ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Glob. Women’s Health
Sec. Contraception and Family Planning
Modern contraceptive use in Somalia: A multivariable analysis of prevalence and predictors among women of reproductive age
Provisionally accepted
- 1Center for Graduate Studies, Department of Statistics and Data Analytics, Jamhuriya University of Science and Technology, Mogadishu, Somalia
- 2Jamhuriya University of Science and Technology Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Mogadishu, Somalia
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: Despite global advancements in reproductive healthcare, the utilization of modern contraceptive use in Somalia remains critically low, marked by significant regional and socio-demographic disparities. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and identify key predictors of modern contraceptive use among Somali women of reproductive age using data from the 2020 Somali Health and Demographic Survey (SHDS). Methods: A nationally representative cross-sectional analysis was conducted on a sample of 2,704 women aged 15–49. The study employed descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with the use of modern contraceptives. Results: The majority of participants were 26 years or older (57.6%), resided in urban areas (85.1%), and were in the highest wealth quintile (62.4%). The prevalence of modern contraceptive use among the study participants was exceptionally low at 1.8%. The most commonly reported methods were oral contraceptive pills (0.6%) and implants (0.2%), while the use of intrauterine devices (IUDs) was minimal (0.04%). A significant gap in exposure to family planning information was observed, with only 13.6% of women reporting receiving it at health facilities. Key predictors for modern contraceptive use included the women's age and exposure to family planning education at a health facility. Women aged 26 years and older demonstrated significantly higher odds of using contraception compared to their younger counterparts (Adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 10.13; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.39-42.97). Furthermore, women who received family planning information from health facilities were twice as likely to use modern contraceptive methods (AOR: 1.99; 95% CI: 1.02-3.88). Conclusion: The findings underscore an urgent need to enhance both the accessibility and knowledge of modern contraceptives in Somalia. Targeted interventions focusing on health facility-based education and addressing the limited variety of available contraceptive methods are crucial to improving uptake and addressing the reproductive health needs of Somali women.
Keywords: Awareness and Health education, Modern contraceptive methods, Reproductive Health, Somalia, uptake
Received: 20 Aug 2025; Accepted: 12 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ahmed, Omar and Ahmed. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Abdifetah Ibrahim Omar
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.