Couples’ concordance on reproductive intentions as a predictor of contraceptive use: Findings from the baseline data of a longitudinal couple study in Nigeria

While many researches have shown that contraceptive use tends to increase where there is spousal communication and concordance on reproductive intentions, many other studies, using couple data, have equally shown that most spouses do not accurately report the views/intentions of their partners. This study is based on the baseline data from a longitudinal couple study in a peri-urban community, Ipetumodu, in Osun State, Nigeria collected between April and May, 2010. The study shows that there is a noticeable level of discordance when the response of each wife is matched with her husband’s on several issues. For instance, only 14% of couples concurred that they use contraception. The study shows that even in a patriarchal society like Nigeria, a woman’s reproductive intention is a more important determinant of her contraceptive use than her husband’s reproductive desire, and also that couples’ agreement on reproductive intentions is an important predictor of women’s use of contraception.