Opportunities for scaling-up family planning programs in urban Areas: an analysis of family planning attitudes and behaviors among women in four cities of the Kenya Urban Reproductive Health Program

Paul Kuria, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)
Gwendolyn Morgan, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)
Joshua Davis, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Ilene S. Speizer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Marystella Barasa, Jhpiego, Tupange Program, Kenya

In 2010, Kenya was considered for Urban Reproductive Health Initiative, a five-year project seeking to increase and sustain women’s access to and use of RH services in three large cities Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and scale-up in two smaller cities, Kakamega and Kisumu. This study utilizes women baseline survey data for evaluation of KURHI. The survey shows that a higher percentage of women in Kakamega (50%) and Kisumu (47%) are poor compared to other cities. TFR is highest in Kakamega (4.1)and Kisumu (3.9%). The unmeet need for FP is lowest in Machakos. Level of use of contraception is almost same across cities. Women from smaller cities are least likely to source contraception from private sector. Intent to use contraception does not vary by city. These results show that an understanding of the attitudes and behaviors of women in the trial and scale-up cities is useful in designing effective FP program.