The Uttar Pradesh Technical Support Unit (UP TSU) provides techno-managerial support to the Government of Uttar Pradesh (GoUP) through its strategic inputs on planning, implementation, and monitoring of health programmes across the domains of reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health. As part of this commitment, the UP TSU has also been supporting the GoUP to meet their family planning (FP) goals, in alignment with the state’s Vision 2030 document. This encompasses multi-pronged strategies such as expanding the range of contraceptives by introducing new methods (Antara and Chhaya), and strengthening service delivery and community engagement.
While the uptake of these new contraceptives has improved since their introduction in 2017 (as depicted by the data from the Health Management Information System-HMIS), their sustained use still remains an issue. Hence, UP TSU, in consultation with GoUP, conducted a qualitative study to understand the barriers to sustained use of Antara and Chhaya.
The study was conducted in Meerut and Varanasi districts, and in-depth interviews were conducted with both current and former users of Antara and Chhaya, frontline workers (FLWs), facility-based providers, and programme personnel to gather deeper insights on both demand and supply-side barriers.
Antara initially emerged as a choice due to its easy availability and use; however, concerns about side effects, along with a lack of proper support for navigating them, hindered its sustained use. On the contrary, Chhaya was a choice with a difficult dosage schedule in the initial three months, despite the positive word of mouth and no side effects. This confusion in dosages, coupled with a lack of demarcation from daily pills and adherence fatigue, deterred the continued use of Chhaya.
The findings revealed that users’ concerns around Antara’s potential side effects and their management, and Chhaya’s complex dosage schedule and adherence fatigue, hindered their sustained use, despite their ease of access. These insights underscore the need for tailored communication strategies, stronger provider engagement, and user-centred approaches to enhance the acceptability, uptake, and continued use of new contraceptives.
