1. Equity and achievement in access to contraceptives in East Africa between 2000 and 2010.
- Author
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Shah CM, Griffith AM, Ciera J, Zulu EM, and Palermo TM
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Africa, Eastern, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Health Surveys, Healthcare Disparities, Humans, Middle Aged, Rural Population, Socioeconomic Factors, Urban Population, Young Adult, Contraception Behavior statistics & numerical data, Contraceptive Agents administration & dosage, Health Services Accessibility
- Abstract
Objective: To examine trends in equity in contraceptive use, and in contraceptive-prevalence rates in six East African countries., Methods: In this repeated cross-sectional study, Demographic and Health Surveys Program data from women aged 15-49 years in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda between 2000 and 2010 were analyzed. Individuals were ranked according to wealth quintile, stratified urban/rural populations, and calculated concentration index-a statistic integrating information from all wealth quintiles to analyze disparities., Results: Equity and contraceptive-prevalence rates increased in most country regions over the study period. Notably, in rural Rwanda, contraceptive-prevalence rates increased from 3.9 to 44.0, and urban Kenya became the most equitable country region, with a concentration index of 0.02. The Pearson correlation coefficient between improvements in concentration index and contraceptive-prevalence rates was 0.52 (P=0.011)., Conclusion: The results indicate that countries seeking to increase contraceptive use should prioritize equity in access to services and contraceptives., (Copyright © 2015 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2016
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