Determinants of Unmet Need for Family Planning among Women in Rural Kenya

This paper aimed at identifying factors that contribute to unmet need for family planning among women in rural Kenya. Logistic regression analysis was carried out on 2008/09 Kenya demographic and health survey women-file data that left out currently pregnant and amenorrheic women. Among the variables found to be significantly related to unmet need for spacing, limiting childbearing and total unmet need were: marital status, current age, level of education, number of living children, employment status, region, household wealth index and exposure to mass media communications. In order to reduce unmet need for family planning in rural areas of Kenya, region-specific programmatic family planning action should be adopted; the government should prioritize female education and economic empowerment to women in rural areas; agencies involved in family planning provision and communication in rural Kenya should offer suitable services that target specific age groups, and with a greater focus on married women.