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Family Planning

An individual's or couple's decisions on when to have children or start a family may also have social and economic consequences on the community at large. RAND's family planning research spans various populations and socioeconomic backgrounds in Western as well as developing countries and addresses such topics as fertility and infertility, birth control, abortion, reproductive technologies, child welfare, household economic security, and community impact.

Report
Evaluation of the Population and Poverty Research Initiative (PopPov)
This report evaluates the Population and Poverty Research Initiative (PopPov) and its progress in building economic demography, particularly policy-relevant research; policymakers’ understanding of issues; and research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa.
May 5, 2014
Commentary
Could Britain See a Baby Boom?
The royal birth comes at a time when fertility in Britain is increasing after decades of decline. Today, the U.K.'s total fertility rate, a proxy for the average number of children per women in a given year, is the third highest in Europe behind only France and Ireland.
Jul 31, 2013
Journal Article
Fertility Desires Among HIV-infected Men and Women in Los Angeles County: Client Needs and Provider Perspectives
Combination antiretroviral therapy for persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) has extended life expectancy, and enabled PLHA to live productive lives that can include having children.
May 1, 2013
Commentary
Can Catholic Colleges Block Free Condom Distribution?
If this issue were to be decided on the basis of public health benefits, the outcome would be clear: Condoms indisputably prevent both unintended pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted infections, writes Chloe Bird.
Apr 23, 2013
Journal Article
Fertility Desires and Intentions and the Relationship to Consistent Condom Use and Provider Communication Regarding Childbearing Among HIV Clients in Uganda
We examined the correlates of fertility desires and intentions among 767 HIV clients (34% male) starting antiretrovirals in Uganda.
Jan 1, 2013
Commentary
California Improves on Affordable Care Act by Letting RNs Dispense Birth Control
As we look for ways to provide efficient, high-quality and cost-effective healthcare to more Americans, states may study California as a potential model for how to do more to deliver on what the Affordable Care Act has to offer women, while saving money at the same time, writes Chloe Bird.
Oct 9, 2012
Commentary
Supporting Comprehensive Healthcare for Women Makes Dollars, and Sense
As we look for ways to provide efficient, high-quality, and cost-effective health care to more Americans, we can't afford to ignore women's health issues, including reproductive health care and the cost savings that contraceptive access provides, writes Chloe Bird.
Sep 5, 2012
Journal Article
How Long After a Miscarriage Should Women Wait Before Becoming Pregnant Again?
Research in Matlab, Bangladesh, reveals that the shorter the interpregnancy interval (IPI) following a miscarriage, the more likely the subsequent pregnancy is to result in a live birth. However, very short IPIs are associated with a higher risk of mortality for the infants born after them.
Aug 20, 2012
Commentary
Celebrating Birth Control on Mother's Day? Not as Counterintuitive as It Sounds
Reliable birth control contributed to economic development by reducing women's risk of dropping out of school associated with early childbearing and high fertility rates, contributing in turn to increases in women's labor force participation, the continuity of their careers, and the standard of living of women, children and families, writes Chloe Bird.
May 11, 2012
Journal Article
Lactational Amenorrhea Method as a Contraceptive Strategy in Niger
If used properly, the lactational amenorrhea method (LAM) can be a valuable family planning tool, particularly in low-income countries.
Jan 1, 2012
Journal Article
Fertility and Female Employment Dynamics in Europe: The Effect of Using Alternative Econometric Modeling Assumptions
The authors investigate the direct and long-run effects of fertility on employment in Europe, estimating dynamic models of labor supply under different assumptions regarding the exogeneity of fertility and modeling assumptions related to initial conditions, unobserved heterogeneity and serial correlation in the error terms.
Apr 1, 2011
Content
Survey in Rural Bangladesh Explores Life-Cycle and Aging
The Matlab Health and Socio-economic Survey (MHSS-1), conducted in 1996, provides a unique microlevel data set for research on aging. In particular, these data support in-depth analyses—not possible with existing survey data—on interrelated topics having to do with life-cycle investments in the physical, economic, and social well-being of adults and the elderly.
Feb 2, 2011
Journal Article
Aftershocks: The Impact of Clinic Violence on Abortion Services
Clinic violence reduces abortion services in targeted areas; however, once travel is taken into account, the overall effect of the violence is much smaller.
Jan 1, 2011
Content
Longitudinal Survey Explores Indonesian Family Life
The Indonesian Family Life Survey is an ongoing, longitudinal survey begun in 1993 that represents about 83% of the Indonesian population and includes over 30,000 individuals living in 13 of the country's 27 provinces.
Dec 6, 2010
Content
Survey Data Provide Insights into Malaysian Family Life
The Malaysian Family Life Surveys were conducted in 1976-1977 and 1988-1989. The surveys collected detailed current and retrospective information on family structure, fertility, economic status, education, and more from a partially-overlapping sample of more than 4,000 individuals and households.
Sep 17, 2010
Brochure
Does Europe have enough babies?
What can governments do to address the demographic challenge? RAND Europe examines population ageing: consequences and possible solutions.
Mar 11, 2010
Journal Article
The Costs and Consequences of Assisted Reproductive Technology: An Economic Perspective
The complex interaction between the cost of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) treatment and how treatments are subsidized in different healthcaresettings and for different patient groups has far-reaching consequences for ART utilization, clinical practice and infant outcomes.
Jan 1, 2010
Journal Article
Bayesian Estimation of Hispanic Fertility Hazards from Survey and Population Data
Previous studies have demonstrated both large gains in efficiency and reductions in bias by incorporating population information in regression estimation with sample survey data.
Feb 1, 2009
Journal Article
Which Factors Explain the Decline in Infant and Child Mortality in Matlab, Bangladesh?
The authors use data from the Matlab Demographic Surveillance System on nearly 94,000 singleton live births that occurred between 1987 and 2002 to investigate the extent to which the change in mortality over this period can be explained by changes in repr
Jan 1, 2009
Journal Article
Cultural Models and Fertility Timing Among Cherokee and White Youth in Appalachia: Beyond the Mode
American Indian groups exhibit some of the highest and earliest fertility. This comparison between Cherokee and white youth in Appalachia found that the main difference in attitudes toward childbearing was the degree of latitude for the timing of having children vis-à-vis other major life events.
Jan 1, 2009

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RAND Topic:
Family Planning

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