Determinants Of Demand For Family Planning Services In City Slums In Kenya

The Kenya government, in collaboration with other stakeholders involved in the provision of family planning services, have put in place various strategies and policies to increase uptake of family planning services. These are aimed at increasing contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR), reduction in both total fertility rate (TFR) and unmet need for family planning services. Despite the various strategies and policies, total fertility rate still remains high at 4.6 percent, while CPR and unmet need for family planning are estimated at 46 percent and 24 percent, respectively. The purpose of the study was therefore to analyze the determinants of demand for family planning services in city slums in Kenya. To realize this objective, a survey design was adopted. The target population constituted women in city slums in Kenya, who were identified through multistage random sampling. Primary data were collected from the women using a structured interview schedule. A fact sheet was used to summarize the data collected before it was cleaned, coded and edited for completeness and accuracy. A binomial logit model was developed and estimated using two-step regression procedures. The study revealed low usage of family planning services, among women in the city slums attributed to various factors. These include in order of significance, partner‟s approval, religious background of the woman, the woman‟s knowledge about family planning services and friendliness of the staff administering the services. Other factors included quality of the services, proximity to the facility, while the woman‟s income level was the least significant factor. The study recommends that to increase the use of family planning services among women in slums, promotion of family planning education and activities at the household level should be carried out, the activities of community based distributors should be revived and enhanced. Formation of lobby groups to enhance cultural change, awareness creation and counselling, integrating family planning services with HIV/AIDS have also been recommended.