What problem were we addressing?

Access to modern family planning methods can be effective in reducing unintended pregnancies, which is a public health concern globally. Births following unintended pregnancies are associated with adverse social and health outcomes for the mother and challenges for the child’s growth and development. Most unintended pregnancies occur among adolescents and young women, who have a high level of unmet modern contraceptive needs. In Kenya, unmet needs for modern contraceptives remain high. Additionally, the use of emergency contraceptive pills remains low.  Emergency Contraceptive pills (ECPs) are a highly effective option for women to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sexual intercourse or contraceptive failure or accidents.

What was the aim of the project

We tested whether eliminating the financial limitations and confidentiality barriers to access can result in increased uptake of ECPs, hence, reducing unwanted pregnancies. We assesed users of the MaOption App on their change in knowledge and practices in usage of ECPs, and in Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) in general and their satisfaction with the app

What did we do?

. In phase one, the sexual reproductive health app MaOptions was developed using a stakeholder-driven approach. The MaOptions app features comprehensive information on available contraception methods, and education on sexual reproductive health.

In the second phase, we evaluated the impact of eliminating barriers to access to ECPs. A pre-post prospective evaluation survey was administered to assess the App’s effect on participants’ knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding ECPs and SRH and the uptake of ECPs. At the end, we evaluated the users’ satisfaction.

What did we find?

Our project resulted in an improvement in the knowledge and attitude of the participants on emergency contraceptive pills and an increase in Emergency contraceptive pill uptake.

What is projects impact

Our findings show the potential of mobile phone technology in mainstreaming ECP access and service delivery.

Next steps

Further evaluation of the Apps effectiveness in the general population and improvement in is functionality.