 Siân L. Curtis, Analyst, Macro International, Inc., 11785 Beltsville Drive, Calverton, MD 20705. Charles F. Westoff, Professor of Demography and Sociology, Office of Population Research, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ. In this article, the relationship between stated intention to use contraceptives and subsequent use during a three-year period in Morocco is examined. Longitudinal data are drawn from two Demographic and Health Surveys: the 1992 Morocco DHS and the 1995 Morocco Panel Survey. Reported contraceptive intentions in 1992 have a strong predictive effect on subsequent contraceptive use even after controlling for other characteristics of respondents, and the strength of the effect is second only to that of previous contraceptive use. Women who in 1992 said they intended to use contraceptives in the future but did not do so are the most likely to have had an unmet need for contraception in 1995. Weakly held fertility preferences reported by some of the women surveyed in 1992 appear to have been a contributing factor in the subsequent failure of these women to act upon their intention to practice contraception. (Studies in Family Planning 1996; 27,5: 239–250)
Ruth Simmons, Professor, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1420 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109–2029. The fertility decline that began in Bangladesh in the late 1980s and continues has prompted diverse theories to explain it. In this qualitative analysis of 21 focus-group sessions with rural women ranging in age from the teens to late 40s and living in the villages of the Matlab area, the women’s perceptions of their changing society and of the influence of the family planning program are examined. The women’s statements reveal their awareness of the social and economic transition they are undergoing and their interest in family-size limitation, which is bolstered by a strong family planning program. Although the shifts in economic and social circumstances are not large, in conjunction with the strong family planning program they constitute a powerful force for change in attitudes, ideas, and behavior among these women. (Studies in Family Planning 1996; 27,5: 251–268)
ReportsH. Volkan Çakir, Consultant to the SEATS Project at the time of this study; currently consultant to the POLICY Project, Abidin Daver Sokak, No. 7/7, Çankaya 06550, Ankara, Turkey. Stephen J. Fabricant, Resident Director of a health-policy-reform technical assistance project for the Palestinian Health Authority. F. Nilgn Kircalioglu, Public Health Specialist and Regional Director for the Family Planning Service Expansion and Technical Support Project (SEATS), Ankara. The costs of running a recently established family planning program in the Turkish social security system were measured and compared with the costs of providing the medical services and nonmedical benefits for pregnant women. The undiscounted cost savings from averting pregnancy were estimated to exceed the program's recurrent costs by 17.6 to 1. Cost savings represent only 1 percent of all of the system's medical expenditures, but the family planning program is in an early stage, and potential savings could influence management decisionmaking regarding investments in specialized maternity hospitals. (Studies in Family Planning 1996; 27,5: 269–276)
Dale Huntington, Program Associate, Cairo, Kate Miller, Programs Division Data Analyst, Barbara Mensch, Research Division Associate, The Population Council, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 10017. The use of direct observation to assess the quality of family planning services is a central element of situation analysis studies. The interrater reliability of observational data from a study in Turkey was assessed using teams of multiple observers. Overall, the findings suggest a strong degree of reliability. Observers were more likely to agree when rating physical actions than verbal cues and when both observers were of similar backgrounds. The high degree of reliability in the situation analysis observation guide is considered to be due to a relatively low level of measurement and the use of crude indicators for several dimensions of quality. The guide's reliability makes this sort of study particularly valuable to family planning clinicians, program managers, and policymakers. (Studies in Family Planning 1996; 27,5: 277–282)
Commentary - Let's Not Get Carried Away with "Reproductive Health"
Data - Cote d'Ivoire 1994: Results from the Demographic and Health Survey
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