Publication:

Determinants of the use of modern contraceptive methods among women of reproductive age in a health zone in southern Benin

Background The prevention of unintended pregnancies is one of the essential pillars of reducing avoidable maternal deaths. However, contraceptive prevalence remains low in Benin in general, and particularly in the Allada-Toffo-Zè health zone. Objective was to identify the determinants of the use of modern contraceptive methods among women of reproductive age in the Allada-Toffo-Zè Health Zone.

Methods This was a cross-sectional study with descriptive and analytical purposes, based on prospective data collection from March 6 to May 31, 2023, conducted in ten (10) health facilities within the Allada-Toffo-Zè health zone located in southern Benin. All women of reproductive age (15-49 years old) who attended consultations and provided informed consent were included and interviewed through a face-to-face structured questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between explanatory variables and the outcome variable, which was the use of modern contraceptive methods, with a significance level set at 5%.

Results A total of 402 women were surveyed. The prevalence of modern contraceptive use was 20.79%. The mean age was 28.25±7 years. The determinants of modern contraceptive use were parity (p=0.014), knowledge of the effectiveness of contraceptive methods (p<0.001), knowledge about birth spacing by the method (p<0.001), insurance for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections by the method (p=0.008).

Conclusions Understanding the determinants of modern contraceptive use will help target relevant interventions to improve contraceptive prevalence and contribute to accelerating the reduction of maternal mortality in the health zone.