Dataset Information

Women's perception about contraceptive use benefits towards empowerment: A phenomenological study in Southern Ethiopia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Despite the availability of copious information regarding contraceptive use benefits and the factors that influence the uptake of the services, there is little evidence revealing the lived experiences of rural women. Thus, this study was conducted with the purpose of exploring the lived experiences of women regarding contraceptive use and related benefits towards women's empowerment.

Methods

Interpretative phenomenological qualitative methodology was employed to explore the lived experiences of women. Data were collected through focus group discussions and in-depth individual interviews and analyzed using an interpretive phenomenological framework including phases of data immersion, transcribing, coding, theme development and phenomenological interpretation through hermeneutic circle.

Result

The reported lived experiences of rural women revealed that their livelihoods greatly improved in different ways after they began to use contraceptives. The benefits included securing more time, energy and social engagements. Contraceptive use helped women postpone unwanted pregnancies and child births and engage in various income generation activities that not only boosted family incomes but also created opportunity to mobilize the resources for different expenses without waiting for the handouts from their husbands. The women's experiences also indicated that contraceptive use improved the educational status of their daughters and they experienced improved self-image, better social standing and improved family relations. The experiences further illustrated that contraceptive use was not only emancipatory and transformative, but also created peace and stability in their lives.

Conclusion

The study concludes that contraceptive use, which is part of a woman's life experience, created remarkable opportunities and achievements. One of these was that women were able to control their bodies, reproduction and fertility which resulted in a higher degree of empowerment. The control of reproduction and fertility has liberated them from worries and entrapment of unplanned and unwanted pregnancies. Moreover, contraceptive use led to wider opportunities in the community, by improving their status and building a sense of empowerment. Creating awareness around the benefits of contraceptive use has the potential to improve community and national development. Based on the result, the study recommends that systems should be established to capitalize on the lessons learned about the lives of current users and expand the remarkable achievements and experiences to non-user counterparts.

SUBMITTER: Alano A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6136733 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Women's perception about contraceptive use benefits towards empowerment: A phenomenological study in Southern Ethiopia.

Alano Abraham A Hanson Lori L

PloS one 20180913 9

<h4>Background</h4>Despite the availability of copious information regarding contraceptive use benefits and the factors that influence the uptake of the services, there is little evidence revealing the lived experiences of rural women. Thus, this study was conducted with the purpose of exploring the lived experiences of women regarding contraceptive use and related benefits towards women's empowerment.<h4>Methods</h4>Interpretative phenomenological qualitative methodology was employed to explore ...[more]

PMID: 30212500

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Project description:BackgroundWomen's education and empowerment are important predictors of contraceptive use across countries. However, two of the Indian states, namely, Punjab and Manipur, showed large variations in contraceptive use, despite the similar level of women's educational attainment and empowerment. Therefore, this paper attempts to understand variation in contraceptive use between these states, despite having similar level of educational attainment and empowerment among the married women.MethodsThis study primarily used cross-sectional data of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2015-16 and to some extent the District Level Household Survey (DLHS) 2012-13 data. The analytical sample includes 13,730 currently married women in Punjab and 8,872 in Manipur. Modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) is the key outcome variable of this study. Bivariate, multivariate, and multilevel regression analysis are applied to understand the differences in mCPR between these states and its determinants.ResultsMean years of schooling was about 8 years among women of both the states, and about 34% of the women in Punjab and 27% of the women in Manipur have high level of autonomy. Despite this, use of modern method was 66% in Punjab and only 13% in Manipur. Coverage of family planning program indicators were significantly lower in Manipur than Punjab - frontline workers' (FLWs) outreach for family planning was only 18% in Manipur compared to 52% in Punjab. Similarly, only 11% of the public health facilities in Manipur compared to 50% of the health facilities in Punjab were ready to provide at least one clinical method of family planning.ConclusionDespite the similar level of individual level characteristics across the two states, poor coverage of family planning programs - low outreach of FLWs, low level of facility readiness, as well as sociocultural norms discouraging contraceptive use - might be responsible for lower contraceptive use in Manipur than Punjab. This implies for strengthening the health system for family planning in Manipur to meet the contraception needs of women by addressing sociocultural barriers in the state.

