Master's Project Title:

Assessment of family planning programs among health providers in Mozambique

MCH Student:

Eme Unanaowow

Date of Defense:

March 26, 2012

Abstract:

Background: Mozambique has one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world. These rates are attributed to the poor quality of health centers in the country, in addition to other factors. A nongovernmental organization implemented a program that aimed to increase quality and demand of maternity clinics in Gaza Province, Mozambique. To improve quality in the clinics, the organization created a family planning training program for health professionals. A formative evaluation was conducted to assess the participants’ satisfaction with the family planning training program.

Recruitment: A convenience sample was collected from a group of 23 health professionals who attended or facilitated the organization’s family planning training session in 2010. Only seventeen participants completed the survey.

Methods: A 12-item survey was used to assess the following items: utility, knowledge of maintaining inventory, satisfaction of activities and themes, and availability and comprehension of materials. The project director considered these topics to be most relevant. The surveys were administered for during a three-day period. Thematic analysis of responses from the surveys was conducted and descriptive statistics were calculated on participants’ sociodemographic characteristics.

Results: Of the 17 participants who completed the survey, 73% were women and 73% were low-level nurses. Participants’ responses revealed that health professionals wished for more instruction in inserting intrauterine devices. Emerging themes included involvement of extended families in family planning and increased knowledge in inventory control.

Conclusion: The study showed that there barriers in promoting family planning methods to couples in rural communities. Findings from this study will improve the family planning training program so that it can be replicated in other communities.