Characteristics of contraceptive acceptors in Lusaka, Zambia

This paper reports on a study conducted in Lusaka, Zambia in which 2,912 client records were examined in 22 randomly selected clinics throughout Lusaka Province. The purpose of the study was to assist the government and the local family planning association in targeting future efforts to extend services to underserved populations. Among newly enrolled acceptors in 1984, the study revealed a surprisingly low median age of 24 and a median parity of 3. The majority were married, had some secondary education, were unemployed housewives, and were breastfeeding at the time of the first visit. Nearly half had used contraceptives before. Over three-fourths of the clients received contraceptive pills when they enrolled. They returned to the clinic an average of 2.4 times during the first year, but only 24 percent were still active after 12 months. The availability of recently released census data allowed a comparison of contraceptive acceptors with women in the general Lusaka population. Data from urban clinics and smaller clinics in rural parts of the province revealed few significant rural-urban differences. Finally, the study examined trends in age, parity, and education of contraceptive users over a ten-year period.