Impact of social marketing on contraceptive prevalence and cost in Honduras
Janowitz, B.; Suazo, M.; Fried, D.B.; Bratt, J.H.; Bailey, P.E.
Studies in Family Planning 23(2): 110-117
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0039-3665 PMID: 1604457 DOI: 10.2307/1966540Document Number: 268365
In 1984, the Honduran Family Planning Association launched a contraceptive social marketing programme by introducing the oral contraceptive, Perla. This report examines the impact of the programme on overall oral contraceptive use, use by particular subgroups, source of supply, and costs using data derived from two national maternal-child health and family planning surveys conducted in rural and urban areas in 1984 and 1987. Although use of oral contraceptives increased only slightly over the period 1984-87 (from 12.7% to 13.4% among women in union aged 15-44), the social marketing programme significantly increased its share of the oral contraceptive market (from 7% in 1984 to 15% in 1987, and from 20% to 40% of sales at pharmacies). For the Honduran Family Planning Association to have realized cost savings as a result of clients switching from community-based distribution programmes and commercial supply sources to contraceptive social marketing programmes, the association would have had to reallocate its resources. Instead, the number of distributors in the community-based distribution programme increased, while the amount of couple-years of protection from oral contraceptives decreased. In 1984, the Honduran Family Planning Association launched a contraceptive social marketing program by introducing the oral contraceptive, Perla. This report examines the impact of the program on overall oral contraceptive use, use by particular subgroups, source of supply, and costs. Although use of oral contraceptives increased only slightly over the period 1984-87 (from 12.7% to 13.4% among women in union aged 15-44), the social marketing program significantly increased its share of the oral contraceptive market (from 7% in 1984 to 15% in 1987, and from 20% to 40% of sales at pharmacies). For the Honduran Family Planning Association to have realized cost savings as a result of clients switching from community-based distribution programs and commercial supply sources to contraceptive social marketing programs, the association would have had to reallocate its resources. Instead, the number of distributors in the community-based distribution program increased, while the amount of couple-years of protection from oral contraceptives decreased.AS.