Independent Variables for Modeling Women's Uptake of Modern Contraceptive Methods in Selected Nigerian States
Variables | Operational Definitions |
---|---|
Exposure to family planning message | Self-reported exposure to family planning message from religious leaders, categorized as “0” had no exposure or “1” had exposure. This variable was derived from the question: “In the past year, have you heard or seen a religious leader speaking publicly in favour of family planning/child birth spacing?” |
Age of respondent | Self-reported age of respondent at time of survey, categorized as: 15–24, 25–34, 35+ |
Religion | Respondents' religions: Catholic, Other Christian, Muslim |
Parity | Number of children ever born: 0, 1–2, 3–4, 5+ |
Education | Highest level of education attained: none, primary, secondary, post-secondary |
State of residence | Current state of residence: Federal Capital Territory, Kwara, Kaduna, Oyo |
Ethnic affiliation | Respondents' ethnic affiliation: Hausa/Fulani, Igbo, Yoruba, other |
Current marital status | Marital status at time of survey: married/cohabiting, never married, previously married |
Wealth index | Composite index of household items/amenities, electrical appliances, toilet facility, drinking water, and floor/wall materials grouped into a quintile: (1) poorest, (2) poorer, (3) middle, (4) richer, (5) richest |
Fertility desire | Respondents' desire to have another child: (1) want another child, (2) does not want another child |
Need anyone's permission to use family planning | Respondent's need for someone's permission before use of family planning, categorized as: (1) Yes, permission of someone needed, (2) No, permission not needed. This variable captures a situation where a woman requires the permission of her husband/partner, mother-in-law, or someone else, before she can use a family planning method |
Perceived self-efficacy | Perceived self-efficacy about family planning, generated as a composite score variable from responses to Likert-scale questions on women's level of agreement with the ideation statements. These were categorized into a tertile as: (1) low, (2) medium, (3) high; Cronbach's alpha was 0.89 |
Acceptance of myths and misconceptions about contraceptives | Acceptance of myths and misconceptions about contraceptives, generated as a composite score variable from responses to Likert-scale questions on women's level of agreement with the ideation statements. These were categorized into a tertile as: (1) low, (2) medium, (3) high. Cronbach's alpha was 0.89 |
Other NURHI interventions | Other NURHI interventions numbering 27. An overall index, i.e., composite scores, was generated to reflect the extent of exposures that respondents had to the various activities. The composite variable was categorized into a tertile as: (1) low exposure, (2) medium exposure, (3) high exposure. Cronbach's alpha for the 27-item additive index was 0.90 |
Abbreviation: NURHI, Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative.