Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Choices and services related to contraception in the Gaza S trip, Palestine: Perceptions of 
service users and providers  
 
Version: 0 Date: 21 Sep 2019  
 
Reviewer: Akin -Tunde Odukogbe  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Perceptions of sexual and repr oductive healthcare in the Gaza Strip, Palestine: A mixed 
quantitative and qualitative study of users and providers  
 
 
 
Comments  
 
1. The title is too broad for the study done. There are very many other sexual and reproductive 
health issues apart from contrace ption addressed by this study.  
 
New title suggestion:  
 
Perceptions, choices and services related to contraception in Gaza Strip, Palestine: A mixed 
quantitative and qualitative study of users and providers  
 
 
2. The key words are too many.  
 
Suggestion:  
Contraceptive choices and services; male involvement in contraceptive use; Gaza Strip; Palestine  
 
 
3. UNRWA = United Nations Relief and Work Agency.  
 
 
4. The purported removal of bias, by using a mixed method, is negated by the use of a purposive 
sampling me thod for the quantitative aspect of the study. Representative selection would have 
removed the bias. The authors should describe the process of selecting the study sites.  
 
 
5. Questions for qualitative study are not semi - structured. They are just topic gu ides. 
Participants discuss, not just answer questions.  
 
6. 'transcribed verbatim', not 'transcribed into verbatim'.  
 
7. Views are not so discreet nor necessarily factual as to be subjectable to statistical analysis.  
 
 
8. In Table 1, what is the frequency o f the income?  
 
 
9. What is/are the denominator/s used for calculating frequencies in the early part of Results and 
in Table 1? The stated 204 and 51 do not appear to be what were used. Please recalculate.  
 
 
10. Recalculate the percentages in Table 3. There a re minor discrepancies.  
 
 
11. The list of abbreviations is not necessary. Each can be incorporated into the text. MoH is 
generally Ministry of Health, not only the Palestinian one.  
 
 
12. Both the Introduction and Discussion should be made more concise and pr ecise.  
 
 
13. The repeated section on Ethical approval should be deleted.  
 
 
14. Minor areas:  
 
- Line 7, page 21. data are  
 
 
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in y our comments to the authors.  
 
Unable to assess  
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes  
 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manus cript or would you recommend an 
additional stat istical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I recommend additional statistical review  
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Acceptable  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, f ees, funding, or salary from an 
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financial ly from the publication of this 
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation t hat may in any way gain or lose 
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents  relating to the content of the 
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interests in r elation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all of the above, write 'I declare that I have  no competing interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests  
 
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to the editor s, which will not be publish ed. 
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal