The prevalence of modern contraceptive use and its associated socio-economic factors in Ghana: evidence from a demographic and health survey of Ghanaian men.

OBJECTIVE: This study estimated the prevalence of modern contraceptive use (MCU) and the sociodemographic factors associated with MCU among sexually active men in Ghana. The study is informed by the Health Belief Model, which is used as a conceptual framework for understanding MCU.

STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study of 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey data.

METHODS: Analysis was limited to 3373 men who reported being sexually active within the 24-months prior to the survey data collection. Descriptive statistics, Chi-squared test, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the prevalence of MCU and the associated factors affecting contraception use.

RESULTS: The sexually active men ranged in age from 15 to 59 years of whom 26.20% used modern contraceptives. Men who had discussed family planning with a health worker were more likely to use contraceptives compared with men who did not (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.14-2.08). Men who were undecided about having additional children were more likely to be using modern contraception compared with men who wanted more children (AOR = 1.85; 95% CI = 1.06-3.22). Men with at least a primary education were more likely to use contraception compared with men with no education (AOR = 1.80; 95% CI = 1.23-2.63). Finally, men with multiple sexual partners were more likely to use contraception compared with men with a single sexual partner (AOR = 1.42; 95% CI = 1.09-1.85).

CONCLUSION: There was a low prevalence of MCU among sexually active Ghanaian men. MCU was associated with factors such as education and age.