TY - JOUR
T1 - Trends and Drivers of Unmet Need for Family Planning in Currently Married Tanzanian Women between 1999 and 2016
AU - Rwabilimbo, Abdon Gregory
AU - Ahmed, Kedir Y
AU - Mshokela, Jackline Boniphace
AU - Arora, Amit
AU - Ogbo, Felix Akpojene
AU - On Behalf Of The Global Maternal And Child Health Research Collaboration GloMACH, null
N1 - Funding Information:
The study used TDHS data from 1999 to 2016, 1999 (N = 2653), 2004/05 (N = 6950), 2010 (N = 6412), and 2015–16 (N = 8210). The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Office of the Chief Government Statistician (OCGS) in Zanzibar, and Inner-City Funds collected the data. The project was funded by the Government of United Republic of Tanzania, Global Affairs Canada, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) []. Data for maternal health, including FP, child health, infant nutrition, and other health-related data, were collected based on a nationally representative population in Tanzania [,,,].
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.
PY - 2023/2
Y1 - 2023/2
N2 - The current study investigated the trends and factors associated with the unmet need for family planning (FP) for limiting and spacing births among married Tanzanian women between 1999 and 2016. The study used Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) data for the years 1999 (
N = 2653), 2004-2005 (
N = 2950), 2010 (
N = 6412), and 2015-2016 (
N = 8210). Trends in the unmet need for FP were estimated over the study period. Multivariable multinomial logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between community-level, predisposing, enabling, and need factors with the unmet need for FP in Tanzania. The results showed no significant change in percentage of married women with an unmet need for birth spacing between 1999 and 2016. The proportion of married women with an unmet need for limiting births decreased from 9.5% (95% confidence interval (CI): 7.9%, 10.6%) in 1999 to 6.6% (95% CI: 5.9%, 7.3%) in 2016. Residing in a rural area, parity between 1-4 and 5+, visiting a health facility for any health services within twelve months, and planning to have more children (after two years and/or undecided) were factors positively associated with the unmet need for FP-spacing. Women with parity of 5+ were more likely to experience an unmet need for FP-limiting. Women's age between 25-34 and 35-49 years, women's employment status, watching television, women's autonomy of not being involved in household decisions, and planning to have more children were factors associated with lower odds of having an unmet need for FP-spacing. Women's age between 25-34 years, watching television, autonomy, and planning to have more children were factors with lower odds of having an unmet need for FP-limiting. Improving FP uptake among married Tanzanian women can reduce the unmet need for FP. Therefore, reducing unmet needs for FP is attainable if government policies and interventions can target women residing in rural areas and other modifiable risk factors, such as parity, health facility visits, planning to having more children, employment, watching television, and women's autonomy.
AB - The current study investigated the trends and factors associated with the unmet need for family planning (FP) for limiting and spacing births among married Tanzanian women between 1999 and 2016. The study used Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) data for the years 1999 (
N = 2653), 2004-2005 (
N = 2950), 2010 (
N = 6412), and 2015-2016 (
N = 8210). Trends in the unmet need for FP were estimated over the study period. Multivariable multinomial logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between community-level, predisposing, enabling, and need factors with the unmet need for FP in Tanzania. The results showed no significant change in percentage of married women with an unmet need for birth spacing between 1999 and 2016. The proportion of married women with an unmet need for limiting births decreased from 9.5% (95% confidence interval (CI): 7.9%, 10.6%) in 1999 to 6.6% (95% CI: 5.9%, 7.3%) in 2016. Residing in a rural area, parity between 1-4 and 5+, visiting a health facility for any health services within twelve months, and planning to have more children (after two years and/or undecided) were factors positively associated with the unmet need for FP-spacing. Women with parity of 5+ were more likely to experience an unmet need for FP-limiting. Women's age between 25-34 and 35-49 years, women's employment status, watching television, women's autonomy of not being involved in household decisions, and planning to have more children were factors associated with lower odds of having an unmet need for FP-spacing. Women's age between 25-34 years, watching television, autonomy, and planning to have more children were factors with lower odds of having an unmet need for FP-limiting. Improving FP uptake among married Tanzanian women can reduce the unmet need for FP. Therefore, reducing unmet needs for FP is attainable if government policies and interventions can target women residing in rural areas and other modifiable risk factors, such as parity, health facility visits, planning to having more children, employment, watching television, and women's autonomy.
KW - demographics and health survey
KW - drivers
KW - family planning
KW - married
KW - Tanzania
KW - trends
KW - unmet need
KW - women
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U2 - 10.3390/ijerph20032262
DO - 10.3390/ijerph20032262
M3 - Article
C2 - 36767627
SN - 1660-4601
VL - 20
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
IS - 3
M1 - 2262
ER -
