Factors affecting contraceptive use among youth in Uganda

Abstract

This study was undertaken with the aim of determining the factors that affect contraceptive use among women i.e. determine the effect of education, age, wealth, residence, religion and relationship status on contraceptive non- use with access to family planning messages, fertility intentions and number of children born as intervening variables. The study used data collected from the UDHS 2016 data set. This data was collected from Uganda Bureau of Statistics headquarters in Kampala. Pearson chi square test was used to test the association between the independent and dependent variables. Probit model was used to estimate the probability of contraceptive use among the different independent variables. STATA/15 IC was used for data analysis. The results from the study revealed that age, religion, highest level of education, wealth residence had a significant effect on contraceptive use while there was no significant difference in contraceptive use among the different relationship statuses. The study attained the following model. Contraceptive Use = 0.139368 Age -0.12123 Residence +0.227399 Education + -0.01056 Religion + 0.146153Wealth. Youth of the SDA faith had a higher contraceptive use as compared to those who were associated with other religions. Urban youth had a higher tendency of contraceptive use than those in rural areas. Youth from lower wealth quintiles were less likely to use contraceptives than those in higher wealth quintiles. Elder youth were less likely to use contraceptives as compared to their younger counterparts. Youth who had not attended school were less likely to use contraceptives. The study recommends that the government expends more efforts in educating the citizens since it is evident from the study that there is negative relationship between education and contraceptive non – use in Uganda , contraceptive sensitization programs and contraceptive distribution initiatives should target rural areas and Government should counter religious beliefs that push for non-use of contraception through sensitization.