Browsing by Author "Ameso, Ruth Anyango"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Determinants of Unmet Family Planning Needs among Women of Reproductive Age between 15 and 49 Years in Siaya County, Kenya
    (Pan African Medical Journal, 2025-07) Ameso, Ruth Anyango; Gitonga, Eliphas; Owaka, Isaac Ogweno
    Introduction: unmet need for family planning is still a major public health issue, impacting maternal and child health outcomes. In Kenya, 14% of women desire to avoid or delay a pregnancy but are not using contraceptives. Unmet need differs across counties, with Siaya having a high unmet need at 21% despite the target to eliminate unmet need for family planning. This study sought to establish determinants of unmet family planning needs among women of reproductive age (WRA) between 15 and 49 years in Siaya County, Kenya. Specifically, the study sought to address three specific objectives: to determine the level of unmet needs among WRA, socio-demographic characteristics of WRA, assess the level of knowledge on family planning and to determine attitudes towards family planning among WRA. Methods: the study presents findings from the baseline phase of a larger quasi-experimental study design. It utilized a mixed research design. The study adopted the World Health Organization's 30 by 30 2-stage cluster sampling method. The FANTA sample size formula was applied to arrive at 724 respondents. A total of 728 women of reproductive age participated in the study. The study included sexually active WRA, married women, or women in a companion. The study targeted over 67,023 women already in such unions and sexually active, which served as the sampling frame for the study. The current study, being a baseline study, results after the health education intervention will be presented in another study. Results were presented in tables and figures. Ethical guidelines and procedures upheld during the study included informed consent, voluntary participation of participants, confidentiality, data security measures, assent for the minors, and usage of research licenses and approval from the ethics from the school. Data analysis was done using IBM SPSS version 28.0. The statistical analysis was undertaken in two steps: bivariate analysis and multivariate analysis. Results: a total of 728 women of reproductive age participated in the study. The majority (45.2%) of the women were aged 25 to 34 years. Results showed that most (64.0%) of the women demonstrated a high level of knowledge, scoring 80% or above. However, only 2.7% had a low level of knowledge, with aggregate scores below 50%. The majority (75.5%) of the women had a positive attitude, with 24.5% having a negative attitude. The prevalence of unmet need was 52.7%. The proportion of unmet need was significantly more (COR = 1.61; 95%CI = 1.19 - 2.19; p = 0.002) among women with a low or moderate level of knowledge on family planning compared to those women with a high level of knowledge. Women aged 15 to 24 years were 3.43 times more likely to have unmet need for family planning compared to those aged 35 to 49 years (COR = 3.43; 95%CI = 2.23 - 5.26; compared to those women with a positive attitude. Conclusion: the study concludes that social-demographic factors such as education, age, or economic activity significantly influenced the unmet needs for family planning. Knowledge significantly influenced the unmet needs for family planning, where WRA with lesser knowledge were more likely to experience unmet needs. Lastly, Attitudes such as perceived harm of using contraceptives and stigmatization from their use significantly increased the odds of unmet family planning needs.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Male Partner Involvement in Contraceptive Uptake amongst Urban Somali Refugees in, Nairobi County, Kenya
    (Kenyatta University, 2019-04) Ameso, Ruth Anyango
    Male partner involvement in contraceptive uptake is an important aspect of public health worldwide in the control of the upsurge of populations. Decisions about contraceptive use and childbearing may be confounded by unequal power relations, especially in more patriarchal societies as in the Somali community which emphasizes on male dominance in the culture. Male partner involvement in contraceptive uptake has been shown to greatly influence uptake and continuation rates. According to International Organization for migration (IOM) report of 2010, it indicated that current average use of modern contraceptives amongst urban Somali refugees was 20%, significantly lower than the KDHS report of 2009 at 46% for Kenyan women. The report also stated that the total fertility rate among the Somali population is between 5.7 and 6.7, irrespective of their geographical location. The reproductive health of urban Somali refugees in Nairobi is an important issue for Kenya. Projections indicate that a large number of refugees migrating into towns will become permanent urban residents. The aim of the study was to identify male partner involvement in contraceptive uptake amongst Somali refugees in East Leigh, Nairobi County Kenya. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study utilizing quantitative and qualitative approaches targeting urban Somali refugee male partners living with a woman of the reproductive age in section 11 in East Leigh. Simple random sampling technique was used to get the 255 study participants, who were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires. In addition, 2 Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) comprising 10 participants each was conducted using the FGD guide. Key informants from the health facility; 1 clinical officer and 4 FP nurses were interviewed using the Key Informant Interview (KII) questionnaire guide. The data from semi-structured questionnaires was analyzed using SPSS version 17.0 software. Descriptive statistics were generated and cross tabulation (Chi-Square test and Fischer’s exact test) was done for relationships of variables. Logistic regression was done to assess the effect of various explanatory variables on male partner involvement in contraceptive uptake. The recordings of the FGDs and KIIs were transcribed and main concepts identified. The qualitative data was triangulated with the quantitative data to enhance validity and reliability of the study. The results showed proportion of male partners involved in contraceptive uptake at 79.2%.The following factors influenced male partner involvement: Age when first started living with a woman (OR=3.46, p=0.048), Level of education(OR=3.44, p=0.003), Age(OR=2.76, p=0.044),Knowledge on available contraceptive methods (p=<0.001), The respondents who were aware of some methods that could be used to delay pregnancy had significantly more proportion of male involvement at 81.0%(OR=12.78, P=<0.001), 85.2% of the men reported that men should not be actively involved in issues of contraceptives at ( OR=3.44, P=<0.001). In conclusion, information sharing on importance and benefits of male partner involvement in contraceptive uptake should be strengthened in the health facilities and the urban Somali refugee community using community strategy to improve male partner involvement. Religious leaders need to be engaged and IEC done to dispel myths and misconceptions