Project description:Although women's empowerment has gained attention over the last two decades, our understanding of the associations between different dimensions of women's empowerment and different children's health outcomes is limited. This study aims to measure the extent of women's empowerment and to examine its associations with the children's health status in Ethiopia. Data were obtained from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). The sample is restricted to a sub-sample of 10,641 women from 15 to 49 years old and their children under the age of five years. We used children's height-for-age and weight-for-height Z-scores and pneumonia and anemia experience as indicators of children's health outcome. Women's empowerment is measured by five indices reflecting their participation in decision-making, attitudes towards wife-beating by husband, barriers to health care access, asset ownership, and socio-economic variables. These indicators of empowerment were constructed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. A Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes (MIMIC) model was employed to examine the relationship between women's empowerment and latent child health outcomes, after controlling for relevant covariates. Results suggests that enhancing women's empowerment in the household in terms of their socio-economic status (i.e., increasing women's access to education, information, media, and promoting saving) was associated with less likelihood of the children's being stunted or wasted (p<0.05). Higher women's empowerment in terms of household decision-making power were also associated with better children's health status measured by the children's experience of pneumonia and anemia (p<0.05). All aspects of women's empowerment are not related with children's health indicators. Women's empowerment dimensions related with child health have a varying degree of association with the different children's health indicators. Gender-specific policies focusing on increasing women's access to education, media, information, and promoting saving and their participation in the household decision making are some of the strategies for improving their children's health and wellbeing.

Project description:IntroductionThere is little available evidence of associations between the various dimensions of women's empowerment and contraceptive use having been examined--and of how these associations are mediated by women's socio-economic and demographic statuses. We assessed these phenomena in Pakistan using a structured-framework approach.MethodsWe analyzed data on 2,133 women who were either using any form of contraceptive or living with unmet need for contraception. The survey was conducted during May - June 2012, with married women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in three districts of Punjab. The dimensions of empowerment were categorized broadly into: economic decision-making, household decision-making, and women's mobility. Two measures were created for each dimension, and for the overall empowerment: women's independent decisions, and those taken jointly by couples. Contraceptive use was categorized as either female-only or couple methods on the basis of whether a method requires the awareness of, or some support and cooperation from, the husband. Multinomial regression was used, by means of Odds Ratios (OR), to assess associations between empowerment dimensions and female-only and couple contraceptive methods.ResultsOverall, women tend to get higher decision-making power with increased age, higher literacy, a greater number of children, or being in a household that has superior socio-economic status. The measures for couples' decision-making for overall empowerment and for each dimension of it showed positive associations with couple methods as well as with female-only methods. The only exception was the measure of economic empowerment, which was associated only with the couple method.ConclusionCouples' joint decision-making is a stronger determinant of the use of contraceptive methods than women-only decision-making. This is the case over and above the contribution of women's socio-demographic and economic statuses. Effort needs to be made to educate women and their husbands equally, with particular focus on highly effective contraceptive methods.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Despite the large-scale investment in access to contraceptives, high population growth and unintended pregnancies are posing pressures in Ethiopia where the economy is incapable of holding overpopulation. The aim of this study was to assess and explore socioeconomic and religious differentials in contraceptive uptake. METHODS:A mixed-methods phenomenological study was conducted in western Ethiopia, Oromia region. Data were collected through survey with 1352 mothers of reproductive age, interviews with 37 key informants, and 13 focus group discussions with family planning service providers, college instructors and mothers of reproductive age. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with contraceptives uptake and thematic analysis was used to interpret the qualitative data. RESULTS:Of mothers included, 68% lived in rural settings and 50% were unable to read and write. Religiously, 42% were Protestant Christian, 30% Orthodox Christian and 25% Muslim. Modern-contraceptives were available at healthcare facilities; however, all mothers have been influenced by religion not to use contraceptives. Muslims were 65% less likely to utilize modern-contraceptives as compared to Orthodox (aOR, .35, 95% CI, .21-.60). All mothers were well informed of any one of modern-contraceptive methods and knew a place to get the service, while their knowledge about contraceptive was limited and their contraceptive uptake was low. CONCLUSION:Though the Ethiopian government has so far improved access to contraceptives, utilization is lagging, mainly due to religious influences, limited contraceptives knowledge in the community, and low home-based contraceptive coverage. Societal attitudes and norms of the community towards modern-contraceptives need to be modified through innovative and culturally appropriate interventions. In countries like Ethiopia, where people's religious devotion remains reasonably high, knowledge on natural-contraceptive methods is equally important to help religious people make an informed decision about family planning in accordance with their faith.

