Contraceptive Method Choice among Women in Kenya

Kenya was the first Sub-Saharan African country to initiate a national family planning programme way back in 1967; however, contraceptive use still remains low and the unmet need for family planning has remained at 25 per cent over the years. This paper uses data from Kenya demographic and Health Survey of 2008-09 to examine differentials in contraceptive use among women in Kenya by method type. The sample is restricted to currently married women and current method of choice. Preliminary results indicate that women prefer to use short-term hormonal methods such as pills and injectables. This can be seen across regions, type of place of residence, education levels, wealth quintiles, and religion. However with regard to age groups, only women in the age range 45-49 prefer to use long term methods such as sterilization, implants etc. This implies that women may be using short term methods for the purpose of spacing births rather than limiting births. This has implications on further fertility reductions in the country. The issue of informed choice and method availability in facilities may also determine the type of method used. Paper is still in progress