Contraceptive Prevalence Research Articles

<p>Use of Modern Contraceptive Methods in Burkina Faso: What are the Obstacles to Male Involvement in Improving Indicators in the Centre-East and Centre-North Regions?</p>

IntroductionIn Burkina Faso, despite several efforts to improve contraceptive uptake, contraceptive prevalence remains low. Studies suggest that the low levels of family planning (FP) practices can be partially attributed to the low participation of men in reproductive health programmes. Involving men in FP programmes in Burkina Faso is thus imperative, but the obstacles to this are poorly documented. This study has two objectives to explore the perspectives of men and women on barriers to contraceptive use and to identify the strategies to increase male involvement in family planning.MethodsIt is a qualitative study using 20 focus groups and 52 in-depth individual interviews in two regions (North Central Region and Central East Region) with a sample of 29 adult men and 23 women who were married and had children or not. Interviews were conducted in Moore (the national language commonly spoken in both regions). All interviews were recorded and transcribed into French using Microsoft Word. Then, content analysis was carried out using the constant comparison method to identify the major themes.ResultsThe results show that men’s attitudes are still a significant barrier to women’s use of modern contraceptives. The reasons women do not use contraception and men do not adhere to FP programmes include lack of method knowledge, negative beliefs and perceptions about modern contraceptive methods, and the side effects of contraceptives. Cultural norms and preferences for large families are also common barriers to FP. However, the results showed that men’s awareness of FP, communication between spouses, and access to FP services can promote men’s adherence to FP programmes in the Centre-East and Centre-North regions of Burkina Faso.ConclusionEfforts should be made to improve educational standards, especially for men, and reorient FP services to make them more accessible to men.

Impact of home-based family planning counselling and referral on modern contraceptive use in Karachi, Pakistan: a retrospective, cross-sectional matched control study

ObjectivesTo assess: (1) the impact of a reproductive health program on modern contraceptive use from baseline to program close; (2) the sustained impact from baseline to follow-up 36 months later;...

The determinants of contraception use amongst female patients attending Odi District Hospital, Gauteng province, South Africa.

BackgroundEmpowering women to have a full control over the size of their family is not only an issue of human rights but also a sustainable development goal. This study sought to determine the factors influencing the use of contraception amongst female patients aged 18–49 years attending Odi District Hospital, Tshwane district.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was carried out from September 2018 to February 2019 at Odi District Hospital. A representative sample size of 400 female patients was recruited by systematic random sampling. Logistic regression model was used to determine the most influential predictors.ResultsThe mean age in the studied population was 30.65 (±7.57) years. Contraceptive prevalence was estimated to be 55.3%. Dual protection (condom) was used as additional method by up to 72.3% of respondents. Injectables remained the most used contraceptive method, while more permanent methods, such as Bilateral Tubal Ligation (BTL), were less utilised. The source of family planning information, past exposure to contraceptive methods and woman’s number of living children (parity) determined the use of contraception amongst Odi district females.ConclusionThis study revealed a discrepancy within the maternal health delivery system regarding the supply and demand chain prompting the need for more insights. The results suggest evidence-based reengineering programme that incorporates contraceptive uptake determinants into the maternal health delivery system.

Latent and Under-explored Determinants of Contraceptive Use in Nigeria

The Nigerian population policy targeted a 30.2% prevalence of modern contraceptives among its population by the year 2015. In spite of the widespread knowledge of contraceptive use among the population, the prevalence stood at 12% in 2018. This study, riding on several previous studies on the determinants of contraceptive use in Nigeria, investigates the latent and under-explored determinants against the background that what is known has not significantly translated to the realization of the country’s population policy targets. Using data on 27,274 married and in-union women aged 15–49 from the 2013 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey, the relationships between sex preference, family composition, intimate partner violence, and coital frequency and contraceptive use were analyzed using bivariate statistics and logistic regression. The prevalence of contraceptive use was 9.9%, and in both the unadjusted and adjusted regression models with other known sociodemographic confounders of contraceptive use, family composition, and active coital frequency predicted increased odds of utilization (P < 0.001). Preference for sons was latent and implicated in family composition and contraceptive use. The study concludes that ethnic differences and cultural attributes of the ethnic groups which underlie issues of family composition should be given prominence in efforts at scaling up contraceptive use in Nigeria. With the findings from this study, population control policies in Nigeria and efforts at scaling up contraceptive utilization in particular, should be tailor-made to accommodate ethnic differences and inherent cultural attributes of the more than 380 ethnic groups in the country as this was found to underlie fertility preferences and how family composition is viewed.

