Publication:

Modern contraceptive use among married women: the case of Aleta Chuko district, Southern Ethiopia

Background Family planning is one of the factors which have a great role in the reduction of global poverty by positively contributing to socio-economic development. Additionally controlling both the number and timing of births through utilization of contraception is associated with improved maternal and neonatal health outcomes. The aim of the study was to assess utilization of modern contraception among married women.

Methods A community based cross- sectional study with quantitative and qualitative study methods was conducted from February 15 to March 15, 2016 in Aleta Chuko district, Southern Ethiopia. Multistage cluster sampling procedure was used to select a total of 364 married women of reproductive age (18-49). Descriptive statistics, Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed using SPSS version 20.0. On the other hand, qualitative data were analyzed thematically and the result was presented in narration.

Results Contraceptive prevalence rate among married women in Aleta Chuko district was 45.5%. Results of Multiple Binary Logistic Regression revealed that residence, educational level of the respondents, discussion about modern contraceptives with husband, partner’s approval of modern contraceptive use and joint decision on the number of children were significantly associated with modern contraceptive use.

Conclusions Therefore, district health office and concerned stakeholders should focus on couples to encourage girl’s education, communication between couples, and male involvement for family planning.