"Contraceptives use patterns, and their relationship to fertility among women in Bagamoyo district and Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania"

Abstract

This study was done during June through August t 1983 in Lugoba village of Bagamoyo District and Magomeni Mapipa area in Kinondoni District of Dar es Salaam. Oi ty. The main objective of the present study was to determine the prevalence and patterns of use of contraceptives methods and their relationships to fertility among 15 to 49 year old women. A random sample of 324 women from Bagamoyo and 200 women from Dar es Salaam were interviewed using a questionnaire specially designed for this study. Results showed that more women in Dar es Salaam used some kind of contraceptive method, which did not increase significantly with age. With regard to traditional contraceptive methods, the percentages of women in Bagamoyo and Dar es Salaam were almost same, but a relatively higher percentage of Dar es Salaam women used modern contraceptive methods as compared to the Bagamoyo women • . In Dar es Salaam a significantly higher percentage of women used any method for less than 12 months co pared to Bagamoyo women, but a slightly higher percentage of Bagamoyo women continued any method for 48 months or more than the percentage of Dar es Sala women. Over 60% of the women in both Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo were married within four years from the onset of menarche and of these over 60% had their first delivery within one year of marriage Contraceptives methods users in both Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo had higher mean number of pregnancies and live births as compared to the non-users of contraceptives method • Women in both the samples knew or about modern methods than about the traditional contraceptives Methods the omen's educational level, religion, employment status, and history of live -births were significantly associated with use and type of contraceptive method. The number of surviving children place of residence and the number of wives the husband h were not found to e associated with contraceptives use. How omen got their contraceptives from the different sources and their choice or the best time of the day ere associated for the Dar es Salaam omen; but not for the Bagamoyo women. Implications of these findings with regard to the magnitude of the problem of fertility regulation and it relationship to the delivery of family planning services in Tanzania are discussed recommendation for further studies and other measures have been made.