The 1996 Russia RHS covers: fertility, abortion history, maternal and child health, contraceptive use, program evaluation, young adult sexual experience, and knowledge of STIs and AIDS. n=5,997 women 15-44; 2,016 in Ivanovo, 1,974 in Yeraterinburg and 2,007 in Perm.

From February through May of 1996, a reproductive health survey was carried out among women in three locations in Russia. USAID sponsored the survey as part of its Russia Women’s Reproductive Health Project. This project consists of a variety of components intended to expand and improve the use of effective contraception, reduce the reliance on abortion as a means of birth prevention, and generally to improve the reproductive health of Russian women.

The 1996 Russia Women’s Reproductive Health Survey (RWRH S), along with a follow-up survey planned for two and a half to three years later, is designed to measure the impact of the Russia Women’s Reproductive Health Project. Thus, the 1996 survey served as a baseline, while the follow-up effort will gauge changes in topics of interest during the intervening years. The general approach used in these surveys is a quasi-experimental one. The surveys are taking place in three sites, two of them included in the project (Ivanovo Oblast and Yekaterinburg city) and a third that is not part of the project’s initial efforts (Perm city). The 1996 baseline survey data compare these sites with regard to many aspects of reproductive health. They will be compared again using the results of the follow-up survey to determine whether greater improvement has occurred in the project sites than in Perm. A second principal objective of the 1996 survey is to examine current aspects of reproductive health status and needs in the cities examined. Because no nationwide reproductive health surveys have been conducted in Russia, these data may be o f considerable value in describing reproductive health in much of Russia.

The survey addressed a number of issues. One of the most prominent of these involves abortion, which has been well above western levels. The Women’s Reproductive Health Project seeks to bring about a reduction in abortion through increased availability and improved use of modem contraceptive methods. Another important topic examined by the survey is the use of contraception, including levels and trends in contraceptive prevalence, method selection, and the extent to which methods are being used effectively. The survey also included questions on women’s opinions and attitudes regarding specific contraceptive methods and abortion, and their knowledge of reproductive health. The findings indicate how well informed the population is, in order provide inputs for the development of information, education, and communication (IEC) messages.