Spatio-temporal variations in unmet need for family planning in Ghana: 2003–2014

Ghana has long prioritized family planning as a key strategy for improving health and socioeconomic development. However, despite the heavy investments in the sector over the last decade, the family planning program has not successfully improved the country’s family planning indicators. In this study, we describe the spatial and temporal patterns of unmet need for family planning from 2003 to 2014 and mainly estimate the socioeconomic factors affecting it. Using data from the 2003, 2008, and 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys, we map the regional and temporal trends in unmet need for family planning and used Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models to estimate the effects of individual-level socioeconomic characteristics on unmet need for family planning. The results show that there are considerable regional disparities in unmet need for family planning for the study period. These disparities show diverse trends among the ten regions in the country over the study period. The patterns of unmet need for family planning are considerably affected by socioeconomic factors such as educational attainment, household wealth, marital, and work status, as well as age, ethnicity, parity, and time (year). Both socioeconomic and demographic factors play a significant role in the patterns of unmet need for family planning in Ghana. There is the need to formulate consistently effective family planning policies focusing mainly on the higher risk groups of women in the country.