Level of Uptake and Influencing Factors of Long Acting Reversible Contraception among Post-abortion Women in Uganda

Abstract

Abstract Background Women in sub-Saharan Africa often fail to obtain or use modern contraceptives, particularly Long Acting Reversible Methods (LARC), for many reasons. Women rely primarily on traditional and short-acting contraceptives which are prone to incorrect or inconsistent use and failure. In Uganda, utilization of modern contraceptives has steadily increased from 8–35% over the last decade. However, LARC use has remained as low as 7.8% and could be worse in specific sites. Whereas unsafe abortions contribute up to 26% of all maternal deaths in Uganda, there is limited use of effective contraceptive methods such as LARC. Methods An institutional based cross-sectional study involving 317 post abortion patients admitted at the gynecology ward of Hoima Regional Referral Hospital (HRRH) in western Uganda were enrolled between January 2022 and April 2022. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression analyses to assess for factors influencing uptake of LARC among post abortion women were conducted using STATA 14.2. Variables in final multivariate model were significant when p < 0.05. The measure of association was reported as odds ratios with corresponding 95% confidence interval and p-value. Results The level of uptake of LARC was 38.9%. The most commonly taken up LARC was implant at 79%. Family income (AOR = 5.65, CI: 2.594–15.862, p = 0.001), previous history of LARC (AOR = 4.8, CI: 2.828–8.054, p < 0.0001), previous use of any other contraceptives other than LARC (AOR = 3.1, CI: 1.57–5.39, p = 0.004), fear of complications (AOR = 0.29, CI: 0.176–0.732, p < 0.0001), fear of process of insertion or removal (AOR = 0.53, CI: 0.213–0.961, p < 0.0001) and an opposing partner to the method (AOR = 4.10, CI: 1.90–6.910, p = 0.006) were found to independently influence uptake of LARC among post abortion women admitted at HRRH Conclusions The level of uptake of LARC remains low in this area. Improving family incomes, partner involvement and mass sensitization regarding LARC will go a long way in promoting LARC use among post abortion women in this area.