Contraceptives Method Use, Discontinuation and Failure Rates and Their Determinants in Poor Urban Settings in Ghana: An Analysis Using Data from Kumasi in Southern Ghana

Ayaga Bawah, Regional Institute for Population Studies
Patrick Asuming, University of Ghana
Elizabeth G. Henry , Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Caesar Agula, Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS), University of Ghana
Charles Asabere, University of Ghana, Regional Institute for Population Studies
Ryoko Sato, Harvard School of Public Health
David Canning, Harvard University
Iqbal Shah, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

This paper uses multiple decrement life table procedures to model contraceptive discontinuation and failure rates women of reproductive age in an urban locality in Ghana. Multiple decrement life tables operate under assumptions of competing risks. The underlying assumption is that the decrement processes operate independently and the risk of failure constant within each interval. We followed 545 contracepting women at the beginning of the observation period in 2013 for five years. Pregnancies accruing to the women are recorded and those who get pregnant while using a method are also noted. We the computed contraceptive failure rates and probabilities of surviving in the interval if contraceptive failure was the only reason to discontinue contraceptive use. Results showed that of the 545 only 313 remained users by the end of the observation period. The probability of survival was at 0.842 while the probability of contraceptive failure was estimated to be 15.8 %.