Application of behavioral economics principles to reduce injectable contraceptive discontinuation in rural Ethiopia: A stratified-pair, cluster-randomized field trial

Contraceptive prevalence in Ethiopia jumped from 6% in 2000 to 36% in 2016, mainly due to increased injectable method use. However, discontinuation rates among injectable users were high (38%). Given that the public sector is the major source for injectable contraceptives, JSI in collaboration with ideas42 worked with Ethiopia’s flagship Health Extension Program to apply behavioral design to mitigate discontinuation of injectable contraceptives.

Authors: Ali Mehryar Karim, Dana Guichon, Bantalem Yeshanew Yihun, Nebreed Fesseha Zemichael, Karina Lorenzana, Jeremy Barofsky, and Wuleta Betemariam