Conflict and Contraception in Colombia

Abstract

This study explores how armed conflict relates to contraceptive use in Colombia, combining data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program and Demographic and Health Surveys 1990-2016. Our study is the first systematic effort to investigate whether and how violent conflict influences women's contraceptive use, using nationally representative data across all stages of women's reproductive careers. With fixed effects linear probability models, we adjust for location-specific cultural, social, and economic differences. The results show that although modern contraceptive use increased over time, it declined according to conflict intensity across location and time. We find no evidence that this relationship varied across socioeconomic groups. Increased fertility demand appears to explain a small portion of this relationship, potentially reflecting uncertainty about losing a partner, but conflict may also result in lack of access to contraceptive goods and services.

Family Planning During and After the West African Ebola Crisis

“…The 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake in Indonesia saw changes in the method mix, where injectable and implant use decreased, and pill and coitus interruptus increased, accompanied by an increase in unplanned pregnancies (Hapsari et al 2009). Though most studies found that the need for family planning rose after a crisis or instability, a recent study examining the multidecade conflicts in Colombia found a decrease in family planning with increased violence and attributed the decline to an increased desire for children (Svallfors and Billingsley 2019). In contrast, in a 10-year study of armed conflict and political instability in Chitwan Valley, Nepal, authors found that contraceptive use rose during instances of instability, and was able to do so because Chitwan Valley was among the areas of the country with the best supply of family planning (Williams et al 2012).…”

Effects of terrorist attacks on access to maternal healthcare services: a national longitudinal study in Burkina Faso

“…11 12 For example, studies reveal that the availability and access to maternal healthcare services, including family planning and contraception, are likely reduced under highintensity conflict conditions, possibly contributing to increased maternal mortality. [13][14][15][16][17] This is particularly troubling in Burkina Faso, where despite noticeable progress over the last two decades maternal health remains one of the biggest public health issues. In 2015, a nationally representative survey estimated the maternal mortality rate to be 330 deaths per 100 000 live births, compared with 12 per 100 000 on average in the richest countries.…”

Health in conflict and post-conflict settings: reproductive, maternal and child health in Colombia

“…In relation to maternal and neonatal health, studies show that in situations of conflict there is an interruption of prenatal care services, which leads to the late detection of complications, such as preeclampsia and eclampsia [14]. In addition, given the difficulties of accessing sexual and reproductive health services, there are difficulties in the delivery of contraceptive methods [15], an increase in teenage pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, gender violence, and child marriages [16]. Some studies also report moderately higher rates of Table 1 History of conflict in Colombia maternal and infant mortality in countries in conflict compared to others with similar socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, without the existence of armed conflict [17][18][19].…”