Top 10 Most Viewed Family Planning and Reproductive Health Indicators By Janine Barden-O’Fallon October 1, 2024 Data for Impact is celebrating more than a decade of advancing global health through monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) with the Family Planning (FP) and Reproductive Health (RH) Indicators Database. Since 2013, the digital FP/RH Indicators Database has provided detailed guidance on more than 450 indicators in FP/RH programmatic areas. Each indicator includes a detailed indicator reference sheet with a definition, data requirements, data sources, purposes, and issues. When relevant, gender implications and considerations of poverty and equity are also included. Available in English, Bangla, French, Romanian, and Spanish, this multi-lingual global resource is continuously updated as metrics and new programmatic areas evolve. The FP/RH Indicators Database has been accessed more than 1.5 million times since its launch in 2013, with over 500,000 visits since 2020. Curious which indicators are the most popular? Let’s dive into the Top 10 most viewed indicators, which together account for more than 100,000 recent visits.1 Top 10 Most Viewed FP/RH Indicators 10. Condom use at last high risk sex The only indicator from the Men’s Health and STI/HIV content areas to make the Top 10, the indicator condom use at last high risk sex tracks the performance of HIV prevention programs. Increases in condom use among the target population reflect that condom promotion campaigns are having the desired results. 9. Minimum package of antenatal care services defined For women whose pregnancies are progressing normally, the WHO recommends at least four antenatal care visits, with each visit including appropriate care for the condition and stage of pregnancy. The minimum package of antenatal care services defined indicator, which uses policy or guidance documents as the data source, measures national-level commitment to the provision of quality antenatal care services. Photo: 2022 USAID Mozambique 8. Legal status of abortion The legal status of abortion in a country is directly related to the incidence of unsafe abortions in that country. Complications of unsafe abortion are a major contributor to maternal mortality and morbidity. This indicator assesses the legal restrictions related to the termination of pregnancy and is part of a suite of key indicators for monitoring and evaluating post-abortion care. 7. Perinatal mortality rate Indicators for rates have always been popular in the database, as users seek precise definitions of terms and guidance on calculations. As a key outcome indicator for newborn care, the perinatal mortality rate (PMR) reflects the quality of prenatal, intrapartum, and newborn care. However, estimates of PMR are subject to problems with reliability due to the data quality issues outlined in this indicator reference sheet. Photo: 2015 Finn Thilsted/World Fish 6. Couple-years of protection The couple-years of protection (CYP) indicator measures the estimated protection provided by FP based on the volume of contraceptive method distribution to clients. This indicator helps to monitor health system performance and track trends and progress over time. CYP calculation is complex, requiring the application of evidence-based conversion factors to quantify the duration of contraceptive protection provided per unit distributed. As CYP is one of the most used FP outcome indicators, accessible guidance on how to calculate the indicator is essential and assures its place as one of the top indicators in the database. Photo: 2017 Ashley Winter/ UK Department for International Development (DFID) 5. Percent of deliveries in which a partogram is correctly used A partogram or partograph is a simple chart that clinical staff use to monitor labor and identify when it is not progressing satisfactorily. Incorrect use of the partogram is a persistent problem, meaning that this indicator as a measure of quality of care should be interpreted with caution, which may be why this indicator is so frequently viewed. 4. Contraceptive prevalence rate One of the most commonly used outcome indicators for family planning, contraceptive prevalence rate or CPR is the percent of women who are currently using (or whose partners are using) a contraceptive method. Though often referred to as a rate, CPR is technically a ratio, which may explain why database users frequently seek clarification on the definition. 3. Age-specific fertility rate Age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) are used to assess the age pattern of fertility and as an intermediate computation to calculate total fertilty rate. This indicator is particularly relevant for countries, cities, or districts with adolescent reproductive health interventions aimed at reducing unintended pregnancies. 2. Percent of women who received at least two doses of tetanus-toxoid vaccine in their last pregnancy Neonatal tetanus is usually fatal, a woman immunized with at least two doses of tetanus-toxoid can protect newborns against tetanus for the first two months of life. Tetanus-toxoid vaccination is therefore an integral part of the antenatal care package offered to women in most low- and middle-income countries. And the top viewed FP/RH indicator is… 1. Total fertility rate The most viewed indicator in the FP/RH Indicators Database is total fertility rate or TFR. TFR is a hypothetical measure of a woman’s completed fertility given current age patterns of fertility. This indicator is a favorite among demographers, family planning practitioners, and program evaluators, with more than 140,000 views since the database’s launch in 2013. (Photo: 2016 Riccardo Gangale/VectorWorks, Courtesy of Photoshare, U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative) Summary Each of the Top 10 indicators had more than 7,000 views during the life of the D4I project. Other frequently visited indicators and sections include gender sensitivity in the service delivery environment, women and girls’ status and empowerment, gender, and quality assurance approach. The WHO’s short list of reproductive health indicators for global monitoring is also highly popular. New indicators and updates to guidance, links, and references are part of maintaining the database and ensuring that the information it provides is current, accurate and contributes to indicator harmonization and standardization. Explore the more than 450 indicators available in D4I’s FP/RH Indicators Database. 1 Data compilation from October 1, 2020, through March 31, 2024
