An Assessment of Uptake of Contraceptive Information Among Young Adult Girls in Kware Slums in Ongata Rongai

Abstract

This study sought to assess the contraceptive information uptake among young adult girls in Kware; a slum dwelling in Ongata Rongai, Kajiado North Sub-County. The objectives of the study were to; investigate the sources of information on sexuality among young adult girls in Kware, establish the factors contributing to contraceptive uptake among young adult girls in Kware Slums, explore the impact of contraceptive information the young girls in Kware access and investigate whether there are any information gaps on access and use of contraceptives among young adult girls in Kware. A mixed methods approach using both Qualitative and Quantitative strategies was used to collect data. The data collection tools were interviews guides and questionnaires. The interviews were administered orally to the young adult girls while the interview guides were used on the key informants who comprised of a nurse, pharmacist, a Community Health Volunteer, parent or guardian and an NGO or CBO staff member. Purposive sampling technique was used to select interviewees for qualitative data. while the systematic sampling technique was used to obtain quantitative data. The sample size for the quantitative data was 118 young adult girls between the ages of 18-21 years, while a total of 5 key informants were interviewed to get the qualitative data. The quantitative results were analyzed using the descriptive statistics and presented using tables and graphs while the qualitative results were analyzed using thematic content analysis and presented using narratives and verbatim quotes. Findings revealed that many of young girls got information concerning use of contraceptives from their parents. The results also showed that young girls, although in small quantity, access information from social media, TV/Radio, and medical personnel. Furthermore, results showed most of the respondents feared to be judged by people at the place of purchase of the contraceptives and lacked in-depth knowledge on the best method. The study concluded that the major source of information regarding the uptake of contraceptives was parents or guardians as the girls highly trust them. The study also concluded that the use of condoms is the main method young girls adopt as an alternative contraceptive method. Further, information relating to the uptake of contraceptives has resulted to many young adult girls making the right decision on the methods and types of contraceptive to use, staying away from sex, giving them the confidence to abstain and understanding whether contraceptives have side effects. The study recommends that the Ministry of Health should disseminate contraceptive information and regulate it as an authoritative voice on the subject in order to rule out myths and misconceptions as untrue information.