Validation and Predictive Utility of a Person-Centered Quality of Contraceptive Counseling (QCC-10) Scale in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Multicountry Study of Family Planning Clients and a New Indicator for Measuring High-Quality, Rights-Based Care.

The lack of validated, cross-cultural measures for examining quality of contraceptive counseling compromises progress toward improved services. We tested the validity and reliability of the 10-item Quality of Contraceptive Counseling scale (QCC-10) and its association with continued protection from unintended pregnancy and person-centered outcomes using longitudinal data from women aged 15-49 in Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Nigeria. Psychometric analysis showed moderate-to-strong reliability (alphas: 0.

Racial-ethnic disparities in case fatality ratio narrowed after age standardization: A call for race-ethnicity-specific age distributions in State COVID-19 data.

Importance: COVID-19 racial disparities have gained significant attention yet little is known about how age distributions obscure racial-ethnic disparities in COVID-19 case fatality ratios (CFR).

Objective: We filled this gap by assessing relevant data availability and quality across states, and in states with available data, investigating how racial-ethnic disparities in CFR changed after age adjustment.

Design/setting/participants/exposure: We conducted a landscape analysis as of July 1st, 2020 and developed a grading system to assess COVID-19 case and death data by age and race in 50 states and DC.

Automated and Interviewer-Administered Mobile Phone Surveys in Burkina Faso: Sociodemographic Differences Among Female Mobile Phone Survey Respondents and Nonrespondents.

Background: The remarkable growth of cell phone ownership in low- and middle-income countries has generated significant interest in using cell phones for conducting surveys through computer-assisted telephone interviews, live interviewer-administered surveys, or automated surveys (ie, interactive voice response).

Objective: This study aimed to compare, by mode, the sociodemographic characteristics of cell phone owners who completed a follow-up phone survey with those who did not complete the survey.

Methods: The study was based on a nationally representative sample of women aged 15 to 49 years who reported cell phone ownership during a household survey in Burkina Faso in 2016.

Improving the demand for birth registration: a discrete choice experiment in Ethiopia.

Introduction: Birth registration remains limited in most low and middle-income countries. We investigated which characteristics of birth registration facilities might determine caregivers' decisions to register children in Ethiopia.

Methods: We conducted a discrete choice experiment in randomly selected households in Addis Ababa and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region.

Reconceptualizing Measurement of Emergency Contraceptive Use: Comparison of Approaches to Estimate the Use of Emergency Contraception.

Estimated use of emergency contraception (EC) remains low, and one reason is measurement challenges. The study aims to compare EC use estimates using five approaches. Data come from Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 surveys from 10 countries, representative sample surveys of women aged 15 to 49 years.

Cell phone ownership and modern contraceptive use in Burkina Faso: implications for research and interventions using mobile technology.

Objectives: With over 420 million unique cell phone subscribers in sub-Saharan Africa, the opportunities to use personal cell phones for public health research and interventions are increasing. We assess the association between cell phone ownership and modern contraceptive use among women in Burkina Faso to understand the opportunity to track family planning indicators using cell phone surveys or provide family planning interventions remotely.

Study Design: We analyzed data from a cross-sectional, nationally representative population-based survey of women of reproductive age in Burkina Faso, the Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 Round 4, which was conducted between November 2016 and January 2017.

Reporting sterilization as a current contraceptive method among sterilized women: lessons learned from a population with high sterilization rates, Rajasthan, India.

Objective: Measuring current use of contraception relies on self-reported responses from survey respondents. Reporting validity may be affected by women's interpretation of the question and may vary by background characteristics of women. The study aims to understand levels and patterns of underreporting of female sterilization in a population with high sterilization rates.

Monitoring Progress in Equality for the Sustainable Development Goals: A Case Study of Meeting Demand for Family Planning.

Objectives: Equality is a central component of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We took one SDG indicator and benchmark-percent of family planning demand met with modern contraceptives, with a benchmark of at least 75% in all countries-as a case study to illuminate recommendations for monitoring equality. Specifically, we assessed levels, patterns, and trends in disparity by key background characteristics and identified disparity measures that are programmatically relevant and easy to interpret.

The demographic impact and development benefits of meeting demand for family planning with modern contraceptive methods.

Background: Meeting demand for family planning can facilitate progress towards all major themes of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): people, planet, prosperity, peace, and partnership. Many policymakers have embraced a benchmark goal that at least 75% of the demand for family planning in all countries be satisfied with modern contraceptive methods by the year 2030.

Objective: This study examines the demographic impact (and development implications) of achieving the 75% benchmark in 13 developing countries that are expected to be the furthest from achieving that benchmark.

Rapid Uptake of the Subcutaneous Injectable in Burkina Faso: Evidence From PMA2020 Cross-Sectional Surveys.

The subcutaneous (SC) injectable, widely known by its commercial name Sayana Press, has potential to improve access to contraceptive methods. In Burkina Faso, SC-injectables were first piloted in select regions in 2014 and introduced nationally in 2016. PMA2020 is the first national survey to track programmatic progress of SC-injectable introduction at both population and health facility levels in the country across 2 rounds of data collection: March-May 2016 and November 2016-January 2017.

