Accessibility on Utilization of Contraceptive Methods among Youths: an Analytical Cross-Sectional Study in Westlands Sub County, Nairobi
Lydia Mukami Kamau *
School of Nursing, Mount Kenya University, Kenya.
Esther Muitta
School of Public Health, Mount Kenya University, Kenya.
Eliab Some
School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, United States International University, Kenya.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: Over 20 million young people who need modern contraceptives do not use any, making the low uptake of these methods among adolescents a major public health concern. Information on contraception is abundant among the population but the uptake of contraception is still low, especially among the youth in developing nations. The study sought to examine how accessibility affects the utilization of contraceptive methods among the youths in the Westlands Sub-County, Nairobi County, Kenya.
Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional design where quantitative data was obtained. Simple random sampling was used to select 13 health centers in Westland’s Sub County and youths visiting the facilities for services were sampled using both systematic and simple random sampling. For this study, 398 participants made up the sample size where the Sloven formula for sample size calculation was used.
Results: The research found a significant correlation (p=0.00) between youths' use of modern contraceptive methods and the quality of services they received. From this study, the number of children (p=0.503) did not significantly add to the model, but the academic level (p=0.003), marital status (p=0.021), and gender (p=0.001) did.
Conclusions: In conclusion utilization of any method of contraceptives translated to a high contraceptive utilization prevalence in youths, the quality of services that health care providers offer to youths, education level, and demographic factors such as gender, and marital status, have continued to greatly affect and lower overall contraceptive utilization prevalence among the youths in developing nations.
Keywords: Contraceptives, family planning, reproductive health, unwanted pregnancies, youth