title: Barriers to modern contraceptive methods uptake among young women in Kenya: a qualitative study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Young women in Kenya experience a higher risk of mistimed and unwanted pregnancy compared to older women. However, contraceptive use among youth remains low. Known barriers to uptake include side effects, access to commodities and partner approval.
  
  
  METHODS
  To inform a youth focussed behaviour change communication campaign, Population Services Kenya developed a qualitative study to better understand these barriers among young women. The study was carried out in Nyanza, Coast, and Central regions. Within these regions, urban or peri-urban districts were purposively selected based on having contraceptive prevalence rate close to the regional average and having a population with low socioeconomic profiles. In depth interviews were conducted with a sample of sexually active women aged 15-24, both users and non-users, that were drawn from randomly selected households.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All the respondents in the study were familiar with modern methods of contraception and most could describe their general mechanisms of action. Condoms were not considered as contraception by many users. Contraception was also associated with promiscuity and straying. Fear of side effects and adverse reactions were a major barrier to use. The biggest fear was that a particular method would cause infertility. Many fears were based on myths and misconceptions. Young women learn about both true side effects and myths from their social networks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings from this research confirm that awareness and knowledge of contraception do not necessarily translate to use. The main barriers to modern contraceptive uptake among young women are myths and misconceptions. The findings stress the influence of social network approval on the use of family planning, beyond the individual's beliefs. In such settings, family planning programming should engage with the wider community through mass and peer campaign strategies. As an outcome from this study, Population Services Kenya developed a mass media campaign to address key myths and misconceptions among youth.
authors.affiliation: Population Services Kenya (PS Kenya), P.O. Box 22591, 00400, Nairobi, Kenya. rochako@pskenya.org.
authors.forename: Rhoune
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ochako
authors.affiliation: Population Services Kenya (PS Kenya), P.O. Box 22591, 00400, Nairobi, Kenya. mmwende@pskenya.org.
authors.forename: Mwende
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mbondo
authors.affiliation: Population Services Kenya (PS Kenya), P.O. Box 22591, 00400, Nairobi, Kenya. aloostephen@pskenya.org.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aloo
authors.affiliation: Population Services Kenya (PS Kenya), P.O. Box 22591, 00400, Nairobi, Kenya. karimisusan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaimenyi
authors.affiliation: Population Services International, P.O. Box 14355, 00800, Nairobi, Kenya. racheljuliathompson95@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: International Centre for Reproductive Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. marleen.temmerman@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Marleen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Temmerman
authors.affiliation: Population Services International, P.O. Box 14355, 00800, Nairobi, Kenya. mkays@psi.org.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kays
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003142:Communication; D003267:Contraception / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology*; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D003469:Culture; D005193:Family Planning Services; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D008402:Mass Media; D011247:Pregnancy; D011275:Pregnancy, Unwanted; D036301:Qualitative Research; D055815:Young Adult