A field trial to initiate modern contraception (MC)rnwas conducted in Kotebe Awraja, Addis AbabarnAdministrative Region, between August 1990 and Januaryrn1991. The purpose of the field trial was to examine whatrneffect involving husbands in a family planning (FP)rnintervention program would have on the initiation ofrnmodern contraception (MC) by the couple. A total of 528rnmarried women aged 15-49 were included in the study,rnrandomly divided into two groups on the basis ofrn"blocked" assignments to home visitors. The experimentalrngroup, totalling 267 received the intervention packagernwith their husbands, while the control group, totallingrn261 received the intervention package without therninvolvement of their husbands. The FP interventionrnpackage was the same . A baseline interview conducted tornassess socio-demographic, reproducti ve, knowledge andrnattitudes of the wives, as well as of their husbandsrnprior to group assignment did not reveal anyrnstatistically significant differences between thernexperimental and control groups. Of the 528 marriedrncouples who were entered into the study, 106 initiatedrnMC. A statistically significant higher propor tion ofrncouples in the experiment group initiated MC as comparedrnto those in the control group. (relative risk 1.61), 95%rnviirnCI (1.13, 2.3), p < .007 . The younger age of wife andrnhusband, higher educational level of wife, greater numberrnof barriers identified to use MC, and having a husband'srnsupport were positively associated with the verifiedrninitiation of MC. It is concluded that FP programs forrnmarried women of reproductive age which include husbandsrnhave a higher degree of success than those only directedrnto wives. It is therefore recommended that future familyrnplanning programs should include men and that furtherrninvestigation of its effectiveness be implemented .