Group versus Individual Family Planning Counseling in Ghana: A Randomized, Noninferiority Trial

Hilary Schwandt, Johns Hopkins University
Michelle J. Hindin, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Kwabena Danso, University of Ghana
Richard M.K. Adanu, University of Ghana

The objective of this study is to identify whether group family planning counseling is as effective as individual family planning counseling in Ghana, using a randomized, noninferiority study design. We enrolled female gynecology patients from two teaching hospitals in Ghana. Patients were randomized to receive either group or individual family planning counseling. We set the margin of noninferiority at 10%. The primary outcome in this study was change in contraceptive use intention before and after the intervention. After family planning counseling, the increase in intention to use contraception was 4.6% in the individual counseling arm (N=325) and 5.2% in the group arm (N=306); the difference in change in intention between the two study arms was 0.6% (95% CI: -2.8 to 4.1). Group family planning counseling is as effective as individual family planning counseling in increasing intention to use modern contraceptives among female gynecology patients in Ghana.