Unmet Need for Contraception and Its Associated Factors among Adolescents and Young Women in Kenya

Hellen Sidha, Reproductive and Maternal Health Services Unit
Wato Galgalo, Associate Researcher

Despite enhanced efforts to increase uptake of modern contraceptives, unmet need for contraception remains high among adolescents and young women in Kenya. Unmet need for contraception is defined as proportion of fecund, sexually active women who do not want to become pregnant but are not using any form of contraception. This study analyzed the factors associated with unmet need for contraception among adolescent and young women in Kenya and involved secondary analysis of the 2022 DHS data. Bivariate analysis, was used to show any significant relationships existing between the dependent variable which is an unmet need for contraception and each independent variable . Pearson chi-square test was used to measure the dependence of the association. Study found out that both individual and community characteristics were significantly associated with unmet need for contraception, highlighting the need to focus on strengthening communication and counselling strategies targeting adolescents and young women.