The impact of integrated population, health, and environment projects: a synthesis of the evidence

Jason Bremner, Population Reference Bureau (PRB)
Rachel Winnik Yavinsky, Population Reference Bureau (PRB)
Kristen P. Patterson, Population Reference Bureau (PRB)

Integrating family planning into non-health sector development projects, often known as Population-Health-Environment (PHE), has been promoted as leading to both increased access to contraceptives as well as improvements in other development indicators. Integrated projects are increasingly collecting data to document implementation and impact, but this evidence is often not widely disseminated. Advocates and donors interested in integrated approaches often call for more evidence of impact. This paper examines and summarizes recent available evidence from PHE projects to document what they are measuring and/or not measuring, assess the current state of PHE project monitoring and evaluation, and identify gaps in evaluation and research for current and future projects to improve upon. Findings suggest projects report data and impact in some areas consistently, particularly family planning, whereas many PHE projects have found it challenging to collect data and document their impact in other sectors, particularly related to the environment and livelihoods.