Promoting contraceptive use among female rural-to-urban migrants in Qingdao, China: A comparative impact study of worksite-based interventions

ABSTRACT

Background We conducted a comparative study in worksites to assess the impact of sexual health promoting interventions on contraceptive use among female rural-to-urban migrants.

Study design In Qingdao ten manufacturing worksites were randomly allocated to a standard package of interventions (SPI) and an intensive package of interventions (IPI). The interventions ran from July 2008 to January 2009. Cross-sectional surveys at baseline and end line assessed the sexual behaviour of young female migrants. To evaluate the impact of the interventions we assessed pre- and post-time trends.

Results From the SPI group 721 (baseline) and 615 (end line) respondents were considered. Out of the IPI group we included 684 and 603 migrants. Among childless migrants, self-reported contraceptive use increased significantly after SPI and IPI (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.23; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.52−6.84; p < 0.01 and aOR = 5.81; 95% CI = 2.63−12.80; p < 0.001, respectively). Childless migrants older than 22 years reported a greater use after IPI than after SPI.

Conclusion Implementing current Chinese sexual health promotion programmes at worksites is likely to have a positive impact on migrant women working in the manufacturing industry of Qingdao. More comprehensive interventions seem to have an added value if they are well targeted to specific groups.

KEYWORDS:

• Labour migration
• Reproductive health
• Programme evaluation
• Workplace
• Family planning services
• Contraception
• Intervention study
• Comparative effectiveness research
• China

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank the management of the worksites, the researchers and students who contributed to the successful outcome of the project. Most of all, we are deeply grateful to the women who participated in this survey.

This document is an output from the project ‘Young Labour Migrants in Chinese cities: A demonstration-intervention project to address barriers to health care and promote their sexual and reproductive health (INCO 032522)’, funded by the European Commission FP 6 Programme. The International Centre for Reproductive Health (ICRH) of Ghent University, Belgium, coordinated the research consortium.

Authors' contributions: WZ, EM, YC, ZW, CL, SW, RN and MT participated in the design of the study. YC coordinated the fieldwork and the data collection. WZ, WD and OD contributed to the data analysis. PD served as principal investigator and main author. MT was the overall coordinator of the Young Labour Migrants project of which this work was part. WZ, WD, EM, RN, OD and MT contributed largely to the writing of the article during the course of revisions. All authors approved the final draft of the manuscript.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.