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Measuring the Success of Family Planning Initiatives in Rwanda: A Multivariate Decomposition Analysis (English) 

Document Type

Working Papers

Publication Topic(s)

Family Planning

Country(s)

Rwanda

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Muhoza, Dieudonné Ndaruhuye, Pierre Claver Rutayisire, and Aline Umubyeyi. 2013. Measuring the Success of Family Planning Initiatives in Rwanda: A Multivariate Decomposition Analysis. DHS Working Papers No. 94. Calverton, Maryland, USA: ICF International.

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Publication Date

February 2013

Publication ID

WP94

Abstract:

Rwanda has experienced a dramatic increase in contraceptive use during the last several years. The contraceptive prevalence rate has increased from 17 percent to 52 percent between 2005 and 2010. Unmet need for family planning has declined from 38 percent to 19 percent; and the total fertility rate from 6.1 to 4.6 births. These achievements occurred in the context where the Rwandan government has been promoting family planning through various strategies. This study described the family planning initiatives in Rwanda and analyzed the 2005 and 2010 RDHS data to identify factors that contribute to the increase in contraceptive use. The Blinder -Oaxaca technique was used to decompose the contributions of women’s characteristics and their effects. With a mean predicted increase of 0.342 in contraceptive prevalence rate between 2005 and 2010, the most increase (77 percent) results from changes in effects of women’s characteristics compared with changes in these characteristics (17 percent). Variables showing significant contribution in effects are women’s education, experience of child mortality, and place of residence. Regarding the compositional differences, effects are relatively greater for woman’s education, exposure to family planning messages in the media or at health facilities, husband’s desire for children compared with wife’s, and woman’s child mortality experience. Additional research is needed to assess the contribution of supply side factors that would have been also important for the increased contraceptive use in Rwanda.