Contraceptive Use in Ethiopia : A Multilevel Analysis

Ethiopia is the second-largest country in Africa, with an estimated population of nearly 79 million and a growth rate of 2.6 percent per year. It is believed that Fertility decline continues if wider use of contraception is adopted. The Ethiopian demographic and health survey data have a two-level hierarchical structure, with 16,700 women nested within eleven geographical regions. Traditional regression analysis and multilevel models were employed to predict the outcomes. The study revealed that Place of residence, educational attainment, age group, religious beliefs, heard of family planning messages with radio, visited health facility, and desire for more children were found to be the most important determinants. It was found that the random slope multilevel model best fits the data and provides additional information. The variances of the random components related to the random term were found to be statistically significant implying that differences in use of modern contraceptives across regions.