Concordance in spousal reports of current contraceptive use in India.

Couple-level reports of contraceptive use are important as wives and husbands may report their use differently. Using matched couple data (N = 63,060) from India's NFHS-4 (2015-16), this study examined concordance in spousal reports of current contraceptive use and its differentials. Reporting of contraceptive use was higher among wives (59.0%) than husbands (25.2%). Concordance was low; 16.5% of couples reported the current use of the same method, while 20.4% reported the current use of any method. Many husbands did not report female sterilization as a means of contraception being used by their wives. Reconstruction of contraceptive use among men, based on the 'ever-use of sterilization' question asked to men, increased concordance by 10%. Multivariate analyses showed that concordance was low in urban and southern India, among younger women and among women with a lower wealth index. Men's control over household decision-making and negative attitudes towards contraception were associated with lower concordance. The findings highlight the importance of using couple-level data to estimate contraceptive prevalence, and the role of education programmes to inculcate positive attitudes towards contraception, fostering gender equality and involving men in family planning efforts. The results also raise the issue of data quality as the survey questions were asked differently to men and women, which might have contributed to the wide observed discordance.

Unmet Need Cause Factors in Lampung Timur District

The problem of unmet need indicates a gap between the purpose of female reproduction and their perceptual behavior. This means that in one hand, women have a desire to avoid pregnancy; on the other hand, they do not take precautionary measures. Therefore, decrease on the percentage of the unmet need results on the significant number of contraception prevalence. Conversely, the high unmet need will be a problem for the government, not only causing the rapid increase in population but also affecting the high AKI (Maternal Mortality Rate).This research employed a descriptive method, describing the cause of Unfulfilled Pair Age (PUS) in the needs of family planning services in Eastern Lampung regency. As a consequence, all problems or causes of unmet need can be addressed by analyzing the data. For this study, research population has several criteria: first, mothers or married women who do not want to be pregnant again; second, they do not want to have another baby or they want to delay their pregnancy without using any contraception when data was collected. However, this study does not consider how many children they have, how old the latest child and the birth distance. The sample of this study was 336 people who are mothers or women in the status of unmet need. The findings suggest that factors for causing unmet need in East Lampung regency are caused by seven main factors and twelve specific factors. The seven factors are: first is the side effect of the use of contraceptive including obesity, bleeding and irregular menstrual cycles. Second is the cultural factor, including the desire to have male and female children. Third is wives’ perception including the impotent husband, fear of and away from their husband. Fourth is the health factor including, having high blood disease and cervical cancer and cysts. Fifth is the prohibition of husbands in the use of contraceptives. Sixth is religious and cultural prohibition such as considering the born babies is a gift from God, so there is no need to inhibit the birth. Seventh is behavioral factor such as laziness to use contraception.

Family Planning in Zambia: An Investment Pillar for Economic Development.

Family planning represents a 'best buy' in global efforts to achieve sustainable development and attain improvements in sexual and reproductive health. By meeting contraceptive needs of all women, significant public health impact and development gains accrue. At the same time, governments face the complex challenge of allocating finite resources to competing priorities, each of which presents known and unknown challenges and opportunities. Zambia has experienced a slow but steady increase in contraceptive prevalence, with slight decline in total fertility rate (TFR), over the past 20 years. Drawing from the Zambian context, including a review of current policy solutions, we present a case for making investments in voluntary family planning (FP), underpinned by a human rights framework, as a pillar for accelerating development and socio-economic advancement. Through multilevel interventions aimed at averting unintended pregnancies, Zambia - and other low- and middle-income countries - can reduce their age dependency ratios and harness economic growth opportunities awarded by the demographic dividend while improving the health and quality of life of the population.

