EPI, a Missed Opportunity for Postpartum Family Planning Utilization

Contraception

The global unmet need for postpartum family planning remains high, while immunization services are among the most widely utilized health services. Most women in the extended postpartum period want to delay or avoid future pregnancies but many are not using a modern contraceptive method. Establishing systematic screening, counseling, and referral systems from different contact points particularly from infant immunization units may improve family planning access and uptake in the extended postpartum period. Hence, this study is aimed to assess the effect of counseling for family planning at immunization units on postpartum contraceptive uptake during the extended postpartum period.

Background: The global unmet need for postpartum family planning remains high, while immunization services are among the most widely utilized health services. Most women in the extended postpartum period want to delay or avoid future pregnancies but many are not using a modern contraceptive method. Establishing systematic screening, counseling, and referral systems from different contact points particularly from Expanded Program for Immunization (EPI) units may improve family planning access and uptake in the extended perinatal period. Therefore, this study is proposed to assess the effect of counseling for family planning at immunization units on postpartum contraceptive uptake during the extended postpartum period. To do this, a before-and-after type of quasi-experimental study will be conducted in purposively selected health centers in Sidama, South Ethiopia. All mothers coming to the selected health centers for infant immunization services will be screened for, counseled, and referred for family planning. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire will be used to collect quantitative data from a total of 1474 randomly selected women coming to purposively selected health centers before and after the intervention. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusting for possible confounding variables will be computed.

Ethiopia