Assessing reproductive, maternal, newborn, child health, family planning and nutrition health service use and barriers to uptake among women and children in Niger: A cross-sectional descriptive study (December 2023 – December 2024)
Funded by USAID through the Research for Scalable Solution project, and sponsored by FHI 360, this one year study implemented by EVIHDAF aims at generating evidence on the current uptake of critical RMNCH/FP+N health services and barriers to service use to inform strategies to improve accessibility to and use of high quality RMNCH/FP+N services, and ultimately, health outcomes in Niger, precisely in Maradi, Tahoua, Dosso, and Zinder (study sides).
The specific objectives of this study are:
- Document the reported need for and use of specific RMNCH/FP+N services, including: antenatal care (ANC); facility-based delivery (or skilled birth attendant delivery); post-partum and post-natal care; infant immunization; family planning (FP); childhood illness and treatment; infant and young child feeding (IYCF) (nutrition).
- Examine reasons for non-use of these essential RMNCH/FP+N health services among women and children, with a particular focus on service accessibility and affordability.
- Assess the availability and quality of RMNCH/FP+N services and commodities for health services in select communities.
As regards its targeted population, women of reproductive age (15-49) who have given birth to a child currently aged under 24 months (2 years); and Health care workers responsible for delivering targeted health services at sampled health facilities are at the heart of this study.
The study design makes use of a Cross-sectional, descriptive study with three main data collection activities:
- A household survey with a probability sample of women of reproductive age with a child less than 2 years of age;
- A health facility assessment and brief provider questionnaire conducted in health facilities that serve the study sites selected for the household survey; and
- Focus groups discussions with a subsample of women eligible to have taken part in the survey.
