Briefing Paper

Influencers and Barriers to Contraceptive Method Choice among Young Women in Nairobi County

In August 2019, the project undertook qualitative in-depth interviews with 32 female youth ages 18-24 years in Nairobi, Mombasa, and Migori, to better understand factors that affect their ability to have full access and choice on contraception. Data from this study are presented below, alongside quantitative data from other large-scale surveys in Kenya including the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) (2014), Shujaaz Inc’s annual surveys (2018, 2019) and the PMA Agile Youth Respondent-Driven Sample Survey (YRDSS) 2019 study. A learning agenda was developed and informed by a set of study questions advanced by stakeholders from the public sector and non-governmental organizations in Nairobi County. This brief addresses two of those priority questions: (i) What is the level of knowledge of contraception among adolescents and youth? and (ii) What influences adolescent and youth’s preference of a method of contraception?