ABSTRACT
A community-based family planning operations research project was undertaken in selected low income communities of Rio de Janeiro; project field work began in February 1982. Prevalence data were collected and service delivery strategies were tested, including home visits promoting family planning, home distribution of condoms, and the introduction of community family planning depots. A high baseline contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) of 70.1 percent was found for nonpregnant women currently in union, as well as substantial use of the private sector for contraceptive supply, despite the presence of free or subsidized sources within the communities. However, the most economically disadvantaged subgroups made the greatest use of the subsidized sources. The provision of additional service delivery sites may have contributed to a small increase in contraceptive prevalence noted over the life of the project; however, the high baseline CPR precluded a large increase in contraceptive use as a result of the program.
PIP: A community-based family planning operations research project was undertaken in selected low income communities of Rio de Janeiro; this activity represented the 1st attempt to obtain contraceptive prevalence data in fanelos (slums) of Rio. Project field work began in February, 1982. Prevalence data were collected and service delivery strategies were tested, including home visits promoting family planning, home distribution of condoms, and the introduction of community family planning depots. A high baseline contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) of 70.1% was found for nonpregnant women currently in union, as well as substantial use of the private sector for contraceptive supply, despite the presence of free or subsidized sources. 4800 women between the ages of 15 and 44 years of age were interviewed for the baseline survey. 4442 women were reinterviewed at follow-up, 3600 of whom were nonpregnant women currently in union. Contraceptive prevalence at follow-up among this latter group was 4.6% higher than at the time of the baseline survey. The proportions of women using each source of contraceptive supply remained fairly stable between the baseline and follow-up surveys. The data suggest a small switch from a temporary to a permanent method of family planning, associated in part with the increases in age and parity between the baseline and the follow-up surveys. The provision of additional service delivery sites may have contributed to the small increase in contraceptive prevalence noted over the life of the project; however, the high baseline CPR precluded a large increase in contraceptive use as a result of the program. The operations research data thus suggested that continued home visits would not be cost effective in the communities included in the study.