Population Council Research that makes a difference

Researchers with the Council's FRONTIERS program worked with the NGO Service Delivery Program (NSDP) and the Associates for Community and Population Research to increase the awareness among rickshaw pullers and their families of the health risks of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, and the benefits of using condoms for dual protection from STIs and pregnancy. The project tested the relative effectiveness of two strategies for delivering information and services—providing reproductive health education at rickshaw garages and providing reproductive health education with improved access to condoms—against a control site.

Over 5,000 rickshaw pullers attended at least one educational session. Men who received the reproductive health education showed significant increases in knowledge relative to the control sites, with a greater increase—as well as increased condom use—in sites that received the combined intervention. However, risky behavior (extramarital sex) increased in all three groups.

NSDP expanded project activities in 35 urban clinics. Senior NGO officials and master trainers were identified and trained. All participating clinics introduced community condom distributors, and educational materials on condoms and vasectomy were distributed throughout the project area.