Assessing (in) Equalities in Contraceptives Use and Family Planning Demand Satisfied with Modern Contraceptives in Kenya. Have Socioeconomic Disparities Narrowed?

Michael Waithaka, International Centre for Reproductive Health
Peter Gichangi, International Center for Reproductive Health, Kenya
Thiongo Mary, International Centre for Reproductive Health
Alfred T. Otieno, University of Nairobi

Family planning (FP) plays an important role in reducing high-risk and unwanted pregnancies, which significantly reduce the risk of maternal/child deaths. Despite tremendous investment and enormous increase in FP use, significant disparity still exists. The purpose of this study was to analyze inequalities in FP use using data from 11 Counties in Kenya. Analysis was done using Stata version 15. The results shows that the odds ratio of contraception use among other women was almost ten times higher than among adolescents; 1.3 times higher for urban compared to rural residents; 5.6 times higher among married compared to unmarried; 1.7 times higher among those with secondary/higher compared to those with primary/no education; 1.3 times higher among the rich as compared to the poor. Thus, despite the increase in the uptake of modern contraception methods across the socio-economic groups, disparity in use still persists. FP programs should ensure nobody is left behind.