A strategy for implementing family planning services in the United States.

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Abstract
Fertility studies and experiences in U. S. family planning programs are analyzed to provide a strategy to guide resource allocation and establishment of priorities for a national effort to provide services in approximately 5 years to those who are presently without access to them. Detailed analysis is presented of New York City programs which increased from 15% of target population served in 1961 to 51% in 1966, primarily through making services geographically and economically more accessible. A diffusion model of the response of low-income families to different program inputs is proposed. The resulting strategy assigns first priority to changing behavior by increasing availability of services to accommodate existing desire of many poor parents for effective fertility control. As services are established in central and neighborhood health facilities, educational activities are intensified and efforts are initiated to identify and reach those who experience greatest difficulty in adopting modern family planning. A corollary is that family planning requires special attention until it is fully integrated in present health services and much higher priority in staff, budgets and facilities.

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