Solving the Data Mystery of Varying Modern Contraceptive Use Findings in Bauchi and Sokoto States

Hilary Schwandt, Johns Hopkins University and Western Washington University

Bauchi and Sokoto States were selected by USAID Nigeria in 2009 under the focus states strategy for significant improvements to governance, basic education, and health of women and children. As part of its health activities, efforts to increase access to family planning services for women who desire to space and limit births have been implemented. Despite substantial funding and targeted interventions, the Nigerian Demographic and Health Surveys in 2008 and 2013 reported similarly low modern contraceptive prevalence rates. Commodity data indicate a different story: in between 2009-2014, the number of facilities providing commodity data increased nearly 2-3 fold and the average facility-level CYP increased 3-5 times. The purpose of this study is to continue to explore all data available on contraceptive use in Bauchi and Sokoto State in an effort to explain the inconsistency of findings between different sources at the household/individual and facility levels.