Project description:Background Considerable proportions of pregnant women are affected by poor nutrition outcomes in Ethiopia. Women's empowerment, on the other hand, is highly recognized as a means to achieve better maternal nutrition outcomes. However, the role of pregnant women's empowerment in nutritional status during pregnancy has not been empirically examined in Ethiopia. This study aimed to address this gap. Objective To assess the association of individual and composite women's empowerment dimensions with pregnant women's nutrition outcomes in West Shewa Zone, Ethiopia. Methods A health facility-based cross-sectional study was performed on 1,453 pregnant women living in West Shewa Zone, Ethiopia, in 2021. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on half of the samples to identify and validate dimensions of pregnant women's empowerment. The associations between pregnant women's empowerment dimensions and anemia status and mid upper arm circumference levels were examined by logistic regressions. Results Composite pregnant women's empowerment was positively associated with both anemia status and mid-upper-arm circumference level. The odds of not being anemic were higher among pregnant women empowered in economic [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.26, 2.22] and assertiveness (AOR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.46, 2.38) dimensions than those not empowered in these dimensions. Empowered pregnant women in household decision-making (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.19, 2.22) and psychological (AOR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.85) dimensions had higher odds of having normal mid-upper-arm circumference measures than those not empowered in the respective dimensions. Communication and time dimensions were not significantly associated with any of the nutrition outcomes. Conclusions This study suggests that empowered pregnant women are nutritionally better off than their less empowered counterparts. This is also important in child health outcomes. Policies and programs that aim to improve maternal and child health in the study area need to consider interventions that promote the decision-making power, economic, psychological, and assertiveness dimensions of pregnant women.

Project description:BackgroundPersistent challenges in meeting reproductive health and family planning goals underscore the value in determining what factors can be leveraged to facilitate modern contraceptive use, especially in poor access settings. In Mali, where only 15% of reproductive-aged women use modern contraception, understanding how women's realities and health system design influence contraceptive use helps to inform strategies to achieve the nation's target of 30% by 2023.MethodsUsing household survey data from the baseline round of a cluster-randomized trial, including precise geolocation data from all households and public sector primary health facilities, we used a multilevel model to assess influences at the individual, household, community, and health system levels on women's modern contraceptive use. In a three-level, mixed-effects logistic regression, we included measures of women's decision-making and mobility, as well as socio-economic sources of empowerment (education, paid labor), intrahousehold influences in the form of a co-residing user, and structural factors related to the health system, including distance to facility.ResultsLess than 5% of the 14,032 women of reproductive age in our study used a modern method of contraception at the time of the survey. Women who played any role in decision-making, who had any formal education and participated in any paid labor, were more likely to use modern contraception. Women had three times the odds of using modern contraception if they lived in a household with another woman, typically a co-wife, who also used a modern method. Compared to women closest to a primary health center, those who lived between 2 and 5 km were half as likely to use modern contraception, and those between 5 and 10 were a third as likely.ConclusionsDespite chronically poor service availability across our entire study area, some women-even pairings of women in single households-transcended barriers to use modern contraception. When planning and implementing strategies to expand access to contraception, policymakers and practitioners should consider women's empowerment, social networks, and health system design. Accessible and effective health systems should reconsider the conventional approach to community-based service delivery, including distance as a barrier only beyond 5 km.

