Community and clinic program to reduce unintended pregnancy
Official title: Efficacy Testing of a Multi-Level Intervention to Reduce Unintended Pregnancy
Funded at Boston College · NIH-11395991 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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 type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chestnut Hill, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $224,560 |
| NIH project number | 3R01HD113806-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11395991 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
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.
✕Less likely to help
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.
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.
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 gone: 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
-
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sileo, Katelyn Mary — Boston College
- Study coordinator: Sileo, Katelyn Mary
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
How air pollution during pregnancy affects fetal growth over time
This study looks at how air pollution affects the growth of babies in the womb during pregnancy, using ultrasound images to track changes over time, and it aims to help expectant parents understand when their babies might be most at risk from pollution.
-
Postoperative Pain Guidelines for Pregnancy: Safer, Patient-Centered Opioid Use
We’re creating patient-friendly guidelines to help doctors manage pain after delivery and surgery in pregnant people, aiming to reduce opioid overuse and improve safety.
-
HPV and pregnancy risk: a big study following 1,280 pregnancies
A large pregnancy study at UTMB looks at whether human papillomavirus (HPV) during pregnancy is linked to problems like preterm birth.
-
Understanding how where you live and personal factors during pregnancy affect a child’s risk for obesity and metabolic problems
This project looks at how neighborhood conditions and individual factors during pregnancy may influence a child’s risk of obesity and metabolic health as they grow.
-
Blocking cancer-causing cMYC tricks after pregnancy changes in the breast
Researchers are testing how pregnancy and aging reshape the breast before cancer risk, using patient-reinformed models to see if it changes how dangerous cMYC signals behave.
-
SSRI use during pregnancy: effects on placental blood flow and inflammation
This grant studies how antidepressants (SSRIs) used during pregnancy might affect the placenta and inflammation, and whether a 5-HT2 receptor blocker could mitigate any negative effects.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.