Proportion and factors associated with unmet need for contraception in women 18 - 49 years at Kalerwe Market, Kampala Uganda. (unpublished undergraduate dissertation). Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

Abstract

Introduction: Globally, 1.1 billion women of reproductive age (15-49 years) needed contraceptive services in the year 2020. Out of these, 172 million women used no contraceptive method at all, despite their desire to avoid pregnancy. Unmet contraceptive need predisposes women to unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions and avoidable mortalities associated to pregnancy related complication and these risks can be averted through use of modern contraceptive methods. This study aimed at determining the proportion and factors associated with unmet need for contraception among women 18-49 years at Kalerwe market, Kampala Uganda. Methods: This was a descriptive quantitative cross-sectional study conducted among women between 18-49 years at Kalerwe market. A total of 326 participants were enrolled into the study by using a stratified random sampling method and their enrollment was voluntary. The data collected was entered into SPSS version 21 software for analysis. Ethical approval was obtained from IRB school of health Sciences, Makerere university. Participation was voluntary and a written informed consent was obtained before interviewing a participant. Results: A total of 326 participants were recruited. The median age of the participants was 30 years (interquartile range = 21-30 years) 168(51.5%) and they were Baganda 130(39.88%) by tribe, catholic by religion (52.15%) married 155(47.55%). The prevalence of unmet need for contraceptive use was 64.11%. Age greater than 40 years (P=0.001), Number of living children ranging from [2-3(P=0.049)], religion mainly moslem (P=0.042), Partner support (P=0.002), increased number of neighboring homesteads [10-30(P=0.001)], [31-60(P=0.001)], >60 (P=0.014)] and failure to access contraceptive services (P= 0.001) were the significant factors statistically associated with unmet need for contraceptive use. Conclusion: A high unmet need for contraception was observed in this study. Majority of the women in the study area used short term contraceptive methods which are less effective compared to long term ones. Age, being Muslim, having many live children were the factors associated with the unmet need for contraception use. Efforts to reduce the unmet need for contraceptive use should focus on providing access to women with many children. Women working in the market may not be able to access contraceptives due to busy work schedules so innovative ways to ensure that good quality services are available can improve uptake. Counseling about family planning should be done in religious institutions to propagate the knowledge of family planning and encourage the utilization of the services by their members to enhance their reproductive health to add knowledge about contraceptive use among market vendors.