DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2021.v09i05.003

Pages: 158-167

The rate of contraceptive use in Côte d’Ivoire remains low (23%), despite the national target of 31%, as family planning services fail to provide sufficient and accurate information about modern contraceptive methods. This study seeks to present the biomedical and socio-cultural obstacles to the consistent use of modern contraception in the health district of East Abobo and propose a mobilisation strategy aimed at promoting modern contraception. It is qualitative and cross-sectional in nature, with both a descriptive and an analytical approach. Research was conducted between November 2020 and February 2021 in three community health centres, at the free mass medical consultations which they held and which covered contraception. The study relied on participatory observation, as well as 34 individual semi-structured interviews with contraception users, the primary study population, and 8 informal interviews with key informers, the secondary study population. The respondents were partly selected through purposive sampling. The data, mostly consisting of comments and expressions of opinions and perceptions, was recorded on a smartphone by the authors and a community health agent. It was subsequently coded, entered into MAXQDA 12, and subjected to a thematic analysis for the purposes of interpretation. It was found that women’s reproductive profile, specifically parity, has a 40% influence on their choice of modern contraceptive methods and their assessment thereof. Religious and cultural beliefs deterred respondents from modern contraception. The community mobilisation proposed in this study relies on intracommunity communication channels, educating community leaders about modern contraception, and governmental intervention through subsidies for contraceptive methods. In order to promote consistent use of modern contraception, it is essential to raise awareness across all social groups of the benefits of contraception for mothers, their children, and the whole community