Factors associated with frequency and use of contraception among women in the Masuba Community, Bombali District, Sierra Leone

Abstract

The use of contracepWon 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 contracepWon in Sierra Leone. Therefore, this study aimed to invesWgate the factors affecWng how o\en women in the Masuba Community, Bombali District, Sierra Leone use contracepWon. A community-based cross-secWonal design was used to collect quanWtaWve data using a simple random sampling technique to select eligible parWcipants from a sample of 403 women. We used structured quesWonnaires to interview parWcipants 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 associaWon between cross-tabulated variables. The data collected were analyzed using the StaWsWcal Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 16.0, with 380 women remaining a\er 23 missing during data collecWon. The results show the prevalence of contracepWve use was 65%. Women’s age (X² = 13.958, P < 0.05) and educaWon level (X² = 8.137, P < 0.05) were significantly associated with contracepWve use. Factors that were not significantly associated with contracepWve 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 contracepWon in Sierra Leone should consider religion, cultural impediments, and other socioeconomic factors among women through a strong advocacy program to increase the level of contracepWve awareness. AddiWonally, providing access to affordable and quality family planning services in remote and underserved areas can increase uWlizaWon rates and help reduce maternal mortality and morbidity. This can be achieved through mobile clinics, community health workers, and partnerships with local healthcare faciliWes.