Trends and Determinants of Contraceptive Use among Women in Nigeria: Does Decision Making Involvement Within the Family Count?

Abstract

Contraceptive use has remained low among women despite family planning intervention programmes by government and non-governmental organisations in the period of public health preference, plausibly because of power dynamics within the family in Nigeria. This study examined the role of decision-making involvement in using contraceptive methods among childbearing women with data from three continuously Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 2008, 2013 and 2018. The study established that the lack of women’s decision-making autonomy on their healthcare issues, large household purchases and visits to family or relatives adversely affected their use of contraceptive methods. Besides, women having autonomy on how to spend their earnings were negatively associated with contraceptive use compared to those in the reference categories across the three survey years. There should be further integrated policy interventions and strategies aimed at community-based empowerment programmes of childbearing women towards achieving population equilibrium; and better maternal and child health outcomes in Nigeria