abstract: 'BackgroundThe Republic of Niger has the highest rate of early marriage and adolescent fertility in the world. Recent global health initiatives, such as Family Planning 2020, have reinvigorated investments in family planning in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). As part of this initiative, Niger has implemented ambitious plans to increase contraceptive prevalence through policies designed to increase coverage and access to family planning services. One strategy involves the deployment of volunteer community health workers (relais communautaires) in rural settings to improve access to family planning services, especially among adolescents and youth. The objective of this article is to determine if visits by relais are associated with increased use of modern contraception among young married women in rural Niger.MethodsCross-sectional data from a household survey were collected from young married women between the ages of 13 and 19 in three rural districts in the region of Dosso, Niger from May to August 2016. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to assess the odds of married female youth reporting current use of modern contraceptive methods based on being visited by a relais in the past three months.ResultsA total of 956 young married women were included in the final analysis. Among study participants, 9.3\% reported a relais visit to discuss health issues in the past three months and 11.4\% reported currently using a modern method of contraception. Controlling for socio-demographic variables, the odds of current use of modern contraceptive methods were higher among young married women who were visited by a relais in the last three months compared to those not visited by a relais during this period (AOR=1.94{[}95\% CI 1.07-3.51]). In this study setting, relais were less likely to visit nulliparous women and women that worked in the past 12months.ConclusionYoung married women visited by relais were more likely to use modern contraceptive methods compared to those not visited by a relais. These results are consistent with similar family planning studies from sub-Saharan Africa and suggest that relais in Niger may be able to provide access to essential family planning services in rural and hard-to-reach areas. Additional efforts to understand the contraceptive barriers faced by nulliparous women and working women should be a key research priority in Niger.Trial registrationClinical trial registration number 2016-1430; registered on October 7, 2016 (retrospectively registered). AbstractContexteLa Republique du Niger a le taux le plus eleve de mariages precoces et de fecondite des adolescentes du monde. Les recentes initiatives mondiales pour la sante, telles que Planification Familiale 2020 (FP2020), ont redynamise les investissements dans la planification familiale dans les pays a revenu faible ou intermediaire. Dans le cadre de cette initiative, le Niger a mis en OEuvre des plans ambitieux pour accroitre la prevalence de la contraception par le biais de politiques concues pour accroitre la couverture et l''acces aux services de planification familiale. Une des strategies consiste au deploiement d''agents de sante communautaires volontaires (relais communautaires) en milieu rural pour ameliorer l''acces aux services de planification familiale, en particulier chez les adolescents et les jeunes. L''objectif de cet article est. de determiner si les visites a domicile conduites par des relais sont associees a une utilisation accrue de la contraception moderne chez les jeunes femmes mariees des zones rurales du Niger. MethodesLes donnees transversales d''une enquete-menages ont ete collectees aupres de jeunes femmes mariees agees de 13 a 19 ans dans trois districts ruraux de la region de Dosso, au Niger, de Mai a Aout 2016. Une regression logistique multivariee a ete menee pour evaluer la probabilite que les jeunes femmes mariees declarant utiliser actuellement des methodes contraceptives modernes apres avoir ete visitees par un relai au cours des trois derniers mois.ResultatsAu total, 956 jeunes femmes mariees ont ete incluses dans l''analyse finale. Parmi les participants a l''etude, 9,3\% ont signale une visite de relais pour discuter de problemes de sante au cours des trois derniers mois et 11,4\% ont declare utiliser actuellement une methode de contraception moderne. En tenant compte des variables sociodemographiques, les probabilites d''utilisation actuelle de methodes contraceptives modernes etaient plus elevees chez les jeunes femmes mariees visitees par un relai au cours des trois derniers mois par rapport a celles qui n''avaient pas ete visitees par un relai au cours de cette periode (AOR=1,94 {[}95\% IC 1,07-3,51]). Dans cette etude, les relais etaient moins susceptibles de rendre visite aux femmes nullipares et aux femmes ayant travaille au cours des 12 derniers mois.ConclusionLes jeunes femmes mariees visitees par les relais etaient plus susceptibles d''utiliser des methodes de contraception modernes que celles qui n''etaient pas visitees par les relais. Ces resultats concordent avec ceux d''etudes similaires sur la planification familiale menees en Afrique subsaharienne et suggerent que les relais au Niger pourraient donner acces a des services essentiels de planification familiale dans les zones rurales et difficiles d''acces. Des efforts supplementaires pour comprendre les barrieres contraceptives rencontrees par les femmes nullipares et les travailleuses devraient constituer une priorite de recherche essentielle au Niger.' affiliation: 'Brooks, MI (Corresponding Author), Pathfinder Int, Watertown, MA 02472 USA. Brooks, Mohamad I., Pathfinder Int, Watertown, MA 02472 USA. Johns, Nicole E.; Quinn, Anne K.; Boyce, Sabrina C.; Silverman, Jay G., Univ Calif San Diego, Ctr Gender Equ \& Hlth, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA. Fatouma, Ibrahima A.; Oumarou, Alhassane O.; Sani, Aliou, Pathfinder Int, Niamey, Niger.' article-number: '38' author: Brooks, Mohamad I. and Johns, Nicole E. and Quinn, Anne K. and Boyce, Sabrina C. and Fatouma, Ibrahima A. and Oumarou, Alhassane O. and Sani, Aliou and Silverman, Jay G. author-email: bbrooks@pathfinder.org author_list: - family: Brooks given: Mohamad I. - family: Johns given: Nicole E. - family: Quinn given: Anne K. - family: Boyce given: Sabrina C. - family: Fatouma given: Ibrahima A. - family: Oumarou given: Alhassane O. - family: Sani given: Aliou - family: Silverman given: Jay G. da: '2023-09-28' doi: 10.1186/s12978-019-0701-1 files: [] issn: 1742-4755 journal: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH keywords-plus: REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH; FAMILY; SERVICES language: English month: MAR 25 number-of-cited-references: '28' papis_id: 93dd144381f82826e87c314d96125171 ref: Brooks2019cancommunity times-cited: '14' title: Can community health workers increase modern contraceptive use among young married women? A cross-sectional study in rural Niger type: article unique-id: WOS:000462745900002 usage-count-last-180-days: '0' usage-count-since-2013: '1' volume: '16' web-of-science-categories: Public, Environmental \& Occupational Health year: '2019'