Data visualization tools give family planning implementers practical insights

To give family planning implementers and policy makers a deeper understanding of family planning markets, SHOPS Plus developed two interactive data visualization tools that help better target resources. These easy-to-use tools help implementers develop more sustainable and effective programs, and provide policy makers with information they need to make strategic decisions.

The first of the two tools is Private Sector Counts. It shows the past and current situation across multiple countries using data from the most recent Demographic and Health Survey data in 37 low- and middle-income countries. The tool compares family planning sources by country, contraceptive method, urban/rural residence, age, marital status, and socioeconomic status, and provides contraceptive source data for distinct population segments to help design programs and policies using a total market approach. 

“Country teams use Private Sector Counts in a variety of ways,” says Sarah Bradley, global research director for SHOP Plus. “People use it to understand the landscape and what role each sector plays in a country, to look at changes in mCPR and source patterns over time, and to draw comparisons across countries.”

To complement this tool, SHOPS Plus developed the Family Planning Market Analyzer, which shows projections of future scenarios for individual countries by combining data from Demographic and Health Surveys and Family Planning 2020’s projections of modern contraceptive prevalence. The tool projects changes based on three scenarios: shifts in method mix, source mix, and both method and source mix. These projections show how many women will be affected by a change and how the change will influence the overall picture. 

“The Family Planning Market Analyzer helps us move from theory to numbers,” says Michelle Weinberger, SHOPS Plus modeling and segmentation advisor. “It can help inform total market approaches and advocacy efforts. For instance, if we increase  the role of the private sector, the tool shows us the impact and can help us determine if we have the capacity to handle the change."

Maureen Ogada-Ndekana, SHOPS Plus chief of party for Tanzania, shared how her team used the Family Planning Market Analyzer to forecast the expected burden on the public sector due to the end of a large social marketing program that provided injectables nationally. The SHOPS Plus team in Tanzania showcased the tool’s data to Ministry of Health stakeholders who agreed that the public sector would likely be unable to handle the increased volume of injectable users. As a result, the team is now working with private and public sector actors to introduce a private commercial injectable into the Tanzanian market.

Bradley, Weinberger, and Ogada-Ndekana presented on the tools during a SHOPS Plus webinar titled “Two tools for a total market approach in family planning” on October 24. A recording of the webinar will be available on the SHOPS Plus webinar in French and English soon.

Watch the recording of the webinar below. The French recording will be available soon. 

Access the English transcript here. 

Learn more about our work in Tanzania.