Awareness and utilization of contraceptives among males of reproductive age, Jos North, Plateau state, Nigeria

Background: Modern contraceptives are relevant interventions in the reduction of maternal and child morbidity and mortality. Its uptake by females of reproductive age has been found to be influenced by male partners’ awareness and utilization. This study aimed to determine the awareness of contraceptives, utilization prevalence and sociodemographic predictors for use among males of reproductive age in Jos North.Methods: A cross sectional study involving 406 males of reproductive age who were selected by multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered semi-structure questionnaire and analysed using SPSS version 23.0. At 95% confidence interval, a p value of &lt;0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: There was a high awareness prevalence of contraceptives 378 (93.1%). However, the prevalence of current contraceptive use with partners was low 160 (42.3%). Respondents who were single were more likely to use contraceptives than those who were married or separated (OR 1.8; 95% CI 1.109-2.251). Those between the ages of 35-44 years also had a higher likelihood of using modern contraceptives than younger men (OR 2; 95% CI 0.410-2.436). Education, occupation and family size had no statistically significant association with contraceptive use among respondents.Conclusions: Despite the high awareness of modern contraceptives among respondents in this study, utilization with partners was low. Predictors of utilization were being single and being in the third decade of life. This could impact on increased risk for both maternal and child mortality. Male targeted contraceptive education is necessary at community levels to improve uptake.

A community-based study to estimate the contraceptive prevalence rate among the women of reproductive age group in rural North India

Background: The utilization of family planning services has improved over the decade, but still the SDG’s health target to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services is yet to be achieved.Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken in the rural field practice area of Department of Community Medicine, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India, from September to December 2019, with sample size of 316. The eligible participants were administered a predesigned, pretested, semi-structured and anonymous interview schedule after taking consent.Results: The mean age of the participants was 30.2±6.1 years. The modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) was found to be 67.7% among women of reproductive age group 15-49 years. Male condom 36%, followed by female sterilization 30% were the most common methods preferred.Conclusions: Besides male condoms and female sterilisation, other methods of contraception were adopted by meagre number of women. Though, the unmet need for family planning was lesser in this study, still, efforts are needed to plunge it, for ameliorating the contraceptive prevalence rate. Also, the availability of basket of contraceptive choices in government sector need sheer assiduity.

How Do Education and Family Planning Accelerate Fertility Decline?

Education and family planning can both be influenced by policy and are thought to accelerate fertility decline. However, questions remain about the nature of these effects. Does the effect of education operate through increasing educational attainment of women or educational enrollment of children? At which educational level is the effect strongest? Does the effect of family planning operate through increasing contraceptive prevalence or reducing unmet need? Is education or family planning more important?We assessed the quantitative impact of education and family planning in high‐fertility settings using a regression framework inspired by Granger causality. We found that women's attainment of lower secondary education is key to accelerating fertility decline and found an accelerating effect of contraceptive prevalence for modern methods. We found the impact of contraceptive prevalence to be substantially larger than that of education. These accelerating effects hold in sub‐Saharan Africa, but with smaller effect sizes there than elsewhere.

What increase in modern contraceptive use is needed in FP2020 countries to reach 75% demand satisfied by 2030? An assessment using the Accelerated Transition Method and Family Planning Estimation Model.

Background: Sustainable Development Goal 3.7 aims to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health services. One suggested benchmark is to have at least 75% of the demand for contraception satisfied with modern methods (DS) in all countries by 2030. The translation of DS-based targets into targets for the modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) is needed to make targets actionable. Methods: We propose the Accelerated Transition (AT) method for determining the mCPR needed to reach demand-satisfied targets by 2030. The starting point for this method is the projection of DS under "business as usual" using the one-country implementation of the Family Planning Estimation Model (FPEMcountry). For countries in which the DS target is projected to be later than 2030, the AT method assumes that meeting the DS target by 2030 requires an acceleration of the contraceptive use transition such that the DS target, and its associated mCPR, will be reached in 2030 as opposed to the later year. The DS-target-associated mCPR becomes the mCPR target for the year 2030. Results: We apply the AT method to assess progress needed for attaining the 75% DS target for married or in-union women in the world's poorest countries. For 50 out of 68 countries, we estimate that accelerations are needed, with required mCPR increases ranging from 4.3 to 50.8 percentage points. Conclusions: The AT method quantifies the acceleration needed - as compared to business as usual projections - for a country to meet a family planning target. The method can be used to determine the mCPR needed to reach demand-satisfied targets.

