Contraceptive Use and Fertility in Uganda

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to examine the effects of contraceptive use on fertility rates in Uganda. This paper made use of the 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey data set. The data base for the analysis was constructed using the woman questionnaire. Three levels of analysis were employed. The descriptive characteristics of the respondents were done. The bivariate analysis of the predictors and the number of children ever born was also explored. Finally, the count data model, the Poisson regression was used to examine the contribution of the different predictors of children ever born The findings show that contraceptive use was strongly associated with increase in fertility. The results also show that Women’s education, wealth status of the households, place of residence and access to healthcare were associated with reduction in fertility rates. It can be concluded that contraceptive use does not reduce fertility rates. The results suggest that government should prioritize education of women to post-secondary level as a critical aspect to lower fertility rates in the country. Economic empowerment of women with resources is needed. Finally, improvement in transport infrastructure to make health facilities accessible to the population is needed.