Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40447308›Full record

ArticleBMJ global health2025

Integrating family planning with nutrition and other sexual and reproductive health services in low-income and middle-income countries: findings from a scoping review.

Sachin Shinde, Cara Yelverton, Nazia Binte Ali, Uttara Partap, Moussa Ouédraogo, Innocent Yusufu, Iqbal Shah, Wafaie Fawzi

Abstract readScoping Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ global health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Sachin ShindeDepartment of Global Health and Population, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA sshinde@hsph.harvard.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6369-4212
Cara YelvertonDepartment of Global Health and Population, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Nazia Binte AliDepartment of Global Health and Population, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5010-9563
Uttara PartapDepartment of Global Health and Population, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2531-1804
Moussa OuédraogoUniversity of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Innocent YusufuAfrica Academy for Public Health, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3080-1741
Iqbal ShahDepartment of Global Health and Population, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8850-4374
Wafaie FawziDepartment of Global Health and Population, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionIntegrating family planning with nutrition could address unmet family planning needs and malnutrition in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Integrating family planning with sexual reproductive health (SRH) services may provide valuable insights as well. This scoping review synthesised evidence from published and grey literature on interventions integrating family planning with nutrition or SRH services in LMICs.

methodsWe searched MEDLINE, EBSCO and Google Scholar for studies on integrated family planning, nutrition or SRH services, including codelivery or referral-based models. Evidence was analysed using narrative synthesis.

resultsWe reviewed 109 articles; most family planning within broader health initiatives, particularly targeting maternal and child health and health system strengthening efforts. Integration strategies varied, generally involving codelivery of services or referral systems linking different service platforms and using diverse health providers. Outcomes were often reported by individual components, concentrating on specific services like family planning use and less so on nutrition or overall maternal and child health, thus limiting a complete understanding of the integrated intervention's impact. Qualitative and process evaluations primarily explored the acceptability and feasibility of integration, highlighting challenges in service delivery, stakeholder engagement and training and supervision gaps. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest three evidence-based priorities for improving the integration of family planning, nutrition and SRH services: (1) standardising definitions and frameworks for integration typologies; (2) investing in workforce training and (3) strengthening supply chains. These align with implementation challenges recurrently observed across studies. The review also underscores the necessity for more rigorous research focused on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of integrated approaches, providing critical insights for decision-makers aiming to optimise health service delivery in resource-limited settings.

Indexed as

Delivery of Health Care, IntegratedDeveloping CountriesFamily Planning ServicesReproductive Health ServicesFemaleHumansGlobal HealthHealth services researchNutritionReview

Identifiers

PMID40447308
PMCPMC12128479

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.