Community and clinic program to reduce unintended pregnancy

Efficacy Testing of a Multi-Level Intervention to Reduce Unintended Pregnancy

NIH-funded research Boston College · NIH-11395991

A combined community-dialogue and clinic-strengthening program to help married women of reproductive age and their partners in Uganda use modern contraception and avoid unintended pregnancies.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionBoston College NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Chestnut Hill, United States)
Project IDNIH-11395991 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you join, the program pairs improved clinic services with group conversations in your community to help couples use modern contraception. The community dialogues bring couples together for five sessions to address fears about side effects, relationship dynamics, and local norms about family size. Health workers receive extra support so participants can be linked quickly to facility-based family planning services. Whole communities are randomly assigned to receive the program or the usual services so researchers can compare contraceptive use and unintended pregnancy rates over time.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal participants are married women of reproductive age and their partners in the Ugandan communities selected for the trial who want to avoid pregnancy but are not using modern contraception.

Not a fit: People who are not in the targeted Ugandan communities, are trying to become pregnant, or are already using a reliable modern contraceptive method are unlikely to benefit from participating.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help more women and couples use effective contraception and reduce unintended pregnancies and related health risks.

How similar studies have performed: Some previous community-based and couple-focused family planning programs have increased contraceptive use, but combining community dialogues with health system strengthening in a randomized trial is less common.

Where this research is happening

Chestnut Hill, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.