Abstract:
Background: Family planning services are educational, comprehensive medical or
social activities which enable individuals to determine freely the number and spacing and
timing of their children. Reproductive health services can improve women’s and children’s
nutrition, and better nutrition can improve reproductive health. In Ethiopia the connections
between population and food security are extraordinarily complex and there were limited
studies regarding the relation between food insecurity and modern contraceptive use. The
objective of this study was to assess association between food insecurity and modern
contraceptive use and other factors affecting its utilization.
Methods: Community based cross sectional study with internal comparison was conducted
using a multistage sampling technique from March 15 to 30, 2014 on currently married
women of reproductive group residing in Soddo Zuria Woreda. Descriptive summary using
frequencies, proportions, graphs and crosstabs were used for descriptive analysis. Bivariate
and multivariate logistic regression analyses were also conducted to see the association
between food security status and MCM use.
Results: The study was included 651 currently married women of reproductive age group the
prevalence of food insecurity in the area was 394(61.50%). Contraceptive prevalence in the
study area is 38.60% (52.00% among food secured and 29.70% among food insecured
households). About 90.80% of the respondents had knowledge about modern contraceptive.
Women from food secure HHs were about 1.7 times more likely to use modern family
planning [AOR: 1.73, (95% CI:1.05, 2.85)] and women who had discussion with their partner
were about 3 times more likely to use modern contraceptive [AOR: 2.94, (1.84, 4.70)]. Women
who had antenatal care follow up were about 5 times more likely to use modern contraceptive
[AOR: 4.81, (95%CI: 3.03, 7.63)]. Mothers that were exposed to mass media were also about 5
times more likely to use modern contraceptive compared to those who had not [AOR: 5.43,
(95%CI: 1.80, 16.41)].
Conclusion and recommendation: Modern contraceptive method utilization is higher in the
area than the national and regional level. Food security status, antenatal care, institutional
delivery, discussion with partner and exposure to media shows significant association with
modern contraceptive use. Hence while planning and implementing of family planning
program food security status should get due consideration and emphasis should also be given
to antenatal care and institutional delivery.
