Islam and contraception: Factors influencing contraceptive decision-making among urban Senegalese women

Objective: Data from baseline evaluation in 2010 from the Measurement, Learning, and Evaluation Project (MLE) was used to determine if religious leaders influence contraceptive decision-making among urban Senegalese women. 

Methods: Data was collected from a nationally representative probability sample of 5,523 households. Exclusion criteria for analysis comprised women who had never heard of any contraceptive method, were pregnant or sterile at time of interview, and women who had never had sex (n=5930). Exposure to a religious/community leader the 12 months prior to interview was the primary predictor variable, and current contraceptive use was the outcome variable. Three logistic regression models examined this relationship, adjusting for both sociodemographic characteristics and religious social norms. 

Results: Exposure to a religious or community leader speaking about family planning (FP) in the 12 months prior to interview was significantly associated with contraceptive use at the time of interview. Women who heard a religious/community leader speak positively about FP (OR: 1.61; p<0.001) and women who heard a religious/community leader speak negatively about FP (OR: 1.26; p<0.01) both had increased odds of using contraception. These findings were not sensitive to adjustment for potential sociodemographic confounders and religious social norms.

Conclusion: Public health interventions have utilized religious leaders to disseminate important FP messages with the hope of increasing demand for contraception. These findings contribute to research on the relationship between culture and health that are crucial for determining culturally competent, evidence-based interventions that will affect the health and well-being of underserved populations worldwide.