Population Council Research that makes a difference

FRONTIERS worked with India’s Directorate of Family Welfare of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation to test a community-based strategy to improve providers’ and clients’ understanding of and attitudes toward the intrauterine device (IUD) as a contraceptive choice. The interventions included a community awareness campaign, training to increase providers’ counseling and technical skills, enhancement of access to IUD services, and the involvement of pharmacists and private-sector providers in dissemination of IUD messages.

The proportion of providers who know the steps for providing IUD services increased (from 5% to 40%). Women’s knowledge about the IUD increased significantly, and use increased, though nearly half of women remained underinformed about the method, and “myths” about the method persisted—suggesting the need for sustained outreach on the IUD. The strategy was affordable at US$3.37 per IUD user, a cost expected to diminish in the event of scale-up. A revised version of project outreach materials is being used by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for outreach in other districts.