SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC DETERMINANTS OF UNMET NEED FOR FAMILY PLANNING IN CRISIS-AFFECTED STATES OF NORTHERN NIGERIA

Abstract

This study ascertained the prevalence of unmet need for family planning in crisis-affected states of Northern (Yobe, Borno, Plateau, Kaduna, and Zamfara) Nigeria; ascertain the determining factors of unmet need for family planning in crisis-affected states of Northern Nigeria; and examine the relationship between demographic factors and unmet need for family planning in crisis-affected states of Northern Nigeria. The target population are women within the age range of 15 – 49 years selected from NDHS 2018 who have engaged in sexual activity and have experienced the burden of child bearing. The sample was weighted using the weights provided by the 2018 NDHS. The study sampled 8, 846 from the weighted total of 41, 821 women covered in the 2018 NDHS. Women who are not sexually active or have been sterilized and those who are pregnant were not included to the population of women sampled. The independent variable in this study is the unmet need for family planning in crisis affected states of Northern Nigeria; explanatory variable are sets of demographic variables (birth intervals, current age, number of living children, fertility desire, child mortality experience, marital status, couple fertility desire, type of marriage and age at first birth) while the mediating variables (pregnancy termination experience, attendance at ante-natal care, and timing of first antenatal visit).