Factors Associated With Contraceptive Discontinuation Among Women (15-49 Years) In Uganda

Abstract

Contraceptive discontinuation is one of the biggest challenges hindering the utilization of family planning services, leading to an unnecessary increase in fertility rates, unwanted/unplanned pregnancies and induced abortions. The objective of the study was to investigate factors associated with contraceptive discontinuation among women aged 15-49 years in Uganda. The study is based on the analysis of a secondary data set from Performance and Monitoring Accountability 2020 (PMA 2020). There were 4047 women aged 15-49 in our data set out of 20252 respondents in Uganda. Univariate and bi-variate analysis was carried out and the latter was used to test for association using Pearson chi-square. The complementary log-log model was used at multivariate analysis level to estimate the association between contraceptive discontinuation and demographic, socio-economic and intermediate factors. Out of the 4047 women interviewed during the survey, 275 women (6.8%) discontinued use of contraceptives. Contraceptive discontinuation rates at 12 months were high and significant between ages 25-29 and 30-34 and among women who had health concerns. The complementary log-log model revealed that, women (25-29, 30-34) had higher odds of discontinuing (OR = 3.2, p=0.026), (OR = 3.9, p=0.019) respectively, compared to those of (15-19) age group. Women who had health concerns had higher odds of contraceptive discontinuation (OR = 2.3, p=0.027) than women who had no health concerns. The recommendations on the issue of age categories are; interventions like awareness campaigns that encourage young people to use contraceptives should be prioritized and supported, among all stakeholders. Health workers should focus on giving contraceptives through different age groups/cohorts as this will lead to effective use of contraceptives which will reduce the rate of discontinuation. In addition, the government and other related partners should encourage and provide guidance and counseling to women about health concerns while using contraceptives.