Contraceptive use and its determinants among adolescent women in Tigray, Ethiopia: a multilevel modeling

Adolescent women are central for intergenerational health of human populations. Adolescent women are the most vulnerable to a range of reproductive health problems. One of the leading causes of death for adolescent women is complications from childbirth and pregnancy. Contraceptive prevents the occurrence of unwanted pregnancies and its complications, thus potentially lower the death rate for adolescent women. However, contraceptive use assumed to be affected by multilevel factors thus needs statistical modeling that account the effect of these factors. Understanding multilevel factors affecting contraceptive use among adolescent women is important for improving the access to and quality of health services.

The aim of this study was to assess the contraceptive use and its multilevel determinants among adolescent women in Tigray region.

A community based cross-sectional study was conducted. Women who were 15-19 years of age residing in the selected households at the time of data collection were included in the survey. Multi-stage cluster sampling was used to select study units. A multivariable two-level mixed effect binary logistic regression model was fitted to assess the effect of the explanatory variables on contraceptive use.

A total of 1,755 adolescent women were participated. Of these 12.3% were contraceptive users. Pills (40%) and intrauterine device (30%) were commonly used contraceptive methods. Educational level, schooling, marital status, age, being informed about contraceptive, health facility visit, duration of stay at their residence, having partner and hearing of contraceptive use message through media were the most important determinants for use of contraceptive among adolescent women. Study participants who were not at school currently had more likely to use contraceptive methods compared to those who were at school (Adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=2.05; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.502, 4.183). Similarly, adolescent women who had no history of health facility visit had less likely to use contraceptive methods than those have history of health facility visit (AOR=0.057; 95% CI: 0.034, 0.096). Adolescent women who heard of contraceptive through median had two times (AOR=2.103; 95% CI: 1.207, 3.664) more likely to use contraceptive methods than those not heard contraceptive through media.

The factors affecting use of contraceptive method among adolescent women were educational level, schooling, marital status, age, being informed about contraceptive, health facility visit, duration of stay at their residence, having partner and hearing of contraceptive use message through media. This study recommends that in order to increase use of contraceptive method among adolescent women, interventions should continue like the promotion of contraceptive methods through media.