Project description:BACKGROUNDMissing from the huge literature on women's attitudes and beliefs concerning specific contraceptive methods is any detailed quantitative documentation for all major methods in low- and middle-income countries. The objectives are to provide such a documentation for women living in Matlab (rural Bangladesh), Nairobi slums and Homa Bay (rural Kenya) and to compare the opinions and beliefs of current, past and never users towards the three most commonly used methods (oral contraceptives, injectables and implants).METHODSIn each site, 2424 to 2812 married women aged 15-39 years were interviewed on reproduction, fertility preferences, contraceptive knowledge and use, attitudes and beliefs towards family planning in general and specific methods. We analysed the data from round one of the prospective cohort study.RESULTSWhile current users typically expressed satisfaction and held more positive beliefs about their method than past or never users, nevertheless appreciable minorities of current users thought the method might pose serious damage to health, might impair fertility and was unsafe for prolonged use without taking a break. Larger proportions, typically between 25% and 50%, associated their method with unpleasant side effects. Past users of pills and injectables outnumbered current users and their beliefs were similar to those of never users. In all three sites, about half of past injectable users reported satisfaction with the method and the satisfaction of past implant users was lower.CONCLUSIONSHigh levels of contraceptive use can clearly co-exist with widespread misgivings about methods, even those that are widely used. Serious concerns about damage to health, long term fertility impairment, and dangers of prolonged use without taking a break were particularly common in the Kenyan sites and these beliefs may explain the high levels of discontinuation observed in Kenya and elsewhere in Africa. This documentation of beliefs provides useful guidance for counselling and informational campaigns. The generally negative views of past users imply that programmes may need not only to improve individual counselling but also strengthen community information campaign to change the overall climate of opinion which may have been influenced by dissatisfaction among past users.

Project description:BackgroundDespite numerous national and international efforts to alleviate child growth faltering, it remains a global health challenge. There is a growing body of literature that recognizes the importance of women's empowerment in a wide range of public health topics, such as the utilization of maternal healthcare services, agricultural productivity, and child nutrition. However, in Ethiopia, the relationship between women's empowerment and child nutritional status is not studied at the national level. This study aimed to determine the association between women's empowerment and growth faltering in under-5 children in Ethiopia.MethodsThe data source for this analysis is the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS): a nationally representative household survey on healthcare. The EDHS employed a two-stage stratified cluster sampling technique. We computed standard women's empowerment indices, following the Survey-based Women's emPowERment index approach. A multilevel logistic regression model that accounted for cluster-level random effects was used to estimate the association between women's empowerment and child growth faltering (stunting, wasting and underweight).ResultsAttitude to violence, social independence, and decision-making were the three domains of women's empowerment that were associated with child growth faltering. One standard deviation increase in each domain of empowerment was associated with a reduction in the odds of stunting: attitude towards violence (AOR?=?0.92; 95% CI 0.88-0.96; p?<?0.001), social independence (AOR?=?0.95; 95% CI 0.89-0.99; p?=?0.049), and decision-making (AOR?=?0.93; 95% CI 0.87-0.99; p?=?0.023). Similarly, each standard deviation increase in attitude towards violence (AOR?=?0.93; 95% CI 0.89-0.98; p?=?0.008), social independence (AOR?=?0.91; 95% CI 0.86-0.97; p?=?0.002), and decision-making (AOR?=?0.92; 95% CI 0.86-0.99; p?=?0.020) were associated with a decrease in the odds of having underweight child.ConclusionsEnsuring women's empowerment both in the household and in the community could have the potential to decrease stunting and underweight in a rapidly developing country like Ethiopia. Policymakers and health professionals need to consider women's empowerment in this unique context to improve nutritional outcomes for children and alleviate growth faltering.

Dataset Information

Women's perception about contraceptive use benefits towards empowerment: A phenomenological study in Southern Ethiopia.

Background

Methods

Result

Conclusion

Publications

Women's perception about contraceptive use benefits towards empowerment: A phenomenological study in Southern Ethiopia.

Similar Datasets

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