Estimates of Side Effects Counseling in Family Planning Using Three Data Sources: Implications for Monitoring and Survey Design.

With growing attention to monitoring and improving quality of care, it is critical to have evidence-based recommendations to measure quality of care indicators and guidelines to interpret estimates from different data sources. This study facilitates methodological discussion regarding measurement of counseling for side effects in family planning, a critical component of quality. The study assesses and compares estimates of side effects counseling based on three data sources.

Legal but limited? Abortion service availability and readiness assessment in Nepal.

The government of Nepal revised its law in 2002 to allow women to terminate a pregnancy up to 12 weeks gestation for any indication on request, and up to 18 weeks if certain conditions are met. We evaluated the readiness of facilities in Nepal to provide three abortion services, manual vacuum aspiration (MVA), medication abortion (MA) and post-abortion care (PAC), using the service availability and readiness assessment (SARA) framework. The framework consists broadly of three domains; service availability, general service readiness and service readiness specific to individual services (i.

Measuring Access to Family Planning: Conceptual Frameworks and DHS Data.

Expanding access to family planning (FP) is a driving aim of global and national FP efforts. The definition and measurement of access, however, remain nebulous, largely due to complexity. This article aims to bring clarity to the measurement of FP access.

Meeting demand for family planning within a generation: prospects and implications at country level.

Background: In order to track progress towards the target of universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a measure (demand for family planning satisfied with modern contraceptive methods) and a benchmark (at least 75% by 2030 in all countries) have been recommended.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to assess the prospects of reaching the benchmark at the country level. Such information can facilitate strategic planning, including resource allocation at global and country levels.

Population-based Incidence and Etiology of Community-acquired Neonatal Viral Infections in Bangladesh: A Community-based and Hospital-based Surveillance Study.

Background: The etiology of >90% of cases of suspected neonatal infection remains unknown. We conducted community-based surveillance in conjunction with hospital-based surveillance in a rural region in Bangladesh from June 2006 to September 2007 to assess the incidence and etiology of community-acquired viral infections among neonates.

Methods: Community health workers (CHWs) assessed neonates at home on days 0, 2, 5 and 8 after birth and referred cases of suspected illness to the hospital (CHW surveillance).

Does human resource management improve family planning service quality? Analysis from the Kenya Service Provision Assessment 2010.

Introduction: Human resource (HR) management is a priority for health systems strengthening in developing countries, yet few studies have empirically examined associations with service quality. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between HR management and family planning (FP) service quality.

Methods: Data came from the 2010 Kenya Service Provision Assessment, a nationally representative health facility assessment.

Comparison of medicine availability measurements at health facilities: evidence from Service Provision Assessment surveys in five sub-Saharan African countries.

Background: With growing emphasis on health systems strengthening in global health, various health facility assessment methods have been used increasingly to measure medicine and commodity availability. However, few studies have systematically compared estimates of availability based on different definitions. The objective of this study was to compare estimates of medicine availability based on different definitions.

Assessing the quality of data regarding use of the lactational amenorrhea method.

This study assesses the quality of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data regarding self-reported current use of the lactational amenorrhea method (LAM). LAM is an important modern contraceptive method that, when practiced correctly, has a 98 percent effectiveness rate six-months postpartum. The objectives of this study are to examine the accuracy of self-reported LAM use, compared with the constructed correct-practice variable, and to explore differentials in accuracy measures by characteristics at the individual and survey level by analyzing data from 73 DHSs conducted in 45 countries between 1998 and 2011.

A systematic review of Demographic and Health Surveys: data availability and utilization for research.

Objective: To systematically review the public health literature to assess trends in the use of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data for research from 1984 to 2010 and to describe the relationship between data availability and data utilization.

Methods: The MEASURE DHS web site was searched for information on all population-based surveys completed under the DHS project between 1984 and 2010. The information collected included the country, type of survey, survey design, fieldwork period and certain special features, such as inclusion of biomarkers.

Validation of a clinical algorithm to identify neonates with severe illness during routine household visits in rural Bangladesh.

Background: To validate a clinical algorithm for community health workers (CHWs) during routine household surveillance for neonatal illness in rural Bangladesh.

Methods: Surveillance was conducted in the intervention arm of a trial of newborn interventions. CHWs assessed 7587 neonates on postnatal days 0, 2, 5 and 8 and identified neonates with very severe disease (VSD) using an 11-sign algorithm.

Vulnerability of newborns to environmental factors: findings from community based surveillance data in Bangladesh.

Infection is the major cause of neonatal deaths. Home born newborns in rural Bangladeshi communities are exposed to environmental factors increasing their vulnerability to a number of disease agents that may compromise their health. The current analysis was conducted to assess the association of very severe disease (VSD) in newborns in rural communities with temperature, rainfall, and humidity.

Levels, timing, and etiology of stillbirths in Sylhet district of Bangladesh.

Background: Lack of data is a critical barrier to addressing the problem of stillbirth in countries with the highest stillbirth burden. Our study objective was to estimate the levels, types, and causes of stillbirth in rural Sylhet district of Bangladesh.

Methods: A complete pregnancy history was taken from all women (n=39 998) who had pregnancy outcomes during 2003-2005 in the study area.