title: Emergency Contraception in Post-Conflict Somalia: An Assessment of Awareness and Perceptions of Need.
abstract: In conflict-affected settings such as Somalia, emergency contraception (EC) has the potential to serve as an important means of pregnancy prevention. Yet Somalia remains one of the few countries without a registered progestin-only EC pill. In 2014, we conducted a qualitative, multi-methods study in Mogadishu to explore awareness of and perceptions of need for EC. Our project included 10 semi-structured key informant interviews, 20 structured in-person interviews with pharmacists, and four focus group discussions with married and unmarried Somali women. Our findings reveal a widespread lack of knowledge of both existing family planning methods and EC. However, once we described EC, participants expressed enthusiasm for expanding access to post-coital contraception. Our results shed light on why Somalia continues to be a global exception with respect to an EC product and suggest possible politically and culturally acceptable and effective avenues for introducing EC into the health system.
authors.affiliation: OceanPath Fellow and a Masters graduate from the University of Ottawa, 1 Stewart Street, Room 312-B, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
authors.forename: Faduma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gure
authors.affiliation: Administrator at the Faculty of Law at Somali National University, Columbia Road, Xamar Weyne, Mogadishu, Somalia.
authors.forename: Mohammed Koshin
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Dahir
authors.affiliation: Founder of the Coalition for Grassroots Women Organization (COGWO) and the Dean at the Faculty of Law at Somali National University.
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yusuf
authors.affiliation: Endowed Chair in Women's Health Research at the University of Ottawa, where she is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences. angel.foster@uottawa.ca.
authors.forename: Angel M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Foster
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000068337:Armed Conflicts; D001364:Awareness; D044363:Contraception, Postcoital; D003281:Contraceptives, Postcoital; D005193:Family Planning Services / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D011247:Pregnancy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012998:Somalia; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003281:Contraceptives, Postcoital