs. Without a reliable and high quality supply of contraceptives, programs can not provide quality services to meet their clients' needs. The CS Index was developed to measure the level of contraceptive security in developing countries based on a set of 17 indicators covering the principle components of CS including health environment, finance, supply chain, access, and utilization. These indicators are compiled to establish a composite score for approximately 60 countries.The data to calculate the CS Index were collected in 2003 and again in 2006. The 2006 results will be published and presented to allow for monitoring overall progress within a country and for comparing countries' progress over time. Preliminary results show some global progress in achieving contraceptive security, and the data permit users to highlight broad areas of strengths and weaknesses. National and international stakeholders can use these results to emphasize the importance of contraceptive security to family planning program outcomes and to monitor progress towards reaching this goal. The CS Index can be a strong tool for raising awareness about CS, and about the inter-relationships between different program components. The results can also be used to set priorities and for advocating for more rational resource allocation by country governments and global donors to achieve a more secure supply of quality contraceptives.

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