FACTORS INFLUENCING CONTRACEPTIVE USE AMONG WOMEN IN MARITAL RELATIONSHIP IN SOUTH-WEST REGION OF NIGERIA

Muyiwa Oladosun¹, Dorcas Adekoya², Moses Akanbi³, Fagbeminiyi Fasina⁴

¹Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria <fso8260@gmail.com>

 ²Independent Consultant, <yemidunni@gmail.com>

³Covenant University Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria <moses.akanbi@covenantuniversity.edu.ng>

⁴Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria <fagbeminiyi.fasina@covenantuniversity.edu.ng>

 

Abstract

This paper examines the factors influencing contraceptive use among women in marital relationship in south-west region of Nigeria with the aim of shedding more insight on strategies to increase use and thus, reduce current high fertility in the region. Analysis involved a sub-sample of 3784 women aged 15-49 married or living together with their partner at the time of the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). The sub-sample was extracted from a nationally representative sample of 38,945 women of the same age group. The ultimate dependent variable was contraceptive use, and the intermediate dependent variables were employment factors (work status, type of work, and earnings from work), and fertility behavior factors (number of living children, and preference for another child). Results showed that contraceptive use varied significantly by state of residence; it increased by 3.6 times (p-value = .000) for respondents with higher level education compared to those uneducated; it increased 2.84 times (P-value = .000) for the richest sub-group compared to the poorest/poorer category, and decreased significantly to .98 times (P-value = .000) for each unit increase in husband’s age. The odds of contraceptive use increased 2.20 times (P-value = .000) for respondents who reported non-preference for another child compared to their counterparts who preferred another; and it decreased to 0.37 times (P-value = .000) for those who had at most two children compared to those who had three or more. Policies and programs should consider these findings in fashioning appropriate strategies to increase contraceptive use in the region.

Keywords: Contraceptive use, modernity, women, marital relationship, living children, fertility preference