The impact of disasters on contraception in OECD member countries: a
scoping review
Abstract
This scoping review explored the impact of disasters on contraception in
high-income countries. Comprehensive searches were conducted and
extracted data analysed thematically. 110 articles were included. The
majority focused on the Zika virus outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Four key themes were identified: importance of contraception during
disasters, impact of disasters on contraceptive behaviour, barriers to
contraception during disasters and ways of improving uptake of
contraception during disasters. Despite efforts to increase access to
contraception, barriers to uptake meant unmet need persisted. To prevent
adverse health outcomes and reduce health costs, efforts to remove
barriers to uptake should be intensified.