Determinants of Contraceptive Use in Kenya

Abstract

With a low level of contraceptive use and poor understanding of the factors responsible for this situation, Kenya requires studies aimed at establishing the determinants of contraceptive use so that these factors can be used in formulating appropriate policies and programs to increase acceptance and use of contraceptives. This is necessary if a substantial reduction in fertility and hence population growth rate has to be achieved via this policy instrument. This study aims at establishing how the various socio-economic, demographic and behavioural factors as well as the availability of contraceptive services relate to contraceptive use. The Kenya fertility survey of 1977-78 serves as the basic source of the data for the analysis. This data is of high quality and is reasonably reliable. Multiple regression analysis is used as the major technique of statistical analysis. The analysis of the data revealed that the selected variables accounted for 21.5 per cent

variance in current use of contraception among exposed women. The corresponding F-statistic - value of 12.21 was significant at U.01 Level. This means that differentials in the levels of contraceptive use were apparent in the data. Travel time (Travt), Child mortality experience (CMORT), the number of additional children desired (NACD) and breastfeeding (BREAST) were all found to be inversely related to contraceptive use with correlation coeffiecients of r= -0.3721, r= -4L0977, r= -0.14386, .and r= -0.21358 respectively. Wife's education and her employment status, place of residence, husband's employment status and family size were all found to be positively related to contraceptive use. Their correlation coefficients with contraceptive use were r= 0.18259, r= 0.22366; r= 0.cr4114 and r= 0.02052 respectively. In conclusion, therefore, all the hypotheses stipulated were confirmed.