268472 Client outreach activities help to improve coverage of long acting family planning methods and also results in diffusion

Monday, October 29, 2012

Shikha Singhal, Post Gaduate in Nutrition science & PGDHRM (Pursuing) , CARE International, Urban Health Initiative (UHI), India, Aligarh, India
Dalbir Singh, Journalism and Mass Communication , Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHU.CCP), UHI, New Delhi, India
Mukesh Sharma, MBA, Masters in Rural Development, Masters in population science (pursuing) , Family Health International, UHI, Aligarh, India
Rashmi Gupta, Post Graduation, Human Resource Management , Foundation for Research in Health System (FRHS), Urban Health Initiative (UHI)-India, Aligarh, India
Prem Prakash Dwivedi, MBA , Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Truct (HLFPPT), Urban Health Initiative, UHI, India, Aligarh, India
Zakia Arshad, MBBS MS OBGYN , FHI360, Urban Health Initiative, Aligarh, India
Meenakshi Jain, MBBS, MD, MPH , Family Health International, Urban Health Initiative (UHI)-India, Lucknow, India
Gita Pillai, MPH , Family Health International, India, Urban Health Initiative (UHI)-India, New Delhi, India
Introduction: Slums communities are deprived of outreach and counseling especially on family planning and its benefits. Urban health and family planning indicators suggest that the urban poor have as low access to services as rural areas and has unmet need for family planning that is twice that of the residents of the same city. Outreach through home visits was introduced by UHI in 2010. Objective: To increase access to family planning information and services in urban areas and diffusion of these practices to nearby rural areas. Methodology: Strategy was implemented in 188 slums, covering 663,075 populations through 327 Peer Educators. Each peer educator reached 2,000 people and informed and counseled women on method and provider choices and how best to access services and supplies. One year of data was recorded and monitored to assess performance and impact of strategy. Results: Female sterilization increased by 55 % from 809 in 2010 to 1259 in 2011; IUCD insertion increased by 340% from 804 to 3541. DMPA injection increased from 276 to 2253 and male sterilization also showed increase from 29 to 300. Among rural resident a 5% increase in people access is just a diffusion effect in surrounding rural areas of investment made to reach urban poor. Conclusion: Outreach plays a critical role in increasing contraceptive use especially in long acting and permanent method. Investment in urban areas may also contribute to the diffusion of FP practice in neighboring areas. Outreach activities plays vital role in family planning use among slum resident.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Advocacy for health and health education
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related education
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1.Describe the efficacy of client outreach in improved coverage of family planning acceptance. 2.Demonstrate the diffusion of family planning messages from urban to rural areas.

Keywords: Community Outreach, Access and Services

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am responsible and accountable to implement all communication related activities in Aligarh. I am a principal author of this abstract. Testing small and big communication activities and impact assessment of the same is one of my scientific interests.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.