Abstract
BackgroundContraceptives are used in family planning to space or limit pregnancies and are categorized into modern and traditional methods. The modern methods have been proven to be more scientifically effective at preventing unwanted pregnancies than the traditional methods. With data from three (3)-different Demographic and Health Surveys, the aim of this study is to assess the trends and identify factors that consistently influence modern contraceptives’ use among women of the reproductive age group in Ghana.MethodsThe study used secondary data from the 2003, 2008, and 2014 Ghana Demographic Health Surveys (GDHS). The trends of determinants of modern contraceptives use among women of reproductive age in Ghana were determined. A bivariate approach was used to select significant predictors. The Cox proportional hazards model analysis was employed via a multilevel modelling approach.ResultsOut of the total respondents of 2229, 2356, and 4469, 18.75%, 15.75% and 21.53% were modern contraceptives users for 2003, 2008 and 2014 respectively. The multiple cox proportional hazards model analysis identified place of residence and the educational level of a woman as strong predictors of modern contraceptives use in Ghana. Modern contraceptive use is increasing among rural residence. Women who are in formal occupations (professional, clerical, services) are more likely to use modern contraceptives than their colleagues in less formal occupations (manual, agricultural, sales).ConclusionThis study highlights the trends of determinants on modern contraceptive use in Ghana from 2003 to 2014. The most persistent determinants of modern contraceptive use in Ghana during this time period are place of residence and a woman’s educational level. Women working in Agriculture and Sales are the least users of modern contraceptives in Ghana over the period.
Highlights
Contraceptives are used in family planning to space or limit pregnancies and are categorized into modern and traditional methods
Christians formed the majority of the respondents with most of the Christian women belonging to charismatic denominations, their number increased from 49.7% in 2008 to 54.92% in 2014
In 2003 81.78% of married women did not use modern contraceptives, this increased to 84.94% in 2008, and decreased to 78.59% in 2014 compared to their colleges who are just living with partners
Summary
Contraceptives are used in family planning to space or limit pregnancies and are categorized into modern and traditional methods. With data from three (3)-different Demographic and Health Surveys, the aim of this study is to assess the trends and identify factors that consistently influence modern contraceptives’ use among women of the reproductive age group in Ghana. A number of researches have been done in Ghana and other countries to identify factors associated with the low uptake of modern contraceptives. Their findings indicate that contraceptives use is the cause of the high fertility rates in Sub-Saharan African countries resulting in early childbearing, high infant mortality and many other negative effects on the socio-economic situation in a country. While the likelihood of contraceptive use was low among women aged 15–24, it was lower among the those 35 and above and highest among women aged 25–35 [5]
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