Analysing the factors favoring the use of modern contraceptive methods among Kinoise women in the Democratic Republic of Congo

This study aims to identify the factors that favor the use of modern contraceptive methods in non-pregnant women who need to space or limit births. The analyzes were made using SPSS software (statistical package for social sciences) version 25. The data used in this publication comes from a TRAC survey on family planning carried out by the Family Health Association / Population Service international (ASF / PSI) in DRC. Continuously Tracking Results surveys are knowledge surveys, attitudes, and practices of women in matters of family planning but with the introduction of questions on scales as mentioned above. This survey concerned 1965 women aged 15 to 49 selected in urban and peri-urban areas of the provincial city of Kinshasa. Our results show that the discussion between partner or spouse on the use of modern contraceptive methods positively influences the majority of women (OR = 4.28; p &lt;0.001),being part of a social norm (OR = 3.30; p &lt;0.01) and having a high socioeconomic level (OR = 2.54; p &lt;0.01), also favor positively the use of modern contraceptives. The paper concludes that any effort to increase contraceptive prevalence should target attitude, level of knowledge of methods, and spousal support to optimize the use of modern contraception in the city of Kinshasa.

Factors associated with early long-acting reversible contraceptives discontinuation in Ethiopia: evidence from the 2016 Ethiopian demographic and health survey

BackgroundEthiopia is struggling to achieve the 2020 family planning target. But the current contraceptive prevalence uptake is low and dominated by short-acting methods. Contraceptive discontinuation rate is also high. This analysis was done to identify the reasons and factors associated with long-acting and reversible contraceptives (LARC) discontinuation in Ethiopia.MethodsThe unit of analysis was LARC-use episodes in the 5 years preceding the survey, generated from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey data. A total of 1385 LARC episodes were included. Data analysis was done using STATA 15. The event file generated from the contraceptive calendar was merged to the original data set to identify factors associated with LARC discontinuation. Univariate, bivariate and inferential analyses were done for 12 months LARC discontinuation.ResultApproximately 82% of LARC episodes were implants. About 45% of intrauterine device (IUD) and 61% of implant episodes were discontinued by 36 months. Side effects and the desire to become pregnant were the main reasons for discontinuation. Women aged 25–34 (HR = 0.26; 95% CI: 0.20–0.35) and those aged 35–49 (HR = 0.17; 95%CI: 0.11–0.26), women who participated in decision-making partially (HR = 0.53; 95%CI: 0.37–0.78), or fully (HR = 0.55; 95%CI: 0.40–0.74) and primiparous women (HR = 0.53, 95%CI: 0.33–0.86) had a lower hazard of discontinuing LARCs. On the other hand, women who had only primary education (HR = 1.32; 95%CI: 1.02–1.72) and women who were not sure about their fertility intention (HR = 2.11; 95%C: 1.28–3.46) had a higher likelihood of discontinuing these methods.ConclusionMajority of LARC episodes were discontinued early, mainly due to the desire for pregnancy or experience of side effects. Older women, particularly those involved in household decision-making, and primipara were less likely to discontinue LARC. Women with only primary education and those uncertain about their fertility intention had a higher likelihood of discontinuation. Family planning service providers should focus on fertility intention and side effects when counseling women for contraceptive choice. Improving women’s participation in household decision-making may decrease LARC discontinuation in Ethiopia.

"I fear to use family planning": how communication campaigns reinforce family planning misconceptions in Uganda

This paper analyzes the intersubjective audience interpretations of health communication campaign messages promoting modern family planning. Based on the encoding and decoding theory, the authors used focus group discussions and in-depth interviews to examine how women, men, and couples in Uganda decoded three radio and seven poster campaign messages. A thematic analysis of the data reveals how the respondents’ negotiated or oppositional decoding of the key campaign messages was due to the fear of side effects, partner disapproval, and socio-cultural norms. The authors conclude that despite near-universal awareness about family planning, the country’s low contraceptive prevalence is exacerbated by information transmission approaches that are not responsive to the audience’s fears and information needs.

Trends and predictors of changes in modern contraceptive use among women aged 15-49 years in Tanzania from 2004-2016: Evidence from Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys.

