FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH FREQUENCY AND USE OF CONTRACEPTION AMONG WOMEN IN THE MASUBA COMMUNITY, BOMBALI DISTRICT, SIERRA LEONE

Abstract

The use of contraception helps women and girls realize their basic rights to freely and responsibly decide when and how many babies they should have. However, few studies have examined contraception in Sierra Leone. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the factors affecting how often women in the Masuba Community, Bombali District, Sierra Leone use contraception. A community-based cross-sectional design was used to collect quantitative data using a simple random sampling technique to select eligible participants from a sample of 403 women. We used structured questionnaires to interview participants privately without hearing from a third party. At a 95% confidence level and 0.05 margin of error, the chi-square test was employed to determine the significance of the association between cross-tabulated variables. The data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 16.0, with 380 women remaining after 23 missing during data collection. The results show the prevalence of contraceptive use was 65%. Women’s age (X2 = 13.958, P < 0.05) and education level (X2 = 8.137, P < 0.05) were significantly associated with contraceptive use. Factors that were not significantly associated with contraceptive use were marital status (X2 = 1.542, P > 0.05), religion (X2 = 0.748, P > 0.05), and employment status (X2 = 1.038, P > 0.05). Therefore, policies aimed at scaling up contraception in Sierra Leone should consider religion, cultural impediments, and other socioeconomic factors among women through a strong advocacy program to increase the level of contraceptive awareness. Additionally, providing access to affordable and quality family planning services in remote and underserved areas can increase utilization rates and help reduce maternal mortality and morbidity. This can be achieved through mobile clinics, community health workers, and partnerships with local healthcare facilities.

Keywords: Contraception, Sierra Leone, socio-demographic determinants