Natural Family Planning (NFP) Research Study
The Center for Health Training (CHT) is one of seven national sites awarded a grant by the DHHS/Office of Population Affairs to conduct research on Natural Family Planning (NFP) in Region X.
The NFP research project is an exploratory and descriptive study which aims to:
- Identify factors that affect use of natural family planning (NFP)
- Social, cultural, and demographic indicators
- Individual and institutional barriers to use
- Factors that impact compliance with NFP practices
- Indicators of self-efficacy among NFP users
- Assess predictors of contraceptive success among NFP users
- Primary outcome is pregnancy status among NFP users and whether pregnancies were intended or unintended (unwanted or mistimed)
The study targets health service providers at Title X-funded Family Planning clinics in Region X (particularly Washington State) and clinic clients using NFP as their primary method of pregnancy prevention.
Our research partners are the Washington State DOH Family Planning and Reproductive Health and Planned Parenthood of Great Northwest.
Role of the Research Partners
Research partners will assist with selection of project field sites consistent with the research plan and distribution of NFP users as of 2008-2009. In addition, through these partners the sites will participate in staff needs assessments, staff and client interviews, and staff focus groups.
Current Research Sites
- Family Planning of Clallam County, Port Angeles, Washington
- Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, site TBA
Role of Research Advisory Committee
The roles and responsibilities of Research Advisory Committee members include:
- Providing input on all phases of the research, e.g., reviewing assessment tools and preliminary results from all quantitative analyses.
- Assisting with identifying and recruiting FP providers and NFP clients to participate in semi-structured interviews and focus groups.
- Providing input on program-research linkages, NFP service financing issues, clinical staff needs, as well as NFP client service provision.
Principal Investigator: David Fine, Ph.D.