Skip Navigation

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: The INFO Project

Your knowledge-sharing resource on family planning and reproductive health

Universal Navigation:
INFO Home  |  Order  |  e-lists  |  Search Web Site  |  Contact Us  |  Press  |  Site Map  |  Espaņol/Francais

Shopping Basket


Dr. Jim Shelton's Pearls

"Pearl" for the week of June 5, 2006

Client Understanding of Effectiveness

Q:I can see that effectiveness is very important to women in choosing a method of contraception. But do clients have a good understanding of the effectiveness of the various contraceptive methods?

A:Unfortunately no. Knowledge about contraceptive effectiveness seems to be not very good among many clients. For example in that study I mention in the last Pearl, only 35% of respondents in India and 58% in Jamaica knew that oral contraceptives were more effective than condoms.

Reference: Steiner MJ, Trussell J, Mehta N, Condon S, Subramaniam S, Bourne D. Communicating contraceptive effectiveness: A randomized controlled trial to inform a World Health Organization family planning handbook. A J Ob Gyn 2006.



The "Pearls" offer answers to commonly asked questions about family planning. These "Pearls" are prepared by Dr. James D. Shelton, Senior Medical Scientist, Office of Population, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Disclaimer: The information provided on this web site is not official U.S. Government information and does not represent the views or positions of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Government or The Johns Hopkins University.