Trends in contraceptive use among sexually active women of childbearing age in Nigeria

Background: Contraceptive use has been documented as being able to reduce fertility frequency which has tremendous effect on maternal mortality, a major concern in developing countries. Information on the trend in contraceptive use and factors influencing the changes over time among sexually active women in Nigeria is therefore important, hence this study.

Methods: The 1990, 1999, 2003 and 2008 Nigerian Demographic Health Surveys dataset were used. The number of sexually active women of childbearing age studied were 6901, 6045, 5947 and 26,527 for the years 1990, 1999, 2003 and 2008 respectively. The dependent variable was current use of contraceptives. Data were presented with graphs and tables and analysis was carried out with descriptive statistics and Chi-square for trends at 5% level of significance

Results: The proportion of sexually active women reporting current use of contraceptives increased slightly from 10.9% in 1990 to 15.4% in 2008 with the most remarkable increase seen in the use of the male condom from 16.3% to 52.2% during the study period. Factors influencing the observed increase in current use of contraceptives over the years among these women were the place of residence (p<0.05), educational level (p<0.05), religion (p<0.05), exposure to family planning messages (p<0.05) and partner's approval of contraceptive use (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Contraceptive use in Nigeria is low although there has been an increasing trend over the years. Appropriate mechanisms need to be put in place to sensitize women on the need to utilize contraceptives.