Communicating Contraceptive Effectiveness

Markus Steiner, Family Health International
James Trussell, Princeton University
Neha Mehta, Family Health International
Sean Condon, Family Health International
Sumathi Subramaniam, Independent consultant
Maxine Wedderburn, Hope Enterprises, Ltd.

Only with accurate understanding of risk of contraceptive failure can people make informed contraceptive choices. The main objective of this research study is to evaluate how well three simplified approaches of communicating contraceptive effectiveness increase understanding for women in two developing countries (Jamaica and India), and to compare the approaches. In each country, 450 subjects will be randomly assigned to receive one of three simplified charts presenting contraceptive effectiveness:(1) methods ranked on a continuum, (2) methods grouped by average effectiveness, and (3) methods grouped by average and “best-case” effectiveness. Secondary objectives include but are not limited to: (1) determining the importance of method effectiveness relative to other factors in deciding which contraceptive method to use, (2) determining the importance of provider counseling about contraceptive effectiveness on subsequent understanding of these concepts, and (3) evaluating how well women understand the effectiveness of barrier methods for STI/HIV protection.