Unmet need for family planning and associated factors among married women in Somalia: A further analysis of 2020.

Abstract

Unmet need for family planning (FP) in Somalia is a critical public health challenge, contributing to unintended pregnancies and maternal mortality. This study investigates factors associated with unmet FP need among married women, using data from the 2020 SDHS. We analyzed data from 1,074 married women (15-49 years), categorizing unmet FP need into spacing, limiting, and met need. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the associations between sociodemographic factors and these categories, reporting Adjusted Odds Ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Older women had significantly lower odds of unmet need for limiting compared to younger women (e.g. AOR 0.04 for 45-49 age group vs. 15-19). Conversely, the desire for more children strongly predicted unmet need for limiting. Women desiring children after two years (AOR 19.75), those undecided (AOR 23.27), and those wanting no more children (AOR 1.76) all showed significantly higher odds of unmet need for limiting compared to those desiring children within two years. The high unmet FP need among married Somali women is primarily linked to desires for delayed or limited childbearing. This underscores the need for culturally sensitive interventions that prioritize women's reproductive intentions and further research to identify specific barriers.