IntroductionModern contraceptive use provides opportunities for women and couples to achieve optimal child spacing, achieve desired family size and reduce unsafe abortions. Despite these facts, modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) in Tanzania remains as low as 32%. This study aimed to determine trends and factors associated with changes in modern contraceptive use among women of reproductive age in Tanzania from 2004–2016.MethodologyThis was a cross-sectional study utilizing data from Tanzania Demographic and Health Surveys of 2004–2005, 2010 and 2015–2016. Data analysis was performed using Stata version 14. Analysis considered the complex survey design through application of weights, clustering and strata. Multivariable Poisson decomposition analysis was used to assess factors associated with changes in modern contraceptive use. Results were presented in the form of decomposition coefficients and percentages.ResultsModern contraceptive use increased from 23.0% in 2004 to 34.3% in 2016. Differences in women’s characteristics contributed 12.5% of the increase in mCPR. These characteristics include partner’s education levels, recent sexual activity and being visited by a family planning worker. The difference in coefficients contributed 87.5% increase in mCPR. The most increase in modern contraceptive use was attributed to rural population (44.1%) and women who experienced a termination of pregnancy (7.1%).ConclusionModern contraceptive use has steadily increased in Tanzania. Health policies and interventions need to target sexually active women, rural residents as well as less educated women and men to maintain and further accelerate the trends in mCPR. Interventions focusing on women who experienced a termination of pregnancy may also serve as an entry point to promote use of modern contraceptive methods.

Characteristics of first-time family planning users and methods used at mobile clinics in rural Malawi

Setting: Malawi committed to increase modern contraceptive prevalence rate to 60% for all women by 2020, but current use ranges from 37% to 59% among women of different ages and marital status.Objectives: To describe characteristics of first-time family planning (FP) users and associations between characteristics and methods used among women of childbearing age accessing injectables, oral contraceptives and implants in rural mobile clinics in Mulanje, Malawi, in 2017–2018.Design: This was a cross-sectional retrospective study.Results: Among 2120 first-time FP users, 65% were &lt;25 years. Half (50%) had 2–4 live children and only 1% were nulliparous. HIV infection rate among all users was 4%. Of the three methods, injectables were used most (75%), with a significantly higher use in HIV-positive clients (91%). Nearly 25% of first-time users used implants and the proportion increased from 21% in 2017 to 34% in 2018.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that FP can be provided to young women in remote areas if the availability of well-trained providers is ensured. It highlighted the need to target younger and nulliparous women with a broad mix of contraceptives to improve access to, and uptake of, FP services to reach national commitments.

Intimate partner violence as a factor in contraceptive discontinuation among sexually active married women in Nigeria

BackgroundIn spite of the well-established associations between socioeconomic and demographic factors and the high rate of contraceptive discontinuation among sexually active married contraceptive users, little is known in Nigeria about the relationship between contraceptive discontinuation and sexually active married women who have experienced Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).MethodsThe 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey data on women’s reproductive calendars and domestic violence were used to investigate the relationship between IPV and contraceptive discontinuation in a year period. A weighted sample size of 1341 women in a union in the domestic violence module, who have experienced IPV, and are using any contraceptive and are not sterilized in the 12 months periods was analyzed using frequency tables and chart, Pearson’s chi-square test, and binary logistic regression model.ResultsThe results showed that women who have experienced any type of IPV are 1.28 times more likely to have discontinued contraceptive use although they are still at risk of becoming pregnant (aOR = 1.28, CI: 1.15–1.91; p < 0.05) than those who have not experienced IPV. The tertiary level of education (aOR = 3.94, CI = 1.67–9.29; p < 0.05), unemployed status (aOR = 1.97, CI = 1.07–3.62; p < 0.05), and higher marital duration of 20 years and above (aOR = 4.89, CI = 2.26–10.57; p < 0.05) significantly influenced women who have experienced any types of IPV to discontinue contraceptives even though they are still at risk of becoming pregnant than those who have not experienced IPV.ConclusionThe study revealed that women who have experienced any form of IPV were significantly influenced by their education, occupation, the number of living children, and marital duration to discontinue contraception while still at risk of becoming pregnant. Thus, the study concludes that intervention programmes aimed at increasing contraceptive prevalence rate should be mindful of IPV which may affect women’s use of contraceptives.

