Effect of Village Midwife Program on Contraceptive Prevalence and Method Choice in Indonesia |
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| Authors: | Emily H. Weaver Elizabeth Frankenberg Bruce J. Fried Duncan Thomas Stephanie B. Wheeler John E. Paul |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Fogarty Global Health Fellow, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, , Chapel Hill, NC, 27599;2. Professor of Public Policy and Sociology, Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University;3. Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill;4. Norb F. Schaefer Professor of International Studies, Department of Economics, Duke University;5. Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill;6. Clinical Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
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| Abstract: | Indonesia established its Village Midwife Program in 1989 to combat high rates of maternal mortality. The program's goals were to address gaps in access to reproductive health care for rural women, increase access to and use of family planning services, and broaden the mix of available contraceptive methods. In this study, we use longitudinal data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey to examine the program's effect on contraceptive practice. We find that the program did not affect overall contraceptive prevalence but did affect method choice. Over time, for women using contraceptives, midwives were associated with increased odds of injectable contraceptive use and decreased odds of oral contraceptive and implant use. Although the Indonesian government had hoped that the Village Midwife Program would channel women into using longer‐lasting methods, the women's “switching behavior” indicates that the program succeeded in providing additional outlets for and promoting the use of injectable contraceptives. |
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