Partner approval and intention to use contraception among women presenting for post-abortion care at mnazi mmoja hospital, zanzibar

Context: Contraceptive use is low in Zanzibar, with only 12.4% of married women reporting current use of a modern method of contraception. Unintended pregnancies are common in a setting of low contraceptive prevalence and while the majority of women carry unintended pregnancies to term, abortion is widespread in Tanzania. The aim of this analysis is to examine factors influencing contraceptive use among women seeking post-abortion care in Zanzibar. Specifically, the analysis focuses on the association between partner approval of contraception and a woman's intention to use contraception in the future. Methods: Data on 194 women from the “Zanzibar Contraception and Consequences of Unwanted Pregnancy: Post-abortion Care Survey” were analyzed using logistic regression modeling to assess the effect of partner approval of contraception on a woman's intention to use contraception in the future. Results: Among women seeking post-abortion care in Zanzibar, partner's disapproval of contraception reduced the odds of future intention to use contraception by 95% (CI 0.020, 0.118). No other variables, including age, education, relationship type, sexual relationship power, previous use of family planning, current number of children and desired number of additional children were found to have a significant association with a woman's future intention to use contraception. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that partner approval or disapproval of contraception plays a significant role in a woman's intention to use contraception. Public health and educational efforts to increase contraceptive use should include men and be targeted to both the male and female partners.