Women's Status and Spousal Communication on Contraceptive Practice in Snnpr, Ethiopia
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Date
2007-08
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Addis Abeba university
Abstract
The southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region of Ethiopia (SNNPR) is home to 14
million people constituting more than 45 Ethnic groups. The region is characterized by high
fertility rates and the factors related to it, such as maternal morbidity and mortality, high 1MR
and Underjive mortality rates. More over, in the region husbands' lack of knowledge of wives'
family planning use is relatively higher compared to the national average.
In this study the data set for non-pregnant currently married women aged 15-49 Fom the 2000
Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey are used to examine the association of women 's status
and spousal communication, and their role on current use of contraception in the region.
To provide socio-economic and Demographic characteristics of the study population univariate
analysis is pelformed. To assess the association between a number of independent variables and
contraceptive use both bi-variate and multivariate analyses are pelformed, and the analysis is
based on 1103 cases.
The majority of the study population (94.4 percent) is illiterate or not completed primary level of
schooling; those who completed primary, secondary and higher level of schooling constitute only
5.6 percent. The study population is predominantly (94 percent) reside in rural area. As far as
marriage is concerned the higher proportion (77.2 percent) of the respondents are in
monogamous union. Concerning spousal communication, majority of the study population (77. 2
%) reported that they have never discussed about FP with their partner in the past year. Only
27.2 percent reported their partners' approval of family planning. There exists a wide gap
between knowledge and use of contraceptive methods in the region. The proportion of the study
population who know of at least one modern method is 78.3 percent, but the prevalence of
current use of contraception is only 7.1 percent
From the multivariate analysis the most important predictors that emerged as prime
determinants of current contraceptive use of a woman are educational attainment of a woman
(completing at least primary level of schooling), discussing about family planning with
husband/partner, husband's approval of FP, knowledge of modern FP method (knowing at least
one modern method) and desire for additional children (wanting no more children).
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Keywords
Communication