Has the Navrongo project in Northern Ghana been successful in altering fertility preferences?

Henry V. Doctor, University of the Western Cape
Ayaga A. Bawah, Navrongo Health Research Centre

Has the Navrongo Community Health and Family Planning Project been successful in changing fertility preferences? Using linked data from panel surveys conducted in the Kassena-Nankana district of northern Ghana in 1995 and 2002, we compare reproductive behavior against prior fertility preferences and show the transition of women from wanting to not wanting more children. The acceptance of smaller family sizes reflects that the combination of mobilizing community volunteerism and retraining and redeploying nurses to village-based locations results in change in reproductive behavior.