Abstract
BackgroundAlthough Malawi is one of the countries with highest Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) in Sub–Saharan Africa, pregnancies and fertility among young women remain high. This suggests low up take of contraceptives by young women. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with contraceptive use among young women in Malawi.MethodsThis is a secondary analysis of household data for 10,422 young women aged 15–24 years collected during the 2015–16 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS). The sample was weighted to ensure representativeness. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to assess the demographic, social – economic and other factors that influence contraceptive use among young women. Crude Odds Ratio (COR) and Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were computed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 22.0.ResultsOf the 10,422 young women, 3219 used contraception representing a prevalence of 30.9%. The findings indicate that age, region of residence, marital status, education, religion, work status, a visit to health facility, and knowledge of the ovulatory cycle are significant predictors of contraceptive use among young women in Malawi. Women who were in the age group 20–24 years (AOR = 1.93; 95% CI = 1.73–2.16), working (AOR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.14–1.39), currently married (AOR = 6.26; 95% CI = 5.46–7.18), knowledgeable about their ovulatory cycle (AOR = 1.75; 95% CI = 1.50–2.05), and those with primary education (AOR = 1.47; 95% CI = 1.18–1.83) were more likely to use contraceptives than their counterparts.ConclusionThis study has demonstrated that several social demographic and economic factors are associated with contraceptive use among young women in Malawi. These findings should be considered and reflected in public health policies to address issues that could be barriers to the use of contraception by young women. Strengthening access to family planning information and services for young women is highly recommended to reduce pregnancies among young women in Malawi.
Highlights
Malawi is one of the countries with highest Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) in Sub–Saharan Africa, pregnancies and fertility among young women remain high
Malawi is among the countries classified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to have made no progress towards reducing maternal mortality ratio (MMR) between 1990 and 2015 [1]
Planning reduces mortality risk by preventing (a) unintended pregnancies, (b) pregnancy among adolescents, and (c) closely spaced pregnancies [10,11,12]
Summary
Malawi is one of the countries with highest Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) in Sub–Saharan Africa, pregnancies and fertility among young women remain high. Many studies have shown that unintended pregnancies among young women greatly contribute to high maternal and neonatal mortality through increased risk for unsafe abortion, birth injuries and postpartum depression [3,4,5,6]. Planning (the use of modern contraceptives or traditional methods to limit or space pregnancies) is one of the globally recognized essential strategies for reducing maternal and neonatal mortality, in developing countries where almost all maternal and child mortality occur [7,8,9]. The role of family planning in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality cannot be overemphasized
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