Integrating reproductive and child health services enables access to modern contraception in Sierra Leone.

BACKGROUND

From mid-2015, reproductive and child health interventions were integrated into a routine 6-month contact point: vitamin A supplementation, nutrition counseling with the mother's participation in the preparation of a complementary food, and confidential family planning counseling with provision of modern forms of contraceptives. By mid-2017, these services had reached 28% of health facilities nationwide.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate awareness and uptake of modern contraception and complementary feeding practices.

METHODS

All health facilities were visited, and the health worker "in-charge" were interviewed to ascertain their training status and supply chains. Within each catchment, community mothers of children 6 to 23 months of age were interviewed.

RESULTS

Interviews were conducted with 321 "in-charges" and 670 mothers. Advantages and different types of contraception were understood by 99.0% of mothers, and 52.7% reported they were utilizing depot injections, hormonal implants, or oral contraceptive pills (45.1%, 34.6%, and 20.6% of users, respectively). Uptake was higher among Christians (62.1%) versus Muslims (48.6%) and among those with secondary/tertiary (61.5%) or primary education (60.5%) versus no education (43.3%) (P < 0.005 and P < 0.05, respectively). Complementary feeding practices included minimal meal diversity, 49.2% (fed three or more of six food groups), and recommended minimal meal frequency appropriate for age, 52.6%. Health workers reported frequent stockouts of vitamin A capsules (8%), male condoms (1%), oral contraceptives (10%), depot injections (20%), and hormonal implants (30%).

CONCLUSION

In communities served by these integrated services, awareness and uptake of modern contraception exceeded national targets despite weak supply chains, and complementary feeding practices were favorable compared with the national survey.