Zambia has a largely rural population of 13.1million (60.5% rural and 39.5% urban), of whom 45% are below the age of 15.1 Although the population is relatively small, it is geographically scattered across 752,612 Km,2 making delivery of health services and products, particularly 1. contraceptive pills (11.3%). The birth control method you choose must take into consideration personal preferences, habits and health concerns. supplies that will be needed to meet that demand. In contexts in which women have less bargaining power in family planning decisions, providing private access to contraceptives may be an important and effective means of enabling women to achieve their fertility goals. “. It’s a widespread belief among Zambians that hormonal contraception leads to permanent infertility. 2015. J-PAL is based at MIT in Cambridge, MA and has seven regional offices at leading universities in Africa, Europe, Latin America & the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, North America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. What are the causes and consequences of crime, violence, and conflict and how can policy responses improve outcomes for those affected? contraceptive methods and the quantities of contraceptive . Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also known as Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), are caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites that are transmitted through unprotected sex (vaginal, anal, or oral) and skin to skin genital contact. Although with such initiatives in place, Zambia is facing challenges in ensuring contraceptive access to rural women. AIDS. Unwanted pregnancies are common, and often result in unsafe abortions. J-PAL Africa is based at the Southern Africa Labour & Development Research Unit (SALDRU) at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. What are the causes and consequences of poor governance and how can policy improve public service delivery? Of the 376 women recruited after giving birth at a hospital, 34% had previously used family planning, and 64% had used family planning a year after giving birth. According to the 2013 Zambia Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS), Zambian women had, on average, 0.8 more children than their desired number of 4.5 children. While there was no increase in divorce or domestic violence in this study, women who received the voucher privately were less likely to report being healthy and happy after the program. Methods of contraception that are available include: implants, intrauterine devices (IUDs), injections, pills, vaginal rings, barrier methods, sterilisation, emergency contraception and natural methods. This outcome suggests that men’s behaviors and attitudes toward such contraception may impede the realization of their own and their wives’ fertility preferences in the short run. Women who received private access to vouchers for contraceptives were more likely to take up and use contraception, compared to women whose husbands were involved in the voucher program. In contexts in which women have less bargaining power in family planning decisions, providing private access to contraceptives may be an important and effective means of enabling women to achieve their fertility goals. Complications from abortions cause 30% of the country’s maternal deaths. Researchers used clinical records to track women’s contraceptive take-up after voucher distribution. (15.23%) female respondents believed that contraception is a safe means of protecting against unwanted pregnancy and/or STD. Studies in Tanzania and Nepal demonstrated that women obtaining contraceptives at pharmacies were able to self-screen for contraindications to combined oral contraceptives about as well as nurses (Chin-Quee et al., 2013; Rai et al., 1999). Objective Zambia is among the world’s top 10 countries with higher fertility rate (5.5 births/woman); unmet family planning need for births spacing (14%) and limiting births (7%). How do policies affecting private sector firms impact productivity gaps between higher-income and lower-income countries? That is, they know what they are talking about: excess or reduced bleeding, nausea, changes in the body–weight gain or hair growth–loss of libido, mood changes… the long list of side effects for hormonal contraceptives does not help. Conclusion: In the present study, there was a low contraceptive use among women of rural origin despite good knowledge. However, there was no difference in incidence of domestic violence or divorce between the two groups. 2 Method-specific contraceptive prevalence varies widely across the world. Birth control pills are a popular form of contraception, but they come with risks that can interfere with your everyday life. Adolescent Contraceptive and Abortion-related Care-seeking in Zambia Abortion Safety is Strongly Linked to Abortion Legality CONTEXT MATTERS Seeking an abortion in a facility, or care for complications due to a less safe out-of-facility abortion, is strongly influenced by the legal and service provision setting. It means you can relax and enjoy sex without worrying about getting pregnant – however you will still need to use a condom to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs).. J-PAL Southeast Asia is based at the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Indonesia (FEB UI). Among women currently using contraception, the most commonly used methods were the pill (25.9%, or 9.7 million women), female sterilization (25.1%, or 9.4 million women), the male condom (15.3%, or 5.8 million women), and long-acting reversible contraception (LARC)—intrauterine devices or contraceptive implants (11.6%, or 4.4 million women). Our global office is based at the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Population Council defines unplanned births to include mistimed births (births occurring two or more years sooner than desired) and unwanted births (those that the mother did not want at all). Teenage pregnancy and child marriage are prevalent in Zambia and are complexly interrelated issues with common causes and effects. The most common form of modern contraceptives used was injectable (60.3 %) followed by implant (20.1 %) and pills (11.5 %). A survey was conducted at Makerere University main campus in … 6 While contraceptives in Zambia have been available for many years and knowledge about them is common, access to reliable contraceptive methods remains limited. 2014. The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, Click here for information on J-PAL's response to Covid-19, Household Bargaining and Excess Fertility: An Experimental Study in Zambia, Effects of Preceding Birth Intervals on Neonatal, Infant and Under-Five Years Mortality and Nutritional Status in Developing Countries: Evidence from the Demographic and Health Surveys, Birth Spacing and Risk of Adverse Perinatal Outcomes: a Meta-Analysis, Report of a Technical Consultation on Birth Spacing, Investing in Sexual and Reproductive Health in Sub-Saharan Africa, Experimental Researcher Helps Improve Health Care in Zambia.