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Biomedical subjects

J T Bertrand

Publications and source records attributed to J T Bertrand.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Attitudes toward tubal ligation among acceptors, potential candidates, and husbands in Zaire.

Twenty-nine focus groups were conducted among men and women in five regions of Zaire to identify motivations for and obstacles to voluntary surgical contraception (VSC) for women. Both male and female participants believe that VSC is justified only for medical reasons related to difficulties with pregnancy or childbirth, and not for economic hardship. Women feel great pressure, especially from the husband's family, to produce many children, and fear they might be abandoned after being sterilized, even if their husband had previously consented to VSC. Men also perceive the major consequence of VSC to be marital conflict and dissolution. However, women who had had the procedure--primarily for medical reasons--expressed high levels of satisfaction with the operation. At the same time, they stress the need for confidentiality, suggesting that VSC remains controversial. Also examined are reasons for introducing VSC programs in a country such as Zaire.

Attitude↗
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Attitudes toward voluntary surgical contraception in four districts of Kenya.

A series of 32 focus groups were held among men and women in the catchment areas of four active voluntary surgical contraception (VSC) programs in Kenya. Women who had had tubal ligation and their husbands were uniformly favorable to this method. The majority of couples using reversible methods saw tubal ligation as a logical future choice. Participants were frank about economic motives, and many were willing to endure criticism of the older generation in accepting tubal ligation. By contrast, attitudes toward vasectomy were uniformly negative. These findings dispel the idea that tubal ligation is culturally unacceptable in the sub-Saharan African context. Rather, favorable attitudes appear to have emerged due to readily accessible, low-cost VSC services in the areas studied.

Consumer Behavior↗
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Marketing family planning services in New Orleans.

The health care profession is witnessing a shift in focus from the interests and needs of the service provider to those of the potential consumer in an effort to attract and maintain clients. This study illustrates the role that marketing research can play in the development of program strategies, even for relatively small organizations. The study was conducted for Planned Parenthood of Louisiana, a recently organized affiliate that began offering clinical services in May 1984, to provide information on the four Ps of marketing: product, price, place, and promotion. Data from telephone interviews among a random sample of 1,000 women 15-35 years old in New Orleans before the clinic opened confirmed that the need for family planning services was not entirely satisfied by existing service providers. Moreover, it indicated that clinic hours and the cost of services were in line with client interests. The most useful findings for developing the promotional strategy were the relatively low name recognition of Planned Parenthood and a higher-than-expected level of interest that young, low income blacks expressed in using the service.

Adolescent↗
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Factors influencing the use of traditional versus modern family planning methods in Bas Zaire.

Findings from a baseline survey conducted prior to the initiation of organized family planning efforts in one urban and one rural area of Bas Zaire reveal the widespread use of traditional methods and a surprisingly high level of knowledge of modern contraceptives. However, in the absence of a delivery system, use of the latter was extremely limited (4-5 percent of currently married women). The data reflect a deep-seated motivation for birth spacing, which is achieved primarily through withdrawal and abstinence. Of the variables tested as possible correlates, only economic status was related to use of both traditional and modern methods in the same direction. Use of a traditional method was largely determined by age of the youngest child and breastfeeding status. By contrast, use of a modern method was highest among women over 30 with higher levels of education and parity, who were not currently breastfeeding.

Adolescent↗
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Increasing the effectiveness of community workers through training of spouses: a family planning experiment in Guatemala.

As community-based distribution (CBD) systems for the delivery of contraceptive methods are implemented in developing countries around the world, there is growing interest in making these programs more effective. Previous research on the CBD program in Guatemala indicated the importance of the role of the spouse: those community volunteers (called "distributors") who received assistance from their spouses were more effective in selling contraceptives than those who did not. The current experiment was designed to test the effect of providing the spouses of distributors with a formal 3-day training course on family planning and contraceptives. "Effect" was operationally measured in terms of the level of contraceptive sales. To this end sales data were compared for the experimental group (33 distributors whose spouses received the training) and the control group (33 distributors whose spouses wanted to attend the training but could not because their primary occupation did not allow them to be absent) for periods of 6 months prior to and 6 months following the training. The results indicate that sales among the experimental group increased significantly, whereas no such increase was found among the controls. This suggests a strategy for increasing the effectiveness of community volunteer workers that has received relatively little attention in the literature to date.

Community Health Services↗
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Family planning communications and contraceptive use in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Panama.

Recent contraceptive prevalence surveys in Guatemala, El Salvador, and panama included a module on family planning communications. This module provided useful feedback on the reach of each program and facilitated comparisons between countries. While almost all women in El Salvador have been reached by family planning messages, the percentage of women reached was lower in Panama and Guatemala. In all three countries rural, less educated, and unemployed women who worked inside the home or not at all were least likely to have seen or heard the messages. Exposure to family planning communications emerged as a strong correlate of contraceptive use, as shown in two separate analyses. These findings underscore the importance of communications in promoting contraceptive use.

Communication↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Characteristics of successful distributors in the community-based distribution of contraceptives in Guatemala.

A study conducted by the Asociación ProBienestar de la Familia (APROFAM) of Guatemala among 177 urban and 233 rural distributors in its CBD programs indicates a number of characteristics related to distributor success (measured by volume of contraceptives sold). Among urban distributors the most important factors were number of months the distributor had worked in the program, location of the CBD post, and the fact of promoting the service by displaying a poster and organizing community meetings about family planning. Among rural distributors, performance was highest among those who received assistance from their spouse, had local competition in the sale of contraceptives, promoted family planning by visiting their neighbors and organizing group meetings, had a higher level of education, and received frequent supervision. In general, factors involving program design and task performance were better predictors of distributor performance than the sociodemographic characteristics of the distributor.

Community Health Services↗