An international research collaboration between the University of Michigan and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana has received a five-year, $2.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to help postpartum women identify which, if any, contraceptive method meets their needs and preferences.
The partnership will adapt and test an interactive mobile health tool designed to support women's decision-making about family planning after childbirth—work that has grown from years of collaboration and listening to women in Ghana about gaps in postpartum care.
"This research emerged from understanding what women were telling us about their experiences," said Sarah Compton, principal investigator from U-M. "We're working together to test whether giving women access to unbiased, personalized information can help them make decisions that align with their own goals."
The research team includes Emmanuel Nakua, Veronica Dzomeku, and Easmon Otipuri from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, along with Cheryl Moyer from U-M's Department of Learning Health Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jody Lori from the School of Nursing, and Emily Treleaven from the Institute for Social Research.
In Ghana, 84% of postpartum women who want to use contraception don't access it, despite most knowing about family planning options. The collaboration will examine whether improving the quality and patient-centeredness of contraceptive information can increase women's ability to use methods that match their preferences.
The team will adapt an existing decision-support tool called My Family Planning Ghana to address the specific needs of postpartum women. The adapted tool will be tested through a cluster-randomized trial, where women will have access to the technology during routine visits at child health and immunization clinics.
The study will also investigate whether the intervention affects child health outcomes, including nutrition, growth, and healthcare utilization, and whether it has a particular impact on adolescent mothers.
The research team has been working together for several years, co-developing and adapting a U.S.-developed contraception decision-support tool for use among low-literacy women in Ghana. Field tests showed the tool improved knowledge and reduced misconceptions about family planning.
Compton received initial support for this work through the Center for Global Health Equity at the University of Michigan, which helped fund the foundational research and partnership development that led to the NIH award.
The new grant will allow the team to expand this work specifically for the postpartum period and rigorously measure its impact on both maternal and child health outcomes over two years following delivery.
