Determinants of intrauterine contraceptive device utilization at primary health care facilities in Mekelle City, northern Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Each year, the current level of modern contraceptive use averts 188 million unintended pregnancies, which in turn results in 112 million fewer abortions. Of the 867 million women in the developing world who are sexually active and want to avoid becoming pregnant, approximately 222 million of them have an unmet need for modern contraception. In spite of several advantages and potential effectiveness of Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device, its utilization still too low in Sub Saharan African countries including Ethiopia. OBJECTIVES: To identify the determinant factors for utilization of intra uterine contraceptive device among women visiting primary health care facilities in Mekelle city. METHOD: Facility based unmatched case-control study design was conducted among 234 women (78 cases and 156 controls). Data was collected by structured questionnaire. Data entry and cleaning was done using EPI- Info version 5.3.1 and analysis done using SPSS version 20.0 statistical software. During analysis the variables were defined, categorized and the difference in variables was determined. Odds ratio used to show degree of association between independent variables with Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device. RESULT: Marital status ([AOR (95%CI) =8.59(2.60–28.43)], number of pregnancies (AOR (95%) CI = 5.69(1.020–31.802), number of alive children [AOR (95%CI) =3.5 (1.03–11.9) are variables continued to have statistically significant association with use of Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device. Other determinants found to have significant association includes awareness about Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device, visual exposure to Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device, and participants told about availability of health care provider able to insert Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device. CONCLUSION: This study has identified marital status, Gravidity, number of alive children and awareness to Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device as major determinants for use of Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device. Thus, it is vital at addressing the aforementioned determinants will be vital to improve utilization of Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device. PLAIN ENGLISH SUMMARY: Among long acting reversible modern contraceptive methods, Intra Uterine Contraceptive Devices (IUCDs) are the most reliable and effective as well as with fewer side effects. Despite these advantages and cost effective potential of Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device its utilization is still too low in Sub Saharan countries like Ethiopia. Thus, this study intended to identify the factors that limit the utilization of Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device among women of Ethiopia in Mekele City. The study identify that the utilization of Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device was determined by the marital status of the women, the number of previous pregnancy and recent alive children and the level of awareness about Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device of the women. Therefore, providers training that focus on promoting Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device, centering on increasing awareness and practice about Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device is very important.