Abstract
Despite the many supply- and demand-side interventions aimed at increasing contraceptive uptake, the modern contraceptive prevalence rate in Nigeria has remained very low (9.8%). Religion is an important part of the sociocultural fabric of many communities. As such, religious leaders have the power to inhibit or facilitate effective adoption of contraceptive methods to support family health. We assess the association of exposure to religious leaders' tailored scriptural family planning messages with contraceptive use in Nigeria. This cross-sectional study used data from a Measurement, Learning and Evaluation Project survey conducted in 2015 in 4 Nigerian states-Federal Capital Territory, Kaduna, Kwara, and Oyo. The final study sample was restricted to 9,725 non-pregnant women aged 15 to 49 years. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression analysis to explore significant relationships between current use of a modern contraceptive method, exposure to family planning messages from religious leaders, and selected background characteristics. About 2 in 5 women reported being exposed to family planning messages from religious leaders in the past year. Bivariate results revealed a higher uptake of modern contraceptives among women with high exposure to different NURHI interventions (35.5%) compared with respondents in the low or medium exposure categories (14.5% and 24.5%, respectively). The multivariable analysis revealed significantly higher contraceptive uptake among women who had exposure to family planning messages from religious leaders relative to those with no exposure (odds ratio=1.70; 95% confidence interval, 1.54 to 1.87; P<.001). This association remained significant after adjustment for background characteristics and other selected variables. Interventions that engage clerics of different faiths as change agents for shaping norms and informing behaviors about family planning and contraceptive use are crucial for increasing contraceptive uptake in Nigeria.
Highlights
IntroductionThe health and socioeconomic benefits of contraceptive use have been well-documented
Global Health: Science and Practice 2018 | Volume 6 | Number 3 countries, such as Rwanda and Malawi, are much higher (45% and 62%, respectively).[2,3]The health and socioeconomic benefits of contraceptive use have been well-documented
Information provided by Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI) staff and evidence from the review of program documents indicated that the project’s advocacy visits to religious and traditional leaders recorded many successes
Summary
The health and socioeconomic benefits of contraceptive use have been well-documented. These benefits include improved quality of life, increased well-being of families and communities, improved maternal and newborn health outcomes,[4,5,6,7] reduced poverty, increased female education,[8] and additional noncontraceptive health benefits of hormonal methods.[9]. The micro- and macro-level socioeconomic and health consequences of high fertility—defined as a total fertility rate of 5 or more children born per woman—are diverse. At the micro or household level, children and women in high-fertility. We assess the association of exposure to religious leaders’ tailored scriptural family planning messages with contraceptive use in Nigeria
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
