Reconceptualizing Contraceptive Need and Barriers

Alison Norris of Ohio State University in the U.S. will perform a prospective study to assess how individuals' contraceptive needs and identified barriers explain contraceptive use over time for developing a simple tool to prevent unintended pregnancies in Malawi. In collaboration with a Malawi NGO, they will access their cohort of one thousand reproductive age women and their partners in rural Malawi. Study team members will visit each participant in their home four times over eight months to assess factors related to contraceptive need such as pregnancy desire, and perceived fecundity. They will also assess their history of contraceptive use and identify factors that affect their decision to use specific contraceptives such as fear or experience of side effects. These data will be used to develop a tool for community health workers to use in conversations about contraception in order to identify and overcome the critical barriers for each individual.