Family Planning

Understanding Consumer Behavior to Advance Reproductive Health in the United States

This research was part of a collaboration between the Bixby Center and the Wallace Center for Maternal and Child Health at UC Berkeley. We combined the expertise of both centers by examining digital information-seeking behaviors and analyzing big data from Google online search traffic to inform and improve reproductive health services in the United States. Big, real-time data was used to examine online health information-seeking behavior related to family planning at the population level in the US. The specific aim of the research project was to provide the landscape of internet searches for contraceptive technology and services and to identify the most popular sites for information-seeking in Louisiana and Mississippi, with comparisons to the United States as a whole. 

Combining structural and reproductive health to improve transition to adulthood: the Musanze Youth Center (MYC) model

Standard health centers in Rwanda often face incredibly low turnout from young people seeking SRH care. To bridge this gap, we collaborated with Musane Youth Center (MYC) to test a new, youth-led model designed to make these essential services approachable, friendly, and highly utilized. MYC went beyond clinical care—it combined vital health education with community, recreational activities, and professional skill-building to support the whole person.

In just an 8-month period (June 2017 – February 2018), the MYC saw incredible community engagement:

• 33,464+ Total Youth Visits: Proving that a youth-friendly environment dramatically increases healthcare utilization.

• 6,700+ New Visitors: Over 20% of the total visits were young people stepping into the center for the very first time.

• 14,580 Education Attendees: Nearly half of all visitors participated in a dedicated Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) education session.

• 3,391 Health Services Delivered: Over three thousand youth received direct, on-site healthcare.

Integrating Reproductive Healthcare in Rwanda: A Proven Success

Rwanda’s public health system already provides high-quality abortion and family planning care. To make these services even more accessible, we launched a pilot project in 32 facilities across the Huye and Musanze districts to completely integrate family planning—with a focus on Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs)—directly into comprehensive abortion and post-abortion care.

By training mid-level health workers, securing supply chains, and using a client-centered approach, the project achieved incredible results over a six-month period:

• Contraceptive Uptake: Out of more than 41,000 clients seen, 39.9% adopted a modern family planning method—a massive leap from the less than 5% baseline before integration.

• Proven Sustainability: The program proved that blending these services is highly feasible, sustainable, and directly leads to better healthcare choices for women.

Ultimately, this project demonstrated that when reproductive health services are seamlessly integrated, client outcomes dramatically improve.