Interrupted Access to and Use of Family Planning Among Youth in a Community‐Based Service in Zimbabwe During the First Year of the COVID‐19 Pandemic

Mavodza, Constancia; Bernays, Sarah; Mackworth-Young, Constance; Nyamwanza, Rangarirayi; Nzombe, Portia; Dauya, Ethel; Chikwari, Chido Dziva; Tembo, Mandikudza; Apollo, Tsitsi; Mugurungi, Owen; Madzima, Bernard; Kranzer, Katharina; Ferrand, Rashida A; Busza, Joanna

doi:10.1111/sifp.12203

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 51 publications

(83 reference statements)

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“…Informants reported that in some clinics, GM was completely suspended to allow for prioritisation of other health services. Stockouts particularly affected immunisation and family planning services [ 70 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its control measures on women and children: A Zimbabwe case study

Taruvinga,

Chingono,

Olaru

et al. 2024

Preprint

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COVID-19 presented countries with unprecedented health policy challenges. For low-income countries in particular, policymakers had to contend with both the direct threats posed by COVID-19 as well as the social, educational, and economic harms associated with lockdown and other infection prevention and control measures. We present a holistic and contextualised case study of the direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19 on women and children, with some assessment of their uneven distribution across socio-economic, age and gender groups. We used different types of primary and secondary data from multiple sources to produce a holistic descriptive analysis. Primary data included: qualitative data obtained from 28 in-depth interviews of key informants, six focus group discussions; and 40 household interviews. We also extracted data from government reports and announcements, the District Health Information Software version 2 (DHIS2), newspaper articles and social media, as well as from published research articles. Our findings show that the direct and indirect adverse impacts of COVID-19 were compounded by many years of severe political economic challenges, and consequent deterioration of the healthcare system. The indirect effects of the pandemic had the most severe impacts on the poorest segment of society and widened age and gender inequalities. The pandemic and its accompanying infection prevention and control measures negatively affected health service delivery and uptake. The management of COVID-19 presented enormous challenges to policymakers and public health specialists. These included managing the greatest tension between direct and indirect harms; short-term and long-term effects; and the unequal distribution of harms across different segments of society.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its control measures on women and children: A Zimbabwe case study

Taruvinga,

Chingono,

Olaru

et al. 2024

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Indeed, existing health systems delivery problems in Africa compounded by the pandemic translated to substantial gaps in access to SRH services. In Zimbabwe, COVID-19 substantially disrupted access to HIV and SRH services, such as discontinuity of family planning services due to border lockdowns, restricted movements and limited youth-friendly contraceptive service options compared with before the pandemic in a community health programme for youths 13. Dyer et al 14 also reported that youths in Kenya faced challenges refilling their medications or keeping to their healthcare appointments, which was exacerbated by efforts that were outrightly against comprehensive SRH messages and SRH communication by policy-makers and decision-makers, religious organisations, and parents 15.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Zimbabwe, COVID-19 substantially disrupted access to HIV and SRH services, such as discontinuity of family planning services due to border lockdowns, restricted movements and limited youth-friendly contraceptive service options compared with before the pandemic in a community health programme for youths. 13 Dyer et al 14 also reported that youths in Kenya faced challenges refilling their medications or keeping to their healthcare appointments, which was exacerbated by efforts that were outrightly against comprehensive SRH messages and SRH communication by policy-makers and decision-makers, religious organisations, and parents. 15 Even in South Africa, about 22.4% of adults could not access condoms during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, 16 while utilisation of family planning services declined during the lockdown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers and facilitators to accessing and using sexual and reproductive health services during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in Africa: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

et al. 2023

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IntroductionAccess and utilisation of sexual and reproductive health services remain an important component in averting adverse sexual and reproductive health outcomes. However, the unprecedented emergence of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) left most of these services disrupted in Africa. Thus, this protocol study seeks to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of barriers and facilitators to accessing and using sexual and reproductive health services during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in Africa.Method and analysisAn open electronic database search will be conducted in African journals online, PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE and PsycINFO to identify potentially eligible studies published between January 2020 and December 2022. Two authors from the research team will screen the title and abstract of the potential studies, and another two authors will independently assess the full articles based on the inclusion or exclusion criteria. Studies will be selected if they examine barriers and facilitators to accessing and using sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning counselling and services, sexually transmitted infections (STIs)/HIV testing, consultation, and treatment, and provision of abortion services during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in Africa. The data extracted from the included studies will be analysed using Review Manager (RevMan V.5) and Meta-Analysis software V.3. Each outcome measure will be analysed separately against barriers and facilitators; the dichotomous data will be presented in odd ratios with a 95% CI, while mean and standardised mean differences will be employed to present the continuous data. We envisage that the potential results of this study will identify the barriers and facilitators to family planning counselling and services, STIs/HIV testing, consultation, and treatment, and provision of abortion services during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in Africa, which can be used to develop required interventions and policies to curb identified barriers.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required for a systematic review and meta-analysis. Findings from this study will be disseminated through conferences and peer-reviewed publication.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42022373335.

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Interrupted Access to and Use of Family Planning Among Youth in a Community‐Based Service in Zimbabwe During the First Year of the COVID‐19 Pandemic

Cited by 2 publications

References 51 publications

Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its control measures on women and children: A Zimbabwe case study

Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its control measures on women and children: A Zimbabwe case study

Barriers and facilitators to accessing and using sexual and reproductive health services during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in Africa: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

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