Barriers to contraceptive use in humanitarian settings: experiences of South Sudanese refugee women living in Adjumani district, Uganda; an exploratory qualitative study

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Achola, R, Atuyambe, L, Nabiwemba, E, Nyashanu, M ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9231-0393 and Orach, CG, 2024. Barriers to contraceptive use in humanitarian settings: experiences of South Sudanese refugee women living in Adjumani district, Uganda; an exploratory qualitative study. PLOS ONE, 19 (3): e0278731. ISSN 1932-6203

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278731

Abstract

Introduction: Contraceptive use can be lifesaving, empowering and cost-effective for women and girls. Access to contraception is still challenging to female refugees due to several barriers including language, low educational level, lack of information, influence by family members, limited income, cultural and religious norms. This study explored barriers to contraceptive use among South Sudanese refugee women living in Adjumani district, Uganda.

Methods: An exploratory study design using qualitative methods were employed involving women of reproductive age (15–49 years). Purposive sampling was used to select participants for Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and In-depth Interviews (IDIs) from three settlements in Adjumani district. We conducted four FGDs, each consisting of 8 participants. We also conducted fourteen in-depth interviews (IDIs) with women of reproductive age. The IDI and FGD guides were translated into local languages before they were used to collect data. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and translated into English. Audio recordings were labeled before being translated back to English. Deductive, team-based coding was implemented, and a codebook developed. Transcripts were entered, and data coded using Atlas ti version 14. Data were analyzed using content analysis to produce the final outputs for the study.

Results: The study found several challenges to contraceptive use. These included gender dynamics, socially constructed myths on contraceptive use, cultural norms, limited knowledge about contraceptives, men’s negative attitudes, antagonism of contraceptive use by leaders and reprisal of women who use contraception.

Conclusion: The study concluded that there is need for community strategies to break down the barriers to contraception utilization among refugee women. Such strategies should involve men and women alongside gatekeepers to enhance sustainability.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	PLOS ONE
Creators:	Achola, R., Atuyambe, L., Nabiwemba, E., Nyashanu, M. and Orach, C.G.
Publisher:	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date:	1 March 2024
Volume:	19
Number:	3
ISSN:	1932-6203
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1371/journal.pone.0278731 DOI 1870149 Other
Rights:	© 2024 Achola et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	05 Mar 2024 13:59
Last Modified:	05 Mar 2024 13:59
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/51005