title: Equity and achievement in access to contraceptives in East Africa between 2000 and 2010.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine trends in equity in contraceptive use, and in contraceptive-prevalence rates in six East African countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this repeated cross-sectional study, Demographic and Health Surveys Program data from women aged 15-49 years in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda between 2000 and 2010 were analyzed. Individuals were ranked according to wealth quintile, stratified urban/rural populations, and calculated concentration index-a statistic integrating information from all wealth quintiles to analyze disparities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Equity and contraceptive-prevalence rates increased in most country regions over the study period. Notably, in rural Rwanda, contraceptive-prevalence rates increased from 3.9 to 44.0, and urban Kenya became the most equitable country region, with a concentration index of 0.02. The Pearson correlation coefficient between improvements in concentration index and contraceptive-prevalence rates was 0.52 (P=0.011).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate that countries seeking to increase contraceptive use should prioritize equity in access to services and contraceptives.
authors.affiliation: Stony Brook University School of Medicine, State University of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook, NY, USA; African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), Nairobi, Kenya. Electronic address: Chirag.Shah2@StonyBrookMedicine.edu.
authors.forename: Chirag M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.affiliation: Stony Brook University School of Medicine, State University of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook, NY, USA; African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: April M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Griffith
authors.affiliation: Kimetrica, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ciera
authors.affiliation: African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP), Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Eliya M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Zulu
authors.affiliation: Stony Brook University School of Medicine, Department of Public Health, State University of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Tia M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Palermo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000351:Africa, Eastern; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003270:Contraceptive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006306:Health Surveys; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012424:Rural Population; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003270:Contraceptive Agents
keywords: Africa; Contraception; Disparity; Equity; Social determinants