Informed Choice of Contraceptive Methods among Women in Ethiopia: Further Analysis of the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic Health Survey

BACKGROUND: Delivering modern contraceptive methods only may not provide much insight into the quality of family-planning services. Informed choice emphasizes that clients select the method that best satisfies their needs by informing them about all available contraceptive methods, side effects of the methods, and how to deal with the side effects if experienced. This study investigated informed choice regarding contraceptives and associated factors among women in Ethiopia. METHODS: Data were extracted from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. Information on informed choice was extracted from the individual women’s data. Subjects comprised 3,511 (weighted) reproductive-age women aged 15–49 years using selected contraceptive methods. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess factors associated with informed of contraceptive choice among women in Ethiopia. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Only 36.2% of the participants were informed on contraceptive methods. Increased age, watching television less than once per week, and visiting health facilities in the last 12 months were associated with higher odds of being informed on contraceptive methods. Being affiliated with other religious groups, primary education only, having a husband employed in agriculture, being unskilled, with an unknown job, living in Amhara and Oromia regions, watching television at least once a week, and receiving the service from private clinics and pharmacies were associated with lower odds of being informed on contraceptive methods. CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of reproductive-age women in Ethiopia were inadequately informed about side effects or other methods. This varied by socio-demographic factors, sources of contraception, method, and frequency of visiting health institutions. This study suggests that interventions that increase family-planning counseling to the level that clients understand the methods are needed. Private health facilities also need to focus on delivering essential messages about methods they provide and assure women’s rights and choices.