Emergency contraception in Nairobi, Kenya: Knowledge, attitudes and practices among policymakers, family planning providers and clients, and university students

To gauge knowledge, attitudes, and practices about emergency contraception in Nairobi, Kenya, we conducted a five-part study. We searched government a nd professional association policy documents, and clinic guidelines and ser vice records, for references to emergency contraception. We conducted in-de pth interviews with five key policymakers, and with 93 family planning prov iders randomly selected to represent both the public and private sectors. W e also surveyed 282 family planning clients attending 10 clinics, again rep resenting both sectors. Finally, we conducted four focus groups with univer sity students. Although one specially packaged emergency contraceptive (Postinor(R) levono rgestrel tablets) is registered in Kenya, the method is scarcely known or u sed. No extant policy or service guidelines address the method specifically , although revisions to several documents were planned. Yet policymakers fe lt that expanding access to emergency contraception would require few overt policy changes, as much of the guidance for oral contraception is already broad enough to cover this alternative use of those same commodities. Parti cipants in all parts of the study generally supported expanded access to em ergency contraception in Kenya. They did, however, want additional, detaile d information, particularly about health effects. They also differed over e xactly who should have access to emergency contraception and how it should be provided. CONTRACEPTION 1999;60:223-232 (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc. A ll rights reserved.