Peer-reviewed article
Are rural adolescent girls in Senegal more likely to use family planning? DHS 2023 analysis.
Sougou NM, Diop CT ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This analysis of Senegal's 2023 Demographic and Health Survey examined contraceptive use among 4,024 adolescent girls aged 15-19 years. Only 2.05% of sexually active adolescents reported using modern contraception. Rural residence, low socioeconomic status, and being unmarried were associated with lower contraceptive use, while being married and identifying as Christian were associated with higher use. The findings highlight the need for targeted reproductive health programmes for vulnerable adolescent groups.
Key points
- 19.33% of adolescent girls had initiated sexual intercourse, with some as young as 9 years old
- Only 2.05% of adolescents using contraception at time of survey despite 10.77% having recent sexual activity
- Rural residence associated with 42% lower odds of contraceptive use (AOR=0.58)
- Married adolescents had 20.61 times higher odds of contraceptive use compared to unmarried peers
- Low socioeconomic status associated with higher contraceptive use (AOR=2.35), an unexpected finding requiring further investigation
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional secondary data analysis, so causality cannot be established. The study does not explain the counterintuitive finding that low socioeconomic status was associated with higher contraceptive use, and cannot provide qualitative insight into barriers or enablers of contraceptive use.
Abstract
Background In Senegal, adolescent reproductive health is a public health priority. Aim The objective of this research is to identify and analyse the key determinants of modern contraceptive uptake among Senegalese adolescents in 2023. Setting The study focused on adolescent family planning in Senegal in 2023. Methods The study draws on secondary data from the 2023 Senegal Demographic and Health Survey. The sample comprised 16 583 women aged 15-49 years. Adolescent girls aged 15-19 years represented 4024 individuals. The analysis included descriptive, comparative and multivariable statistical approaches. The outcome variable was binary, indicating whether or not a modern contraceptive method was used. All analyses were conducted using STATA version 15. Results Among the adolescent girls surveyed, 19.33% reported having initiated sexual intercourse, with the earliest reported age at sexual debut being 9 years. Additionally, 10.77% had engaged in sexual activity within the 4 weeks preceding the survey, indicating recent sexual activity. However, only 2.05% (n = 80) of these adolescents reported using contraception at the time of the survey. Factors significantly associated with the use of modern contraceptive methods included residing in a rural area (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.58; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.34-0.96), being married (AOR = 20.61; 95% CI: 11.43-37.14), low socioeconomic status (AOR = 2.35; 95% CI: 1.35-4.08), and identifying as Christian (AOR = 3.41; 95% CI: 2.52-18.19). Conclusion These findings underscore the need for targeted and context-sensitive sexual and reproductive health interventions. In particular, efforts should prioritise improving access to modern contraception among the most vulnerable subgroups, including adolescent girls living in rural areas, those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and unmarried adolescents. Contribution This study provides a better understanding of the determinants of family planning among adolescents, which can inform the development of evidence-based health programmes aimed at improving the sexual and reproductive health of Senegalese women.