Family Planning: Choosing Contraceptive Methods in Kongo Central Province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

Background: In developing countries, access to modern contraceptive methods remains a concern, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Although satisfactory progress in increasing family planning use has been observed worldwide, demand and unmet need continue to grow. This study describes the different reasons that push women in rural and urban areas of Kongo Central province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to choose one of the modern contraceptive methods. Methods: A cross-sectional, analytical study on the 705 clients recruited during the family planning mini-campaigns organized from January to March 2021 in 8 health zones of the Kongo Central Province in DRC. Community Contraceptive Methods Distributors (CCMD) collected the data, community health workers (CHW) trained in clinical providers’ community family planning service. The Pearson’s Chi2 test was used to compare the proportions of the methods chosen in the different study variables categories, and logistic regression was done to analyze the strength of association between the uses of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) with the study variables. Results: The mean age (SD) of the clients was 25.7 years. The median number of living children was 2 children and that of pregnancies carried per client was 3. Three (3) clients under the age of 20 out of 126 (2.4%) have 3 to 4 living children and one a up to 6 living children. Out of a total of 705 clients, 11.1% aged under 20 and 39.1% of clients aged 20 to 24 requested LARC. Divorced and unmarried women chose SAC and married and common-law women chose LARC more, compared to other categories of women. Unemployed women prefer SACs more than other professional categories, and women farmers prefer LARC. The level of education has no influence on the choice of method. The use of LARC increased with the number of pregnancies carried, children alive, and children who died. The age and number of children who died did not influence the association between LARC and alive children. Conclusion: The choice of modern contraceptive methods is guided by the age of the mother and the number of children living in her life. Younger women are more likely to choose short-acting contraceptive methods in the eight health zones of Kongo Central province. The high number of living children influences the choice of LARC regardless of age.