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Do the changes in classification of traditional methods of contraception influence tCPR estimates in sub-Saharan African countries?

Nurudeen Alhassan, African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP)
Maame Peterson, African Institute for Development Policy
Nyovani Madise, African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP)
Nicholas Adam, African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP)

About 7 million women in sub-Saharan Africa are estimated to use traditional contraceptive methods. Despite this, the definition/classification of traditional methods still remains a contested issue. There are notable inconsistencies in the methods classified as traditional across studies, with implications for accurately estimating the prevalence of traditional methods (tCPR). In this paper, we estimate tCPR in selected sub-Saharan African countries under three definitions/classifications of traditional methods. We analyzed DHS data post 2000 for fourteen countries, with a focus on four countries. We test for significant differences in estimates under the three scenarios. The results show that changing definition/classification of traditional methods yield different tCPR estimates for some countries but not for others. Also, we find that trends in tCPR shows a decline in traditional method use irrespective of the definition/classification. However, tCPR is higher for married women compared to non-married women. We find that folkloric methods are significant contributors to tCPR in Ghana and DRC while LAM contributes to increasing tCPR in Nigeria. In Kenya, there are no significant differences in tCPR estimates under the three definitions/classifications. We demonstrate that definition actually matters in tCPR estimates, and may also affect the types of women to target for modern contraceptive uptake.

Keywords: Family planning and contraception, Demographic and social surveys, Cross-country comparative analyses, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

See extended abstract.

  Presented in Session P4.