Getting to Intent: Are Social Norms Influencing Intentions to Use Modern Contraception in the DRC?

Citation

Costenbader, Elizabeth; Zissette, Seth; Martinez, Andres; LeMasters, Katherine; Dagadu, Nana Apenem; Deepan, Prabu; & Shaw, Bryan (2019). Getting to Intent: Are Social Norms Influencing Intentions to Use Modern Contraception in the DRC?. PLOS ONE, 14(7), e0219617. PMCID: PMC6634398

Abstract

Meeting the reproductive health needs of women in post-conflict settings is a global health priority. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, social norms perpetuate gender-based violence and contribute to low contraceptive use and high fertility. The Masculinité, Famille, et Foi (MFF) intervention is working with communities in Kinshasa to create normative environments supportive of modern contraception access and use. Our analysis uses survey data collected from 900 men and women in 17 community groups prior to the MFF intervention. We aimed to measure the extent to which social norms influence intentions to use modern contraception. Using multiple items to assess social norms and reference groups related to family planning and gender equity, we identified four distinct social norms constructs through factor analysis. Through structural equation modeling, we found that social norms influence intentions to use modern contraception overall, but that normative influence varies by gender.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0219617

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2019

Journal Title

PLOS ONE

Author(s)

Costenbader, Elizabeth
Zissette, Seth
Martinez, Andres
LeMasters, Katherine
Dagadu, Nana Apenem
Deepan, Prabu
Shaw, Bryan

PMCID

PMC6634398

ORCiD

LeMasters - 0000-0002-1754-1730