Provider Beliefs, Attitudes, and Practices Concerning Emergency Contraception
The Council is collaborating with national partners to review current access to emergency contraception (EC), particularly with respect to providers’ attitudes toward the method in India, Nigeria, and Senegal. The data generated will be used to develop a global advocacy strategy to improve provider support for EC access and to improve access within each country.
Emergency contraception (EC) has been in use for over 30 years. It is an effective and safe method to prevent pregnancy that plays a unique role as the only contraceptive method that can be used after sexual intercourse has occurred; it is particularly important for women who have been raped or coerced into sex. Because EC is effective in preventing pregnancies and is unique among other methods, EC access is an important part of overall family planning strategies.
Unfortunately, there continues to be widespread misunderstanding about EC’s mechanism of action and its effect on contraceptive and sexual behavior. As such, disseminating accurate information on these issues in a compelling format should be a priority. To inform advocacy and programmatic improvement, we need an understanding of key stakeholders' perspectives and an assessment of possible mechanisms to overcome barriers associated with EC provision and uptake.
The Population Council is conducting a cross-sectional descriptive study in India, Senegal, and Nigeria that is aimed at understanding the attitudes, beliefs, and practices of providers and key opinion leaders around the provision and use of EC. The study will gather evidence on providers' attitudes toward EC, their perceptions of women who seek EC, their level of knowledge and training, and their opinions and practices regarding repeat use. This research will also document who EC "providers” are and how they respond to women seeking EC.
This study will generate data that can be used to develop advocacy strategies aimed at improving provider support for EC access around topics such as knowledge and beliefs of providers; EC use dynamics, including repeat use of the method; and modes by which providers can be reached with new information. The study will determine to what extent providers are sources of information for women, or whether women are getting information from other sources.
Related project
The overall objective of the study is to gather information from providers on their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding EC, and to document the opinions and insights of key opinion leaders on a range of policy and program issues related to EC.
Specifically, the study will:
- Document provider attitudes, beliefs, and practices around EC, including on the issue of repeat use;
- Capture key opinion leaders' opinions and insights around policy and programmatic issues for EC; and
- Develop improved ways of measuring attitudes toward "repeat use" to refine and validate questions
Providers will be surveyed on the following:
- Personal characteristics (age, gender, employment, technical qualifications);
- Knowledge, qualifications, and training in EC;
- Attitudes about EC and women who use it; and
- Practices around EC provision.
In-depth interviews with key opinion leaders will explore their knowledge of key policy issues around EC.
Surveys and interviews will take place in three sites in Uttar Pradesh, India; Kaduna and Abuja, Nigeria; and Dakar, Senegal.
Key opinion leaders' views regarding emergency contraception in India (PDF)
Khan,M.E.; Bhatnagar,Isha; Varma,Deepthi S.; Dixit,Anvita
Program brief, February 2012
Publication date: 2012
Providers' and key opinion leaders' attitudes and practices regarding emergency contraception in Senegal: Key findings (PDF)
Mane,Babacar; Brady,Martha; RamaRao,Saumya; Bintou Mbow,Fatou
Program brief, February 2012
Publication date: 2012
Providers' and key opinion leaders' attitudes, beliefs, and practices concerning emergency contraception: A multicountry study in India, Nigeria, and Senegal (PDF)
Brady,Martha; Khan,M.E.; Ahonsi,Babatunde; Mane,Babacar; Askew,Ian; RamaRao,Saumya
Program brief, February 2012
Publication date: 2012
Providers' and key opinion leaders' attitudes, beliefs, and practices regarding emergency contraception in India: Final survey report
Khan,M.E.; Varma,Deepthi S.; Bhatnagar,Isha; Dixit,Anvita; Brady,Martha
Publication date: 2012
Providers' and key opinion leaders' attitudes, beliefs, and practices regarding emergency contraception in Nigeria: Key findings (PDF)
Ahonsi,Babatunde; Salisu,Ishaku; Idowu,Araoyinbo; Oginni,Ayo
Program brief, February 2012
Publication date: 2012
Providers' attitudes and practices regarding emergency contraception in India: Key findings (PDF)
Khan,M.E.; Bhatnagar,Isha; Varma,Deepthi S.; Dixit,Anvita
Program brief, February 2012
Publication date: 2012
Provider-related barriers to accessing emergency contraception in developing countries: A literature review (PDF)
Williams,Katherine
Publication date: 2011
Project Stats
Location: India (Uttar Pradesh) , Senegal (Dakar) , Nigeria (Abuja and Kaduna)
Program(s):
Poverty, Gender, and Youth
Reproductive Health
Topic(s):
Access to contraceptive methods
Family planning services
Duration: 1/2011 - 3/2012
Population Council researchers:
Babatunde A.O. Ahonsi
Martha Brady
Salisu Ishaku
M.E. Khan
Katherine Maina
Saumya RamaRao
Donors:
Family Care International
International Consortium for Emergency Contraception
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