Population Council Projects | Emergency Contraception in Honduras: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Among Urban Family Planning Clients

PROJECT
Emergency Contraception in Honduras: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice Among Urban Family Planning Clients

Emergency contraception (EC) has been included in the Honduran National Family Planning Norms since 1999, but surveys indicate that knowledge and use of EC remains low.

From 2001 to 2004, in collaboration with local partners ASHONPLAFA and Marie Stopes Honduras (MSH), the Population Council developed and implemented outreach activities to increase awareness of EC among target groups such as adolescents, factory workers, and nongovernmental organizations working with victims of violence. These activities included the development of pamphlets that were distributed in clinics in 14 cities and in strategic public locations (e.g., bars, universities, high schools, supermarkets, football stadiums, pharmacies, and Internet cafes). In addition, collaborators produced a tailored EC radio spot that was aired in Honduran factories. More EC radio spots were broadcast on 14 popular radio stations across the country.

Project staff also developed a specially packaged EC kit that contained three condoms, instructions, and a four-pill + four-pill Yuzpe EC regimen. Between March 2003 and February 2004, ASHONPLAFA clinics sold 2,569 EC kits. MSH clinics in 18 factories in northern Honduras also distributed the EC kits. In 2001 and 2003, Council researchers conducted cross-sectional baseline (n=1,405) and follow-up (n=1,287) EC knowledge, attitudes, and practices surveys among clients of family planning clinics in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula. During this two-year period, EC awareness increased from 5.3 percent to 19.7 percent of respondents. Respondents generally demonstrated a positive attitude toward and low rates of concern about EC. Awareness of and willingness to use EC were strongly associated with age, educational status, and city of residence.

Location

Honduras

Duration

2001–2004

Population Council researchers

Sandra G. Garcia, Diane Lara, Eileen A. Yam

Non-Council collaborators

Sarah H. Landis (Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

ASHONPLAFA

Marie Stopes Honduras

Donors

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Summit Charitable Foundation

Publications/Resources
Council researchers' names appear in boldface type.

2006
García, Sandra G., Diana Lara, Sarah H. Landis, Eileen A. Yam, and Suyapa Pavón, "Emergency contraception in Honduras: Knowledge, attitudes, and practice among urban family planning clients," Studies in Family Planning 37(3): 187–196. (abstract)