Impact of a community contraceptive counselling intervention on adolescent fertility rates : a quasi-experimental study
Diez, Elia (Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau)
Lopez, Maria J. (Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau)
Pérez Albarracín, Glòria (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)
Garcia-Subirats, Irene (Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona)
Nebot, Laia (CEPS Salut (Associació per la Prevenció i la Promoció de la Salut))
Carreras Collado, Ramón (Hospital del Mar (Barcelona, Catalunya))
Villalbí, Joan Ramón (Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica Sant Pau)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Date:	2020
Abstract:	From 2000 to 2008, in urban areas in Spain, adolescent fertility and abortion rates underwent unprecedented increases, consecutive to intensive immigration from developing countries. To address unmet needs for contraception information and services, a community-based, gender-sensitive and culturally adapted brief counselling intervention (SIRIAN program) was launched in some deprived neighbourhoods with a high proportion of immigrants in Barcelona. Once a randomized controlled trial demonstrated its effectiveness in increasing the use of contraceptives, we aim to examine its population impact on adolescent fertility rates. Quasi-experimental study with comparison group, using population data from 2005 to 2016. Five neighbourhoods in the lowest tercile of Disposable Household Income were intervened in 2011-13. The comparison group included the three neighbourhoods which were in the same municipal district and in the lowest Disposable Household Income tercile, and displayed the highest adolescent fertility rates. Generalized linear models were fitted to assess absolute adolescent fertility rates and adjusted by immigrant population between pre-intervention (2005-10) and post-intervention periods (2011-16); Difference in Differences and relative pre-post changes analysis were performed. In 2005-10 the intervention group adolescent fertility rate was 27. 90 (per 1000 women 15-19) and 21. 84 in the comparison group. In 2011-16 intervention areas experienced great declines (adolescent fertility rate change: - 12. 30 (- 12. 45 to - 12. 21); p < 0. 001), while comparison neighbourhoods remained unchanged (adolescent fertility rate change: 1. 91 (- 2. 25 to 6. 07); p = 0. 368). A reduction of - 10. 97 points (- 13. 91 to - 8. 03); p < 0. 001) is associated to the intervention. Adolescent fertility rate significantly declined in the intervention group but remained stable in the comparison group. This quasi-experimental study provide evidence that, in a country with universal health coverage, a community counselling intervention that increases access to contraception, knowledge and sexual health care in hard-to-reach segments of the population can contribute to substantially reduce adolescent fertility rates. Reducing adolescent fertility rates could become a feasible goal in cities with similar conditions.
Grants:	Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación FISPI05-2727
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Health inequalities ; Neighbourhood/place ; Public health policy ; Reproductive health ; Adolescence
Published in:	BMC public health, Vol. 20 (january 2020) , ISSN 1471-2458

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-8122-1
PMID: 31914967

10 p, 783.4 KB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Institut de Recerca Sant Pau
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles