The story and leaflet, along with other community mobilization and health promotion activities, is reported to have enhanced support for optimal pregnancy spacing and timely contraceptive uptake. Knowledge, approval, and intention to practice PPFP is widespread. However, barriers to PPFP uptake remain. Opportunities for bridging intention and action include ensuring that women whose husbands are away are proactively linked to FP services before husbands’ return, greater engagement of religious leaders, more involvement

of spouses during community Dapagliflozin ic50 sessions, and developing alternative strategies to reinforce information about LAM and the importance of timely transition. The study reveals that fictional INCB018424 molecular weight stories presented in leaflet and oral form within home visits and group discussion sessions provide a promising approach to build support for PPFP uptake. After the completion of HFS, the Government of Bangladesh indicated a desire to scale up the HFS approach throughout Sylhet. Based on findings from this assessment, it is recommended that Asma’s Story be incorporated within future efforts to scale up PPFP in Bangladesh, and that similar approaches be tailored and tested in other countries. More programmatic research on successful communication strategies about LAM and transition

is needed. Findings reinforce the importance of tailoring social and behavior change strategies to respond to unique needs of postpartum women at various stages of the behavior change continuum, as

barriers and motivating factors vary by stage. The study sponsors had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or dissemination, or in the decision to submit this paper for publication. The corresponding author had full access to all the data in the study and had the final responsibility for the decision to submit for publication. The authors declare they have no competing interests. Funding for this study was made possible through support provided by U.S. Agency for International Development/Bangladesh and the Office of Population and Reproductive Health, U.S. Agency for International Development/Washington Mannose-binding protein-associated serine protease D.C., under the terms of Award No GHS-A-00-08-00002-00 (Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP)—Leader with Associates Cooperative Agreement), No. GPO-AA-05-00025-00 (Associate Cooperative Agreement with the ACCESS Program), No. GHS-A-00-04-00002-00 (Reference Leader Cooperative Agreement with the ACCESS Program), No. GHS-A-00-03-00019-00 (Global Research Activity Cooperative Agreement with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health), and printing under the terms of the Cooperative Agreement AID-OAA-A-14-00028 (the Maternal and Child Survival Program). The contents are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Agency for International Development or the United States Government.