Addressing Reproductive Health Needs of Women in Kenya through Family Planning
By Christine Were & Joyous A. L. Begisen
Family planning is one of the most important health interventions of the 21st century. It enables women and couples to take charge of their fertility; decide the number of children to have; and better plan childbearing. Significant positive linkages exist between family planning and maternal and child survival and well-being. For example, research shows that Kenya loses 5,500 mothers each year due to pregnancy- and birth-related complications. A growing body of evidence also suggests that family planning is key to the attainment of the demographic dividend: the economic benefits that countries derive from a decline in fertility and mortality rates.
Despite knowledge of at least one family planning method being virtually universal/very high at 98 percent among women and 99 percent among men in Kenya, nearly half, 47% of women in Kenya, do not want to get pregnant ( have a need for family planning) but are not using a family planning method. Poor, rural, uneducated, and disempowered women use contraceptives less than their rich, urban, educated, and empowered counterparts and about one in three couples in East Africa, will likely discontinue contraceptive use within a year. The two most common reasons women give for discontinuing use of contraceptives are perceived or real side effects, and wanting to have another child.
To increase adoption of healthy behaviors, Population Services Kenya uses an evidence-based Social Behavior Change approach, that is derived from proven behavior change theories and frameworks, is flexible, interactive, researched, and planned process; linking Social Behavior Change activities to behavioral outcomes and health impact. Our approach allows for a deeper understanding of the underlying issues preventing a target group from adopting healthy behaviors, and includes the examination of the behavior of reference groups and influencers as they relate to the target group as well as social dynamics.
Through this approach, Population Services Kenya has developed campaigns such as ‘The choice is mine’, that aims to address the woman’s fears around side effects and further empowers her to make informed choices. PS Kenya also runs the ‘Kitu ni Kukachora’ (Make a Plan) platform, with support from the U.S Agency for International Development, targeted at positively influencing the behaviors of adolescents and young people. The platform is anchored on the premise that young people desire success and one of the ways in which this can be achieved is by planning for their lives. Kukachora is informed by interactions and deep dive immersions, which assume different forms including small group discussions, one on one interviews, paired interviews and key informant interviews, with the adolescents and youth.
Through Social Franchising, PS Kenya, with funding from the U.S Agency for International Development and the African Health Markets for Equity partnership delivers family planning services through the private sector Tunza Family Health Network, present in 40 of the 47 counties, and offering the promise of friendly, quick, affordable and quality services, offered by qualified health providers.
On World Contraception Day, 2018, PS Kenya joins the Ministry of Health and like-minded stakeholders in Reproductive Health, to spread the word and raise awareness about contraception and improve cognizance of all contraceptive methods available, to enable young people make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health.
About the authors
Christine Were is the Reproductive Health Manager at PS Kenya . Joyous A.L. Begisen is the Organisation’s Corporate Communications Manager. Follow Joyous on Twitter: @JoyousBegisen
