Table 1 Characteristics of the adolescent girls who used modern contraceptives in the Phalombe district in Malawi
NO | Variable | Did not use contraceptives (%) | Used contraceptive (%) | Total n = 388 (%) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Religious beliefs l | Muslim | 8 (2.57) | 3 (4.05) | 11 (2.86) | 0.168 |
Catholic | 47 (15.11) | 20 (27.03) | 67 (17.40) | |||
CCAP | 35 (11.25) | 11 (14.86) | 46 (11.95) | |||
Anglican | 4 (1.29) | 1 (1.35) | 5 (1.30) | |||
Seventh-day Adventist | 40 (12.86) | 8 (10.81) | 48 (12.47) | |||
Other christians | 126 (40.51) | 24 (32.43) | 150 (38.96) | |||
Other religions | 51 (16.40) | 7 (9.46) | 58 (15.06) | |||
Total | 385 | |||||
2 | Social barriers | Never heard | 24 (7.79) | 0 (0.00) | 24 (6.28) | 0.058 |
Long distance | 25 (8.12) | 7 (9.46) | 32 (8.38) | |||
Poverty | 14 (4.55) | 8 (10.81) | 22 (5.76) | |||
Need to have children | 41 (13.31) | 11 (14.86) | 52 (13.61) | |||
Fear and being shy | 186 (60.39) | 42 (56.76) | 228 (59.69) | |||
Parental refusal and church beliefs | 18 (5.84) | 6 (8.11) | 24 (6.28) | |||
Total | 382 | |||||
3 | Cultural barriers | Never heard any | 50 (16.67) | 1 (1.35) | 51 (13.64) | 0.027 |
Use of herbs | 6 (2.00) | 1 (1.35) | 7 (1.87) | |||
Contraceptive is for married | 68 (22.67) | 20 (27.03) | 88 (23.53) | |||
Barren due to early contraceptive use before gravidity | 137 (45.67) | 42 (56.76) | 179 (47.86) | |||
Contraceptive causes long days of menstruation | 14 (4.67) | 2 (2.70) | 16 (4.28) | |||
People consider you a prostitute | 7 (2.33) | 2 (2.70) | 9 (2.41) | |||
Told during initiation never to use contraceptive | 5 (1.67) | 0 (0.00) | 5 (1.34) | |||
Other reasons | 13 (4.33) | 6 (8.11) | 19 (5.08) | |||
Total | 374 | |||||
4 | Preferred to use peers to access family planning | Yes | 77 (24.76) | 26 (35.14) | 103 (26.75) | 0.070 |
No | 234 (75.24) | 48 (64.86) | 282 (73.25) | |||
Total | 385 | |||||
5 | Preferred to use youth club to access family planning | Yes | 117 (37.62) | 34 (45.95) | 151 (39.22) | 0.187 |
No | 194 (62.38) | 40 (54.05) | 234 (60.78) | |||
Total | 385 | |||||
6 | Level of knowledge about different modern contraceptive methods | High | 20 (6.43) | 12 (16.22) | 32 (8.31) | 0.017 |
Medium | 106 (34.08) | 26 (35.14) | 132 (34.29) | |||
Low | 185 (59.49) | 36 (48.65) | 221 (57.40) | |||
Total | 385 | |||||
7 | Has a sexual partner | Yes | 55 (17.80) | 54 (72.97) | 109 (28.46) | 0.001 |
No | 254 (82.20) | 20 (27.03) | 274 (71.54) | |||
Total | 383 | |||||
8 | Ever started a menstrual period | Never | 35 (11.25) | 2 (2.70) | 37 (9.61) | 0.025 |
Yes | 276 (88.75) | 72 (97.30) | 348 (90.39) | |||
Total | 385 | |||||
9 | If satisfied with the family planning services | Yes | 78 (26.44) | 32 (43.24) | 110 (29.81) | 0.001 |
No | 49 (16.61) | 25 (33.78) | 74 (20.05) | |||
No idea | 168 (56.95) | 17 (22.97) | 185 (50.14) | |||
Total | 369 | |||||
10 | Ever had sex before | Yes | 35 (11.25) | 67 (90.54) | 102 (26.49) | 0.001 |
No | 276 (88.75) | 7 (9.46) | 283 (73.51) | |||
Total | 385 | |||||
11 | General knowledge about female fertility | Yes | 227 (72.99) | 66 (89.19) | 293 (76.10) | 0.003 |
No | 84 (27.01) | 8 (10.81) | 92 (23.90) | |||
Total | 385 | |||||