Engaging the missing link: Evidence from FALAH for involving men in family planning in Pakistan—Case study

Ashfaq, Seemin; Sadiq, Maqsood

doi:10.31899/rh5.1001

Cited by 14 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…When couples have discussed family planning, contraceptive use tends to go up, with recent evidence from Kenya [47]; Ethiopia [48–50]; Nepal [51]; Bangladesh [52] and Pakistan [53, 54]. An analysis of DHS survey data from Bangladesh, for example, found that discussions between husband and wife on family planning was the single most significant effect on both current contraceptive use and modern method preference [52].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The FALAH Project, implemented between 2008 and 2012 in Pakistan shows that programming for men can reach millions of men. That project spanned 20 districts across four provinces and reached more than 9 million women and men [54]. The FALAH Project engaged men through multiple strategies including male motivators and peers, mass media, theatre performances, men’s groups, and religious leaders.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Are men well served by family planning programs?

Hardee

Croce-Galis²

2017

Reprod Health

105

120

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Although the range of contraceptives includes methods for men, namely condoms, vasectomy and withdrawal that men use directly, and the Standard Days Method (SDM) that requires their participation, family planning programming has primarily focused on women. What is known about reaching men as contraceptive users? This paper draws from a review of 47 interventions that reached men and proposes 10 key considerations for strengthening programming for men as contraceptive users. A review of programming shows that men and boys are not particularly well served by programs. Most programs operate from the perspective that women are contraceptive users and that men should support their partners, with insufficient attention to reaching men as contraceptive users in their own right. The notion that family planning is women’s business only is outdated. There is sufficient evidence demonstrating men’s desire for information and services, as well as men’s positive response to existing programming to warrant further programming for men as FP users. The key considerations focus on getting information and services where men and boys need it; addressing gender norms that affect men’s attitudes and use while respecting women’s autonomy; reaching adolescent boys; including men as users in policies and guidelines; scaling up successful programming; filling gaps with implementation research and monitoring & evaluation; and creating more contraceptive options for men.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are men well served by family planning programs?

Hardee

Croce-Galis²

2017

Reprod Health

105

120

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Participating women told us how they tried to in uence their spouses to arrive at a joint decision and when such a joint decision was not forthcoming how they relied on more senior women in their husband's family to in uence their husband. The pivotal role of spousal support in contraceptive choice is highlighted in research from Pakistan which has explored men's roles in family planning and have promoted couple counselling based on that premise (Islam, Muhammad and Hasan, 2014;Ashfaq and Sadiq, 2015;Tilahun et al, 2015). Previous qualitative research which explored men's family planning attitudes and information needs, has also highlighted the importance of involving husbands in family planning discussions and the need to establish forums for men as a way of raising awareness, addressing myths and concerns, and advocating for supporting women's use of LARC 60,61 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Social Network in Decision Making for Increasing Uptake and Continuing Use of Long Acting Reversible (LARC) Methods in Pakistan

Sarfraz

Hamid

Rawstorne

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Despite evidence from recent Demographic Health Surveys that show 98% of the adult Pakistani population have an awareness of at least one modern contraceptive method, only 25% of married couples in Pakistan used a modern method of contraception. Of the modern contraceptive methods, LARC usage has increased only, from 2.1% to 3%. This low uptake is puzzling in the context of high awareness of LARC methods and its availability through public sector facilities at subsidized costs. This study aimed to understand the social influences in initiating and continuing use of an LARC methods for contraception in a rural setting in Pakistan.Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with 27 women who were using a LARC method for contraception. Data was managed using NVivo 12 and themes were identified using a comparative content analysis approach to analyze the transcripts.Results: Four key themes, supported by sub-themes relating to a temporal model, was identified to explain women’s experiences with initiating and continuing use of a LARC. The themes were (i) Use of trusted networks for information on LARCs; (ii) Personal motivation and family support in decision to use LARC; (iii) Choice of LARC methods and access to providers; and (iv) Social and professional support instrumental in long term use of LARC. Results highlight the significant role of immediate social network of female family members in supporting the women in initiating LARCs and maintaining their use.Conclusion: This study contributes to an in depth understanding of the decision-making process of women who adopted LARC and maintained its use. Women who proceeded to use an LARC and who persisted with its use despite the experience of side effects and social pressures, were able to do so with support from other female family members and spouse.

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“…In Pakistan, many religious leaders agreed with the consideration of family planning as birth spacing and could correct the perception that religion is opposed to family planning. Men who attended talks by sensitized religious leaders had a 23 percentage point higher predicted probability of responding positively to their wives about family planning (Ashfaq and Sadiq, 2015).…”

Section: Description Of the Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…About half of the female respondents reported that their husbands participated in intervention activities conducted by male outreach workers. Men were not included in the evaluation, however (Ashfaq and Sadiq, 2015).…”

Section: Description Of the Interventionmentioning

confidence: 99%