Amanda Wheeler, MPH Candidate
Amanda carried out key informant interviews in Ethiopia and Uganda to identify current family planning priorities, reproductive health policies, and feasibility of community-based distribution of contraceptives. Research was specifically directed towards identifying support and constraints to CBD of injectable contraceptives, i.e. depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA). Amanda met with 39 stakeholders, including officials from the Ministry of Health, program managers in the private and public sectors, representatives of nongovernmental organizations and community-based organizations, representatives of US government and multilateral programs, and others. Research identified the various factors that support or impede the expansion of community-based distribution programs for injectables in Ethiopia and Uganda, and current issues of availability (i.e. supply of DMPA), acceptability (i.e. political support for community-based distribution of DMPA), and accessibility (i.e. differential access to DMPA by subpopulations). Research also fostered understanding of the management strategies used in current CBD programs and how health-provider attitudes and practices affect access to and use of DMPA.
