Ethnicity and contraceptive use in Kenya

This research report is submitted in partial fulfilment of the Master of Arts in Demography and Population Studies, in the Faculty of Humanities (School of Social Sciences), at the University of the Witwatersrand, 2016Background Ethnicity is widely known to affect all aspects of an individual’s life. Ethnic groups differ in traditional values and attitudes toward fertility and related health behaviors. Therefore, these values and belief systems shape attitudes towards contraception. The significance of ethnicity on the use of contraceptives has been neglected in sub- Saharan Africa. Fertility transitions have been widely attributed to the increased use of contraceptives among women worldwide. Given that ethnicity plays an important role in post-colonial Kenya, the aim of this study is to examine the relationship between ethnicity and contraceptive use in Kenya. The study addressed two specific objectives (1) to examine the level of contraceptive use in Kenya’s ethnic groups, and (2) to examine the socio-economic and demographic factors that affect contraceptive use in Kenya’s ethnic groups. Methodology The study utilized data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2008-2009.The target population was women of reproductive ages(15-49 years). Out of a total sample size of 8,444 women, the study sample was restricted to 4,482 women who were sexually active. Objective 1 was achieved using percentage distributions and chi-square tests, while objective 2 was achieved by using binary logistic regression. Stata version 12 was utilized for management and analysis of the data.GR201