Abstract
Global initiatives aim to add 120 million new family planning (FP) users by 2020; however supply‐side interventions may be reaching the limits of their effectiveness in some settings. Our case study in Niger used demand analysis techniques from marketing science. We performed a representative survey (N = 2,004) on women's FP knowledge, attitudes, needs, and behaviors, then used latent class analysis to produce a segmentation of women based on their responses. We found that Nigerien women's demand for modern FP methods was low, with majorities aware of modern methods but much smaller proportions considering use, trying modern methods, or using one consistently. We identified five subgroups of women with distinct, internally coherent profiles regarding FP needs, attitudes, and usage patterns, who faced different barriers to adopting or using modern FP. Serving subgroups of women based on needs, values, and underlying beliefs may help more effectively drive a shift in FP behavior.
Highlights
Global initiatives aim to add 120 million new family planning (FP) users by 2020; supply‐side interventions may be reaching the limits of their effectiveness in some settings
Serving subgroups of women based on needs, values, and underlying beliefs may help more effectively drive a shift in FP behavior
Understanding demand-side determinants of FP use is critical in sub-Saharan Africa, where fertility levels have not declined as in other regions, and unmet need remains high in spite of rising knowledge of and access to modern methods (Casterline and El-Zeini 2014; Cleland, Harbison, and Shah 2014)
Summary
Our study in Niger used a phased methodology based on techniques from commercial marketing science, as described below (Yankelovich and Meer 2006), with the objective of producing results relevant for achieving Nigerien national FP goals by informing communication campaigns, product innovation, pricing, and choice of distribution channels. Data collection was preceded by consultation with local stakeholders and a literature review drawing from a range of disciplines to understand Nigerien women’s fertility management context, including social anthropology, behavioral economics, cultural and health psychology, demography, and gender studies; as well as marketing science and the psychology of consumer behavior. We reduced the sample to include only women whose memory and/or experience of fertility management was likely to be both recent and salient, as these conditions facilitate information retrieval and accuracy in reporting in survey methodology (Krosnick and Presser 2009). For this reason, we excluded women who said they were unable to become pregnant (N = 371). This research was approved by Niger’s national ethics committee and Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
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