Abstract:
Meeting the unmet need for family planning is on the agenda of the international
community as well as national governments because of its importance in
reducing the incidences of unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortion and associated
maternal mortality. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey aimed at
investigating the determinants of unmet need for family planning among young
women (15-24 years) in Ghana. Utilising secondary data from the 2014 Ghana
Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS), both bivariate and multivariate
analyses were done to examine the associations between demographic and
socioeconomic characteristics and unmet need for family planning among
young women (15-24 years). The results show that parity increased the
likelihood of unmet need for family planning among young women. Similarly,
young women who desire either more or fewer children than their
husbands/partners have higher likelihood of having unmet need. On the other
hand, the likelihood of unmet need for family planning decreased with age and
living in rural areas. The major reasons for young women’s non-use of family
planning were the fear of side effects of family planning methods, infrequent
engagement in sexual activity, postpartum amenorrhea and breastfeeding. The
study recommended that Ghana Health Service should intensify education on
the possible side effects of family planning methods to enable young women
make informed choices. Also, it is recommended that Ghana Health Service and
Civil Society Organisations must embark on advocacy to inform and empower
husbands/partners to accept family planning.
