Albania Family Planning: Improving Access to and Use of Modern Contraceptive Methods among Young Men and Women

This report presents findings of an evaluation survey of two C-Change social and behaviour change interventions - a mass media campaign called "For a Happy Life" and a peer education programme - designed to promote modern family planning (FP) methods in Albania. As detailed here, C-Change, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), began implementing activities in Albania in August 2008 to increase awareness of modern contraceptive methods (MCM), improve attitudes toward them, and increase their uptake and use among young adults attending university in major metropolitan areas of Albania (Tirana, Vlorë, and Elbasan). The programme's general intent was to shift cultural norms and values around MCM; create a positive environment for discussing, choosing, and using these methods; and decrease reliance on traditional family planning methods, such as withdrawal and the rhythm method.

In February and March 2009, a baseline survey was conducted to measure knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours related to MCM among 1,184 female and male students ages 19–24. An initial follow-up survey was conducted in May and June of that same year. In March 2010, C-Change contracted the Implementing Consortium from the University of Tirana's Faculty of Social Sciences and the Institute of Public Opinion Studies (ISOP) to conduct an endline survey.

This evaluation study found that exposure to the peer education programme significantly affected use of modern contraceptive methods: those exposed were 1.7 times more likely to report MCM use when compared across all sites to those not exposed to the programme (those not exposed in both the intervention and comparison sites). In addition, students exposed to the peer education programme but not to the television messages of C-Change's national media campaign were 2.3 times more likely to identify multiple MCM. Those exposed only to TV messages were 1.5 times more likely to identify 3 or more forms of MCM. Exposure to both the peer education programme and the TV messages of the national media campaign increased this awareness fourfold compared to those not exposed to either intervention.

"The survey's data also suggest that peer education combined with a long-term communication campaign will lead to behavior change and increased contraceptive use. Continuing targeted communication and interpersonal interventions to build solid behaviors is fundamental."