This study aimed to explore the sociocultural determinants of family planning (FP) utilization among women in pastoralist areas of Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted involving 682 reproductive-aged women selected from three regions in pastoralist districts. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with women who did not use FP. This study revealed that 47% of women did not use FP. Women who did not use FP were more likely to have shorter spacing between births, lack their partner’s support, not be involved in decisions regarding large household purchases, and have low household expenditures. Overall, the prevalence of not using FP is significantly high in pastoralist communities in Ethiopia. The authors recommend that investment in women’s health and FP be targeted at educational campaigns to raise awareness about FP and its importance. Engaging men and community leaders, promoting their support for FP and contraceptive use, and providing financial assistance to address financial barriers, such as transportation costs and healthcare fees, are important aspects that can increase the utilization of FP methods.

Background/Objectives: Vaccination uptake in Ethiopia is deeply shaped by gender norms, with women serving as primary caregivers but often limited by low autonomy, while men typically control household decisions but remain less engaged in child health. This study examines gendered influences on vaccine hesitancy and acceptance to inform future strategies. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional mixed-methods study was conducted in four regions of Ethiopia (Amhara, Oromia, Afar, and Tigray). Quantitative data were collected from 992 caregivers through multistage stratified sampling procedure, whereas qualitative data were collected from 26 in-depth interviews, 24 exit interviews and 11 key informant interviews and were analyzed thematically guided by the WHO Behavioural and Social Drivers framework. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to determine the associations. Results: The result highlighted that the proportion of caregivers who reported willingness to vaccinate their child with all recommended vaccines was high (93.5%) and more likely among those with higher education, family support, religious support, and frequency of health worker contact. However, 51.1% of caregivers displayed some degree of vaccine hesitancy, with higher prevalence among males. Hesitancy was linked to traditional beliefs and norms that assign vaccination responsibility to mothers, urban residence, and being employed, while secondary education, family support, and religious support were protective. While acceptance is high, hesitancy persists. Gender roles, education, social support, and health worker engagement influence immunization outcomes. Conclusions: The study highlighted that expanding immunization across all age groups and reducing persistent hesitancy requires a shift toward gender-responsive strategies including integrating a gender perspective into the immunization programs that address traditional norms and misinformation.

Adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) challenges, including gender inequality, child marriage, female genital mutilation/cutting and sexual and gender-based violence remain pervasive globally, particularly in Ethiopia. The Power to You(th) programme was designed to address these issues by centering youth voices and fostering transformative community change. This evaluation applied Outcome Harvesting, drawing on mixed quantitative and qualitative data, and employed a participatory approach that engages youth and stakeholders in identifying and verifying programme outcomes between 2021 and 2023. The findings revealed substantial improvements in youth participation in decision-making platforms, advocacy capacity, and awareness of SRH rights. Community attitudes shifted positively, particularly among religious and traditional leaders, who increasingly advocate against harmful practices. Youth-led networks emerged as powerful agents of change, contributing to policy shifts such as increased youth representation in health governance bodies. The evaluation also captured unexpected yet influential changes in community dynamics and institutional responsiveness. These findings highlight the value of participatory approaches in capturing complex social transformations and underscore the role of youth as active agents in reshaping SRHR outcomes. Outcome Harvesting proved effective in documenting both intended and emergent changes, offering valuable insights for scaling inclusive, youth-driven interventions.

This study assessed vaccination coverage and its associated factors among children aged 12–23 months in pastoralist Ethiopia. It was conducted in three woredas of the Afar region using a community-based cross-sectional mixed methods design with quantitative and qualitative methods. A total of 413 mothers with children aged 12–23 months participated in the quantitative study via a simple random sampling technique. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with vaccination, and thematic analysis techniques were used for qualitative data. The percentage of patients who received full vaccination was 25%. Based on vaccination card observations, the dropout rate from Pentavalent-1 to Pentavalent-3 was found to be 2.9%. Logistic regression analysis revealed significant associations between mothers and caretakers with formal education, those who owned mobile phones, had antenatal care (ANC) visits, and birthed at a health facility with full vaccination. The overall proportion of full immunization is lower than the target set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The findings suggest that programs and policy makers should prioritize improving the access and enrolment of women and caretakers, promoting mobile phone ownership, and encouraging ANC visits and the promotion of health facility deliveries, as these are associated with higher rates of immunization.

This study assesses the role of family planning (FP) in resilience building among youths and women in Ethiopia’s drought-affected and food-insecure regions. A mixed-method comparative cross-sectional study design with a total of 1712 study participants with an equal 1:1 ratio of the intervention and control groups was used. Binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify factors associated with community resilience. More participants in the intervention districts (58.3%) than in the control districts (49%) were currently using FP services. Approximately 54.1% of the intervention group and 43.6% of the control group were able to pay for food and shelter. Two-thirds of the intervention respondents and half of the control respondents had good social cohesion. The food consumption scores for the intervention and control districts were 26.2 and 24.9, respectively. Additionally, 62.5% of the intervention and 53.5% of the control respondents were found to have a good level of community level resilience. FP use (AOR = 3.4, 95% CI: 1.78–6.49), good social cohesion (AOR = 7.9, 95% CI: 6.09–10.23) and productive assets (AOR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.07–1.92) were significantly associated with community resilience. To enhance community resilience comprehensively, expanding FP services should empower women in decision-making processes, cultivate ties and promote collaborative efforts across different sectors.

This study aimed to explore the sociocultural determinants of family planning (FP) utilization among women in pastoralist areas of Ethiopia. A community based cross-sectional survey was conducted involving 682 re-productive aged women selected from three regions in pastoralist districts. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with women who did not use FP. This study revealed that 47% of women did not use FP. Women who did not use FP were more likely to shorter spaces between births, lack of partners’ support, when only a husband or someone else decides on large household purchases, and low use of household expenditure were some of the factors associated with not using FP. Overall, the prevalence of not using FP is significantly high in pastoralist communities of Ethiopia. The authors recommend that investment in women’s health and FP be targeted at educational campaigns to raise awareness about FP and its importance. Engaging men and community leaders, promoting their support for FP and contraceptive use, and providing financial assistance to address financial barriers such as transportation costs and healthcare fees, are important aspects that can increase the utilization of FP methods.