Family Planning Practices in Kerala: A Critical Appraisal Using National Family Health Survey Data

Background Adequate attention to family planning can not only reduce poverty and hunger in countries with high birth rates but also avert maternal and childhood deaths. Kerala, the southernmost state of India, has achieved its replacement level fertility rate far ahead of India. The study aims to analyze the contraceptive prevalence of the state over the years and also at the district level and the choices of different family planning methods in the state. Methodology This study is a secondary data analysis using the available information from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) available from “The demographic health survey program’s data distribution system.” Results The contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) of Kerala showed an initial increase followed by a sudden fall by more than 10% in 10 years period during the 2015 survey, thereafter stabilized in 2019. Among the modern contraceptive methods, the most commonly used method consistently over the years was female sterilization (46.6%) and the least common method was male sterilization (0.1%). The unmet needs in family planning in the state varied across the districts from as high as 19.3% to 5.6% though it was reduced by 1.2 percentage units as compared to NFHS-4 data. Conclusion The findings contradict the assumption that the use of modern spacing techniques will increase with female literacy and a higher standard of living. Female-oriented nature of family planning practices in the state should be revisited and strategies should be brought to bring equal participation of males and females. Districts with reduced CPR should be prioritized and region-specific policy recommendations are necessary to address specific needs.

Socio-demographic and economic inequalities in modern contraception in 11 low- and middle-income countries: an analysis of the PMA2020 surveys

BackgroundContraception is a key component of sustainable development, empowering women, reducing the risk of maternal and child mortality and promoting economic growth. It is part of the Sustainable Development Goals agenda, where the aim is to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health. Our objective was to evaluate trends and inequalities in modern contraceptive prevalence, and according to the type of modern contraceptive, in 11 low- and middle-income countries that are partners of the Family Planning 2020 initiative.MethodsAnalyses were performed using 62 Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 (PMA2020) surveys from 11 countries. Forty surveys were nationally representative, while 22 had regional coverage. Regional surveys were analyzed separately, totalizing 15 geographies from 11 countries. We described trends on modern contraceptive prevalence, and its subtypes (short- and long-acting reversible contraceptives, and permanent methods), by calculating absolute average annual changes. Absolute inequalities on the prevalence of modern contraceptives were assessed for the most recent survey of each geography using the slope index of inequality, and according to wealth, education and age.ResultsThe overall prevalence of modern contraception increased in most geographies analyzed, reaching a 7.2 percentage points increase per year in Lagos, Nigeria. This increase was mostly influenced by the long-acting reversible contraceptives, which increased in 73% of the geographies. Although the largest share of modern contraception is represented by short-acting reversible contraceptives, these are reducing and giving space for the long-acting methods. The exception was Rajasthan, India, where the permanent methods accounted for 70% of the modern contraception share, and their prevalence was almost 40%. Inequalities were identified in favor of richer, older and better educated women.ConclusionsOut of the 15 geographies analyzed, 11 demonstrated an increase in overall modern contraceptive use – mainly driven by the uptake of long-acting reversible contraception. However, even in the groups with the highest prevalence, modern contraceptive use was at most 60% in most geographies. So, we are far from reaching the desired universal coverage proposed by the Sustainable Development Goals.

Demographic and socio-cultural factors influencing contraceptive uptake among women of reproductive age in Tamale Metropolis, Northern Region, Ghana.

This study assessed some demographic and socio-cultural factors that influence contraceptive uptake among reproductive-aged women in Tamale Metropolis of the Northern Region, Ghana. This was a cross-sectional study conducted from February to March 2015. All three sub Metropolis in Tamale. All community members and women of reproductive age (15-49 years). The study used cluster sampling to recruit women who were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Nine focus group discussions (FGDs) were also held among community members who were purposively selected. contraceptive uptake (use of contraceptive). The mean age of the women was 26 years. The prevalence of contraceptive uptake among reproductive-age women was 36.8% (165/448). Women with secondary school education [AOR=4.4(95%CI:1.6-12.4)], and those in homes where decisions on having children were made by both partners [AOR=2.1(95%CI:1.1-04.42)] were more likely to use contraceptives. Unemployed women [AOR=0.3(95%CI:0.1-0.8)], women whose husbands were unaware of their contraceptive use [AOR=0.4(95%CI:0.2-0.9)] and those having a culture or religion that frowns on contraceptive use [AOR=0.4(95%CI:0.2-0.8)] were less likely to use contraceptive among women in the Tamale Metropolis. The study found a contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) in Tamale Metropolis, Northern Ghana to be 36.8%. Education and living in a home where childbearing decisions are made together were identified as positive factors influencing contraceptive uptake. This work was funded by the authors.