Collection
Re-thinking traditional contraception: definitions, measurement approaches, trends and dynamics of use in Sub-Saharan Africa
Of the 225 million sexually active women in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) who annually express a desire not to fall pregnant, an estimated 65 million are using traditional methods of contraception (Sedgh et al, 2016). The reasons why women use traditional methods are rather complex. While there is some support for the assumption that women who fear side effects of modern methods of contraception turn to traditional methods (Ajayi et al., 2018; Zulu 2001; Kalipeni and Zulu 1993), others have reported that prevalence of traditional contraceptive methods (tCPR) declines when access to modern methods improves (Rossier and Corker, 2017). Understanding the dynamics of traditional methods of contraception is important for family planning policies and programs, especially those that seek to reduce unmet need for family planning. Yet, we are currently hampered by poor measurement approaches (in survey instruments) and insufficient research devoted to understanding the prevalence and motivations for traditional methods use.
To address the foregoing gaps in research on traditional methods of contraception, Team-UP, a multi-country research consortium, is implementing a project titled “Re-Examining Traditional Method Use: Desperation or Innovation?” This is a three-year project, led by the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), aimed at testing new measurement approaches that better estimate use of traditional methods of contraception in four sub-Saharan African countries—Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria—and describe the characteristics and motivations of users of such methods.
The project is currently in its second year of implementation, having completed the inception and methodological pilot phases. Most of the papers for the proposed special issue stem from the work of the Team-UP consortium over the last two years.
Editors
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Francis Dodoo
Francis Dodoo currently works at the University of Oxford, UK.
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Nyovani Madise
Nyovani Madise currently works at the African Institute for Development Policy, Malawi.
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Jacques Emina
Jacques Emina currently works at the University of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.
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Saseendran Pallikadavath
Saseendran Pallikadavath currently works at the University of Portsmouth, UK.
