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Targeting: A Key Element of National Contraceptive Security Planning

Global demand for family planning services continues to increase rapidly. By 2015, the number of women using modern contraceptives is expected to nearly double (Ross and Bulatao, 2001). This dramatic growth is due in part to an increase in the number of women of reproductive age. It also stems from the fact that national family planning programs are doing a better job of both reaching out to women in need of family planning products and removing barriers to family planning services. Demand for condoms is rising even faster as a "dual-use" product, protecting against unwanted pregnancies as well as against sexually transmitted infections (STI), including HIV. New challenges for family planning programs have arisen from their success. In many family planning programs operated by the public sector, resources are falling short of growth in demand for services. At the same time, individuals with unmet need for family planning services are increasingly concentrated among hard-to-reach groups. Moreover, as low-cost public services come to dominate the family planning market, they compete with and crowd out the private sector. This brief explores one potential solution—targeting—to meet these challenges, alleviating barriers to the expansion and use of family planning services.