Factors associated with utilization of long-acting and permanent contraceptive methods among women who have decided not to have more children in Gondar city

Abstract

BackgroundDespite the fact that long acting family planning methods reduce population growth and improve maternal health, their utilization remains poor. Therefore, this study assessed the prevalence of long acting and permanent family planning method utilization and associated factors among women in reproductive age groups who have decided not to have more children in Gondar city, northwest Ethiopia.MethodAn institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from August to October, 2015. Three hundred seventeen women who have decided not to have more children were selected consecutively into the study. A structured and pretested questionnaire was used to collect data. Both bivariate and multi-variable logistic regressions analyses were used to identify factors associated with utilization of long acting and permanent family planning methods. The multi-variable logistic regression analysis was used to investigate factors associated with the utilization of long acting and permanent family planning methods. The Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with the corresponding 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was used to show the strength of associations, and variables with a P-value of <0.05 were considered statistically significant.ResultsIn this study, the overall prevalence of long acting and permanent contraceptive (LAPCM) method utilization was 34.7% (95% CI: 29.5-39.9). According to the multi-variable logistic regression analysis, utilization of long acting and permanent contraceptive methods was significantly associated with women who had secondary school, (AOR: 2279, 95% CI: 1.17, 4.44), college, and above education (AOR: 2.91, 95% CI: 1.36, 6.24), history of previous utilization (AOR: 3.02, 95% CI: 1.69, 5.38), and information about LAPCM (AOR: 8.85, 95% CI: 2.04, 38.41).ConclusionIn this study the prevalence of long acting and permanent family planning method utilization among women who have decided not to have more children was high compared with previous studies conducted elsewhere. Advanced educational status, previous utilization of LAPCM, and information on LAPCM were significantly associated with the utilization of LAPCM. As a result, strengthening behavioral change communication channels to make information accessible is highly recommended.

Determinants of change in long-acting or permanent contraceptives use in Ethiopia; A multivariate decomposition analysis of data from the Ethiopian demographic and health survey

“…We also found that having secondary education contributed 5.0% of the observed change in LAPMs use, similar to what had been reported from other studies in Ethiopia and Kenya [13,[33][34][35]. Information related to LAPMs may be more accessible to women with secondary-level education, or formal education may have enabled them to develop better information processing skills, which may translate to a greater understanding of family planning messages and use of LAPMs [36].…”

“…Contraceptive uptake increased up to nine-fold during the last three decades in Ethiopia [4,12]. However, similar to other African countries, it is dominated by short-acting methods [1,3,13]. The 2016 EDHS report identified that only 10.0% of married or in-union reproductive-age women were using LAPMs [3].…”

Knowledge and factors influencing long acting reversible contraceptive use among women of reproductive age in Nigeria

“…This is because women's knowledge about the efficacy and safety of LARC methods may strongly influence both the selection and decision to continue to use the selected method over time. These findings were in line with previous studies that say women will opt for LARC methods as their contraceptive method of choice when they have knowledge of the method 3, 6,7,[16][17][18][19][20] . Another study also affirmed that women reproductive life plans are being altered as result of misinformation and this prompt woman to adopt methods not suitable for themselves 21 .…”

“…The higher the education of women the higher the propensity that they will adopt the use of LARC. Previous studies also corroborate this point that better educated women have access to information on modern contraceptive which may trigger their interest in the use of LARC 6,18,19,[22][23][24][25][26] .…”

“…Approximately 48% of unintended pregnancies occur as a result of contraceptive failure around the world 5 , which is largely due to incorrect use, poor adherence and/or technology failure. This can be avoided with the use of LARC methods, because they are not dependent on compliance with a pill-taking regimen, remembering to change a patch or ring, or arranging an appointment with physicians 6,7 .…”