Male Contraceptive Uptake and Associated Socio-Economic Characteristics in Kenya.

Abstract

This research investigated the relationship between socioeconomic characteristics and male contraceptive uptake in Kenya. A survey of 572 randomly selected male respondents participated in the study. The study assessed the respondents’ socioeconomic profiles such as the location of residence, age, marital status, polygyny, family size, education attainment, working status and income level. The age of the respondents ranged from 18 to 60 years. Chi-square results indicated significant relationships between male contraceptive uptake and socioeconomic characteristics such as location of residence (p = 0.005), age (p = 0.005), marital status (p = 0.005), family size (p = 0.021), education attainment (p= 0.005) and income level (p = 0.032). The study concluded that men’s area of residence, age, marital status, desired number of children, level of education and level of income had a significant influence on male contraceptive uptake. It is recommended that there is a need to develop male-friendly and acceptable contraceptive options for men besides condoms and vasectomy, with the view of increasing contraceptive uptake among males in Kenya.