Birth Control Knowledge High, But Practice Varies in Developing Countries

Abstract

Data from the 25 developing countries that participated in the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program reveals that while most women in the developing world are familiar with at least one modern contraceptive method contraceptive prevalence varies greatly between and within regions. The surveys were administered to women of reproductive age currently in a union. More than 85% of women in all North African and Asian countries as well as women in Botswana Brazil Columbia Dominican Republic Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe could identify at least one modern method of contraception. In the rest of Latin America except for Bolivia between 50-80% of women could name a modern method. In Sub-Saharan Africa the region with the lowest levels of knowledge less than 40% of women in 7 of the 10 countries could identify a modern method (Botswana Kenya and Zimbabwe were the exceptions). The pill was the most commonly named modern method of contraception. The data reveals that generally women with some secondary education knew of at least one contraceptive method whether modern or traditional. Urban women also tended to have higher levels of knowledge. Ever-use of a modern contraceptive method ranged from 82.4% in thailand to 2.3 in burundi. In most countries other than Sub-Saharan countries more than 1/2 of women had ever used a modern method. Brazil had the highest level of current use of a modern contraceptive method (66.2%) followed by Thailand (65.5%) Colombia (64.8%) and Sri Lanka (61.7%). In most countries the pill the IUD and female sterilization were the most commonly used modern methods. Education was closely linked with both ever and current use of contraception.