Building Will, Sparking Action: RESPOND Contributes to Greater Awareness of NSV in India

India's central government has renewed its focus on vasectomy and intends to increase the uptake of this safe and cost-effective family planning method. Vasectomy is, however, highly underutilized in Uttar Pradesh, one of India's largest states-vasectomy use is just one-quarter of the national average in the state.

RESPOND Project partners EngenderHealth and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Communication Programs (JHU•CCP) are providing technical assistance to the Government of Uttar Pradesh to expand awareness of, acceptance of, and access to no-scalpel vasectomy (NSV) services. A participatory ethnographic evaluation research (PEER) study, Factors Affecting Acceptance of Vasectomy in Uttar Pradesh: Insights from Community-Based, Participatory Qualitative Research, was conducted to understand the reasons for the low prevalence of vasectomy in Uttar Pradesh and develop an approach for increasing demand for the procedure.

The PEER method is a qualitative anthropological approach in which trained individuals meet with their peers to discuss issues-in this case, barriers to NSV use, people's perceptions about NSV and family planning, and how these affect decision making on whether to use this permanent method. Through this approach, community members provide a rich social commentary, as their stories offer crucial insights into how people understand and negotiate behavior.  

Selected Findings

• Both men and women reported negative attitudes toward vasectomy, sharing many stories of times when the procedure had not worked or had resulted in physical weakness, thus limiting a man's ability to provide for his family.
• While more people spoke about the negative perceptions of vasectomy, some also provided insights into the potential benefits of or drivers for NSV uptake.
• Positive testimonials about recent NSV experiences are effective in motivating others to obtain the procedure.
• The procedure should be promoted as simple and painless, without any effect on one's physical strength or sexual performance, to address common fears about side effects.

Next Steps

The RESPOND Project is providing technical assistance to the Government of Uttar Pradesh to expand awareness and acceptance of NSV in developing a series of behavior change communication materials, including print and mass media messages that will focus on couples who have completed their families.

We invite you to learn more:
Project Brief (2.72MB PDF)
Full research report (2.54MB PDF)