Table 3 Exploratory primary outcome measures used to pilot the acceptability and feasibility of measurement tools and procedures, and the intervention’s preliminary effect on family planning outcomes
Exploratory primary outcome measures | Data collection procedures/measures | Time frame |
Modern contraceptive use/continuation | Self-reported measures for current contraceptive use are adapted from Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) measures [4]. Defined as the usage of pills, injection, condoms (self-report, ≥90% of sex acts), IUD, implant, tubal ligation, vasectomy, measured through women’s clinic records (men’s for vasectomy) and triangulated with self-report [56, 57] | 3 and 6 months |
Exploratory secondary outcome measures | Data collection procedures/measures | Time frame |
Pregnancy incidence and unintended pregnancy incidence | Measured by urine Human Chorionic Gonadotropin rapid pregnancy tests. At the baseline and 6-month home visit, women will be instructed to take the pregnancy test by the research assistant | Baseline and 6 months |
Family planning intentions | Items adapted from the Uganda DHS on intentions to use contraceptives and family planning services in the future [4] | Baseline, 3 and 6 months |
Knowledge of contraceptives | Items from the Uganda DHS measures that assess the participants’ awareness of different contraceptive methods [4] | Baseline, 3 and 6 months |
Family planning attitudes | Scale developed for use in Uganda and found reliable and predictive of contraceptive use in Uganda in our prior research (α = 0.80) [47] to measure how participants would feel about using contraceptive methods | Baseline, 3 and 6 months |
Family planning norms | Items adapted from the Family Planning Approval Index to assess the perceived acceptance of family planning and contraceptive use among partner, family, peers, and broader community [58] | Baseline, 3 and 6 months |
Fertility desire | Measured using an item from the Uganda DHS item on the participants’ desired number of children [4] | Baseline, 3 and 6 months |
Fertility concordance between partners | Measured by the difference between a couples reported ideal family size using items from the Uganda DHS on the participants’ desired number of children [4]. | Baseline, 3 and 6 months |
Partner communication about family planning | Items on the frequency of communication with partner about family planning and contraceptive use constructed for our prior studies in Uganda [45, 47] | Baseline, 3 and 6 months |
Gender equitable attitudes | The Gender Equitable Men scale [59], which measures participants’ endorsement of traditional gender norms and attitudes on gender equity validated in Tanzania and Ghana [60], with good reliability in African settings (Cronbach’s α=0.79–0.88) [60,61,62,63] | Baseline, 3 and 6 months |