Knowledge of fertility period among reproductive age women in Kenya: a multilevel analysis based on 2022 Kenyan demographic and health survey.

Abstract

Background: Knowledge of the fertility period aids women in refraining and engaging in sexual intercourse to avoid and to get pregnant, respectively. The effect of community-level factors on knowledge of the fertility period was not yet known in Kenya. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the community- and individual-level determinants of knowledge of fertility period among women of childbearing age in Kenya.

Methods: The 2022 Kenyan Demography and Health Survey data was used for the current study. This study included 16,901 women of reproductive age. To account for the clustering effects of DHS data and the binary nature of the outcome variable, a multilevel binary logistic regression model was applied. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was reported to declare the statistical significance. In addition, the model that had the lowest deviance was the one that best fit the data.

Results: The overall prevalence of knowledge of the fertility period among Kenyan women was 38.1% (95%CI = 37.3, 38.9). Women's age, women's education status, heard FP, contraceptive use, media exposure, and distance from health facility significant individual factors while place of residence, and community-level education, were all of factors were found to be strongly associated with knowledge of fertility period.

Conclusion: As per the findings of our study, Knowledge of the fertility period among reproductive women was low in Kenya. In the era of increasing refusal of hormone-based family planning, fertility-awareness-based family planning methods may be an option. Promoting the correct fertility period through education and media outreach may be helpful strategies for enhancing fertility decision-making.