Contraceptive and abortion practices of young Ghanaian women aged 15–24: evidence from a nationally representative survey

Table 2 Percent of respondents aged 15–24 citing each attribute as a reason for choosing their current or intended method

	All current users^a	All intended users^b
	N = 300	N = 394
Effectiveness	70	69
Most effective at preventing pregnancy	70	69
Health risks and side effects	56	58
No risk of harming health	31	37
No risk of harming future fertility	26	29
No effect on regular monthly bleeding	19	20
Lighter or no bleeding	3	5
No unpleasant side effects (other than changes in bleeding)	7	13
For its other health benefits (regulating cycle, acne prevention)	1	1
Doesn't interfere with sexual pleasure	6	3
Practicality	44	43
Easy to use	20	24
Don't need to remember to use it	9	10
Can be used for long time without need for re-supply	11	8
Can use it without anyone knowing	16	15
Easy to obtain	12	14
Cheap/no cost	5	5
Only one available at facility	0	0
Social/normative	13	7
Health provider recommended it	3	2
Partner/husband approved	12	5
Mean total number of attributes	2.5	2.6

All Ns are unweighted. Responses are in relation to current most effective method or future preferred method, and respondents were prompted about each attribute
^aExcludes women who are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or sterilization users
^bCurrent non-users who intend to use a method in future

ISSN: 1742-4755