The impact of condom prices on sales in social marketing programs
Harvey, P.D.
Studies in Family Planning 25(1): 52-58
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 0039-3665 PMID: 8209395 DOI: 10.2307/2137989Document Number: 532593
The issue of pricing contraceptives in family planning programs is gaining importance. The author explores and reports on the correlation between consumer prices for condoms, expressed as a percentage of per-capita gross national product, and per-capita sales of condoms in 24 social marketing programs. Programs for 1991 are considered in each of Costa Rica, Jamaica, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Colombia, Honduras, Zimbabwe, Morocco, Indonesia, Kenya, Haiti, Nigeria, Zaire, India, Cameroon, Nepal, Egypt, and the Dominican Republic; two were considered in Mexico. These programs had been functioning at a distribution level of at least 150,000 condoms/annum for a minimum of three years. Controlling for program age and other independent variables, the analysis revealed a clear negative correlation between prices and contraceptive sales in the programs. Condom prices must be set well below the equivalent of 1% of per-capita gross national product for a year's supply. If not, satisfactory prevalences of condoms will be realized in neither family planning nor AIDS-prevention contexts.