Final Report (PDF, 2132K) - Measure DHS

4. CONTRACEPTIVE KNOWLEDGE AND USE4.1 Contraceptive KnowledgeKnowledge of contraceptive methods and of places where they can be obtained are preconditionsfor their use. A basic objective of the ODHS was to determine the level of knowledge of methods. Dataon knowledge of family planning methods were collected first by asking respondents to name the waysthat a man or woman could keep a woman from getting pregnant. If a respondent did not spontaneouslymention a particular method, the method was described by the interviewer and the respondent was askedif she recognized the method. Descriptions were included in the questionnaire for seven modem methods(pill, IUD, injection, condom, vaginal methods (diaphragm, foam, and jelly), male and femalesterilization, and two traditional methods--periodic abstinence (rhythm) and withdrawal. In addition, anyother methods mentioned by the respondent, e.g., herbs, charms, were recorded. Finally, for any modemmethod that she recognized, the respondent was asked if she knew about a place or a person from whichshe could obtain the method. If she reported knowing about periodic abstinence, she was also asked ifshe knew a place or person from whom she could get information about the method.Survey results indicate that only 48 percent of women in Ondo State know of a contraceptivemethod (Table 4.1). Injection is the most widely recognized method (36 percent), followed closely by thepill (35 percent). Female sterilization, the IUD, and condom are each recognized by about 20 percent ofwomen, while smaller proportions have heard about periodic abstinence (12 percent), withdrawal (I1percent), vaginal methods (8 percent), and male sterilization (5 percent).Knowledge of contraceptive methods is highest among women in their 20s and early 30s andlowest among teenagers and women over the age of 45. It is also slightly higher among married womenthan among all women, with the patterns of knowledge by method and by age being similar for marriedand all women.Contraceptive knowledge varies considerably according to backgmund characteristics of thewoman, as is shown in Table 4.2. A total of 61 percent of married urban women have heard of at leastone modem method, compared to 47 percent of married rural women and only 13 percent of marriedwomen living in riverine areas of the state. Education, too, seems to have an effect on contraceptiveknowledge. Only 34 percent of married women with no education have heard of a modem method,compared to 59 percent of women with primary education and 80 percent of women with secondaryeducation. Differentials by religious affiliation are not so large. Knowledge is somewhat lower amongMuslim women (42 percent) than Protestant women (53 percent), with Catholic women intermediate (47percent). The number of children a woman has does not appear to affect her knowledge ofcontraceptives, except that childless women are slightly less likely to have heard of a modem method ofcontraception than women with one or more children.Women who had heard of specific contraceptive methods were asked what they thought was themain problem, if any, with using the method. Results are given in Table 4.3 by method. For all of themodem methods, half or more of respondents answered "don't know", which implies that many womenmay have heard of methods without knowing much about them. About one-quarter of women citedhealth reasons as the main problem with using the pill, IUD, injectable contraceptives, and male andfemale sterilization. One-quarter to one-third of women reported no problem for the condom, periodicabstinence, and withdrawal, however a greater proportion of women reported ineffectiveness as a problemfor these methods than for other methods. Problems of access/availability, cost, disapproval of partner,and inconvenience were reported by only small proportions of women.27