Increasing dual protection among rickshaw pullers in Bangladesh

The main objective of this study, conducted in six urban clinics of Dhaka, Bangladesh was to increase contraceptive use among rickshaw pullers, with special emphasis on condom use. The study tested two strategies to increase access to family planning and reproductive health (RH) information and services: a) an educational campaign together with improved availability of condoms; and b) an educational campaign alone. Findings show that rickshaw pullers’ knowledge on contraceptive methods increased significantly in both the experimental sites compared to the control site. Use of any contraceptive method increased significantly in the experimental sites, and condom use increased significantly in site I. However, translation of acquired knowledge about condoms into changes in risky behaviors does not seem to have happened, as evidenced by the increase in extramarital sex across all groups. These findings provide some important guidance on reaching men with RH information and services, and the report offers recommendations for the scale-up efforts