Background
Ethnicity is widely known to affect all aspects of an individual’s life. Ethnic groups differ
in traditional values and attitudes toward fertility and related health behaviors.
Therefore, these values and belief systems shape attitudes towards contraception. The
significance of ethnicity on the use of contraceptives has been neglected in subSaharan
Africa. Fertility transitions have been widely attributed to the increased use of
contraceptives among women worldwide.
Given that ethnicity plays an important role in post-colonial Kenya, the aim of this study
is to examine the relationship between ethnicity and contraceptive use in Kenya. The
study addressed two specific objectives (1) to examine the level of contraceptive use in
Kenya’s ethnic groups, and (2) to examine the socio-economic and demographic factors
that affect contraceptive use in Kenya’s ethnic groups.
Methodology
The study utilized data from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2008-2009.The
target population was women of reproductive ages(15-49 years). Out of a total sample
size of 8,444 women, the study sample was restricted to 4,482 women who were
sexually active. Objective 1 was achieved using percentage distributions and chi-square
tests, while objective 2 was achieved by using binary logistic regression. Stata version
12 was utilized for management and analysis of the data.
Results
The results showed that ethnicity was a significant predictor of contraceptive use in
Kenya. Results showed that there was a difference in contraceptive use among ethnic
groups in Kenya. Fifty-one percent (51%) of Kkem, 47% of Luhya, 44% of Cushitic and
38% of Luo used contraceptives; while in general only 44% of women of reproductive
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age in the sample used contraceptives. It also showed that the Luo ethnic group were
0.18 less likely to use contraceptive compared to the Kkem. The selected demographic
and socio-economic factors were significantly associated with contraceptive use; such
as education, wealth status, place of residence and age of respondent.
Conclusion
The study has shown that ethnicity and selected demographic and socioeconomic
indicators affect use of contraceptives, and play a vital role in the reproductive
behaviors among women. Therefore, it is imperative that ethnicity and those factors be
considered when designing and implementing policies aimed at improving the uptake of
contraceptive use among women of reproductive age.