Enhanced Family Planning Counseling and Regular Reminder messages in - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Enhanced Family Planning Counseling and Regular Reminder messages in Northern Jordan with a Behavioral Economics Lens

Heath J. Prince, PhD | University of Texas, Austin; Ray Marshall Center

Main findings

Barriers to Family Planning services

• Fear of adverse side effects and complications of Modern Family Planning Methods
• Limited availability of skilled Family Planning counselors
• Passive and short counseling sessions that lack privacy and don’t address women's

needs

Beliefs and biases are the basis for decisions Enhanced Counseling Guide + Regular reminder message

Main findings cont.

Effectiveness of Enhanced Counseling and Reminder Messages

• The percentage of women who continued using MFPM for 9 months:
• 45% of women in Enhanced Counseling and Reminder Messages Group
• 42% of women in the Enhanced Counseling Only Group
• 27% of women in the Control Group (Routine Practice)
• Enhanced Counseling resulted in a 50% reduction in pregnancy rates
• Exclusive breast feeding:
• Women received enhanced counseling were twice more likely to exclusively

breastfeed their babies

• Women received enhanced counseling and reminder messages were three times

more likely to exclusively breastfeed their babies

Continuation of Using Modern Family Planning Methods

27% 42% 45% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Control Counseling only Counseling and reminder messages Percentage

Use for 9 months

Pregnancy Rates after 9 months of intervention

14% 7% 7% 0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12% 14% 16% Control Counseling only Counseling and reminder messages Percentage

Possible contribution to SRHR policy

• Enhanced counseling can:
• Improve women’s compliance to use of Modern Fmily Planning Methods
• Reduce the rate of unwanted and unplanned pregnancy
• Recommendations:
• Revise and update the Family Planning Counseling guide to be used for counseling postpartum women.
• Train midwives to adequate and comprehensive counseling to postpartum to ensure that women fully

understand the information delivered.

• Maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of clients during family planning provision.
• Develop and implement digital solutions such as mobile applications to enhance counseling
• Consider couples’ counseling