Partner Support for Family Planning and Modern Contraceptive Use in Luanda, Angola

Ndola Prata, University of California, Berkeley
Suzanne Bell, Johns Hopkins University
Ashley Fraser, University of California, Berkeley
Adelaide Carvalho, Ministry of Health, Angola
Isilda Neves, Ministry of Health, Angola
Benjamin Andrade, Population Services International (PSI)

Background: Husband’s/partner’s support for family planning may influence a women’s modern contraceptive use. Methods: We conducted logistic regression analysis to investigate the relationship between husband’s/partner’s approval and encouragement of modern contraceptive use. We also examined mediating roles potentially played by women’s self-efficacy (using index created by principal component analysis) and perceived contraceptive accessibility. Results: Husband’s/partner’s approval was associated with triple the odds of women’s modern contraceptive use and remained significantly associated with more than double the odds after controlling for contraceptive accessibility and contraceptive self-efficacy. Husband’s/partner’s encouragement while initially significantly associated with contraceptive use became non-significant after these additional adjustments. Conclusion: Husband’s/partner’s approval, separate from a woman’s sense of self-efficacy and the perceived accessibility of contraceptives, appears strongly and positively associated with current modern contraceptive use. Increased spousal communication may help women identify their husband’s/partner’s approval. Difference between the meaning of approval and encouragement should be explored.