Intimate Partner Violence and Contraceptive Use among Married Women in Nigeria: A Multilevel Analysis.

Sunday Adedini, University of the Witwatersrand
Ololade Adewole, National Centre for Technology Management, OAU, Ile-Ife. Nigeria
Olufunmilola Oyinlola, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria

Modern contraceptives (MC) are important strategies for reducing unwanted pregnancies and maternal mortality, but MC remains low at 18% in Nigeria. Similarly, while there is high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Nigeria, its effects on contraceptive use remains unclear. This study examined the influence of IPV on MC use, while adjusting for possible individual- and community-level confounders. The study utilized 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey data. We performed multilevel binary logistic regression analysis on 22,612 married women aged 15-49, who were sexually active and were not pregnant at the time of the survey. Findings established a significant relationship between IPV and MC uptake, but this association became insignificant after adjusting for neighbourhood effects. This study provides some evidence that there are signi?cant neighbourhood effects on MC use, and therefore suggests the need to go beyond addressing individual-level characteristics in the efforts to increase MC uptake in Nigeria.