Webinar—Family Planning: Insights for improving malaria, family planning, and maternal and child health outcomes in northwestern Nigeria via SBC programming

In northwestern Nigeria, Breakthrough RESEARCH is evaluating the effectiveness of Breakthrough ACTION’S integrated versus malaria-only social and behavior change (SBC) programming on priority malaria, family planning, and maternal, newborn, and child health plus nutrition (MNCH+N) outcomes. A behavioral sentinel surveillance (BSS) baseline survey was conducted in September 2019, with a midline and endline survey planned. The BSS survey measures changes in key behaviors and ideations across malaria, family planning, and MNCH+N to inform Breakthrough ACTION’s program adaption and scale-up over the course of the project. In this webinar, Breakthrough RESEARCH shared findings from its work in northwestern Nigeria related to family planning. Researchers presented data on the precursors to contraceptive use (couples’ decision-making, social influences, and fertility norms), discussed how these and other influencers are associated with contraceptive use and non-use, and presented modeling that highlights the potential for SBC programs to improve contraceptive outcomes. Breakthrough ACTION presented key program design to address modern contraceptive use and the programmatic implications of the research