Characteristics of new contraceptive acceptors in Zimbabwe

This report examines the characteristics of all new acceptors entering the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) program from 4-8 March 1985. During the study period, ZNFPC clinics and community-based distributors provided 3,269 new clients with modern family planning methods. More than half of the women were under the age of 25 years and had fewer than three living children. When asked why they were initiating the use of modern contraception, 90 percent of the women indicated that their intention was to space or delay the next pregnancy ("spacers"), while 10 percent indicated that they wished to stop reproduction ("stoppers"). A comparison of the two groups suggests that the average "spacer" among new acceptors is 24 years old and has 2.6 living children, of whom the youngest is 12.0 months, while the average "stopper" is 34 years old and has 6.2 living children, of whom the youngest is 25.9 months.