Examining community-level influences on uptake of modern contraceptive methods among youths in sub-Saharan Africa

Massy Mutumba, University of Michigan
Rob Stephenson, University of Michigan

Contraceptive uptake among youths in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remains low, exposing youths to unwanted pregnancies, which impact their health, schooling and employment opportunities, thus impairing development of their full capabilities. Identifying the socioecological factors that influence contraceptive among youths is critical to developing contextually relevant interventions for this population. This paper examines the role of community level factors (demographics, fertility norms, gender norms and inequity, economic prosperity and health capital) on use of modern contraceptives among youths in SSA. Data were drawn from nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in 25 countries in SSA. The primary sampling unit (PSU) was utilized as the proxy representation of a community, and community level factors were computed by averaging individual level data at the PSU level. Multi-level logistic regression models were to identify the community level factors associated with modern contraceptive use for each country specific survey.