Determinants of contraceptive use among women in Kampala

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to assess determinants of contraceptive use among women in Uganda. With the help of Uganda Demographic Health Survey 2016, the study sought to address the following six objectives namely; the influence of fertility preference, religion, education level, current marital status, type of place of residence, age of women and the contraceptive methods used among women of the reproductive age group (15-49 years) considered during UDHS survey 2016. The cross-sectional survey design was utilized for the study. This design was therefore deemed appropriate because the condition of the respondents was described as they existed in their natural setting and the information was collected directly from the respondents with regard to the Uganda Demographic Health Survey 2016. Of the urban residents, 58% were currently not using contraceptives while 42% were using contraceptives which was almost equally represented. On the other side, the majority (75%) of their counterparts in the rural areas were not using contraceptives while only 25% were using contraceptives. Accessibility, availability and fear of side effects were the main reasons for low intake of contraceptives in Uganda. In the same vein, age of women and education level of the women possessed an inverse relationship with regard to the use of contraceptives. Therefore, girl-child education and women empowerment directed to enable women make informed choices in issues regarding family planning and equitable provision of family planning services in both urban and rural communities of Uganda are highly encouraged.