title: Providing family planning services to remote communities in areas of high biodiversity through a Population-Health-Environment programme in Madagascar.
abstract: Population-Health-Environment (PHE) is an interdisciplinary model of programme design which recognises the complex interconnections between people, their health and their environment. PHE responds holistically to the challenges faced by ecosystems and the communities dependent on them, with thematically distinct but interconnected work strands sharing the same infrastructure, resources and goals. This has been shown to achieve better outcomes than tackling health and environmental issues in isolation. This paper shows how PHE programme design has been used by Blue Ventures for providing family planning services in a remote, biodiverse coastal region in southwest Madagascar. The PHE programme has integrated family planning services into a pre-existing, community-based conservation programme, aided by the established infrastructure and good community relations developed by the conservation workers. Implementation of the programme has led to a strong uptake of family planning services, and couples in the region are now able to make their own family planning choices. Successes and challenges of the programme are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Medical Director, Blue Ventures, London, UK. Electronic address: vik@blueventures.org.
authors.forename: Vik
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mohan
authors.affiliation: Project Assistant, Blue Ventures, London, UK.
authors.forename: Tess
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shellard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044822:Biodiversity; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D003270:Contraceptive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003273:Contraceptive Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004782:Environmental Health; D005193:Family Planning Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D008270:Madagascar; D015980:Public Health Practice; D012424:Rural Population; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003270:Contraceptive Agents
keywords: Madagascar; Population-Health-Environment programme; conservation; contraception; family planning programme