Understanding how social norms affect modern contraceptive use

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Sociology

Background:

• Health behavior theories often overlook social norms' impact.
• Existing models suggest social norms influence behavior via motivation.
• The Fogg Behavior Model (FBM) offers a new framework for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce a practitioner-friendly behavior model (FBM) to public health.
• Examine the association between social norms and modern contraceptive use in Nigerian women.
• Determine if social norms affect contraceptive use through motivation or ability.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional household survey of Nigerian women aged 14-24.
• Data collected on demographics, sexual experience, and modern contraceptive use.
• Multivariate logistic regression analysis to assess social norms' impact.

Main Results:

• Social norms discouraging contraception showed a significant negative association with contraceptive use (aOR=0.90, p<0.001).
• This association remained significant when controlling for motivation.
• The association was not significant when controlling for ability.

Conclusions:

• Social norms appear to influence contraceptive use in Nigerian women primarily through ability, not motivation.
• Public health interventions can counter negative social norms by improving women's ability to use contraception.
• Findings highlight the importance of addressing social norms in reproductive health programs.