Determinants of contraceptive use among women of reproductive age in Uganda

Abstract

Over the past decades, global fertility has declined from an average of 5 births per woman aged 15-49years in 1950-1955 to 2.5 births per woman in 2010-2015. Statistics however show that the fertility rate in the African region has remained the highest averaging 4.7 births per woman in 2010-2015 and highest in sub-Saharan Africa at an average of 5.1 births per woman. Current statistics indicate that 39 percent of currently married women aged 15-49, and 51 percent of sexually active unmarried women use a contraceptive method and 28 percent of currently married women and 32 percent of sexually active unmarried women have an unmet need for family planning. It’s not doubted that high fertility remains the major contributor to population growth and underdevelopment in the LDCs. This study used the Uganda demographic and health survey (2016 UDHS) dataset women's file (UGIR). The study area was Uganda and is comprised of 15 sub regions and the study targeted women aged 15-49 years. Age of respondent, number of living children, marital status, formal education, region and desire for more children were statistically significant with the use of contraceptives. The study identified the factors that determine contraceptive use among women of reproductive age in Uganda based on the UDHS 2016 dataset. Contraceptives were higher among respondents who were aged 25-29, had at least a child, were in union, had formal education, were from the central region, and those who did not want another child.