Factors affecting contraceptive use and unmet need among currently married women in Afghanistan: further analysis of the 2015 Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey

Abstract

# Background The objective of this study is to analyze socio-demographic factors affecting both contraceptive use and unmet need for family planning. # Methods Secondary analysis was conducted based on data from the 2015 Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). The sample included 29,461 women aged 15-49 interviewed in the survey. A frequency distribution of independent variables for the study sample was carried out and then a Pearson's chi-square test was conducted for association and strength of association measured by multinomial and binary logistic regression. # Results The study found that 29% of women were using a contraceptive method (25.5% a modern method and 3.5% a traditional method). Among the modern methods, pills were the most common, followed by injection and male condom. The study found that a woman's number of living children was positively associated with contraceptive use; women with more than six children were the most likely to be using contraception. Uzbek and other minority ethnic groups seemed less likely to use contraceptive methods. Each level of women's educational attainment increased the use of contraceptive methods. Moreover, women who were exposed to media were more likely to use modern contraceptive methods compared with women not exposed to media. Finally, women in the two top wealth quintiles (richer and richest) were more likely to use modern contraceptive methods compared with poorer women. The study findings show that every factor except rural residence that is positively associated with contraceptive use is also negatively associated with unmet need for family planning, and vice versa. # Conclusions The key determinants for contraceptive use and for unmet need for family planning are parity, level of education, ethnicity, media exposure, and wealth index. The findings of this research show that there is still space in Afghanistan to increase contraceptive use among women of reproductive age, which consequently could decrease the proportion of unmet need for family planning.