The Factors Associated With Unmet Need For Family Planning Among Syrian Refugee Women Living In Turkey

Abstract

The unmet need for family planning (FP) is defined as fecund women who want to postpone childbearing or do not want to become pregnant but not using any contraception. Any mistimed pregnancy may lead to an economic burden or unsafe abortions. Therefore, administrators responsible for public health need to have detailed knowledge about the level of unmet need and its determinants to improve women’s health and well-being. The 2018 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS) revealed that 21% of Syrian migrant married women of reproductive age had unmet need, almost twice that of Turkey’s average (12%). The young Syrian population living in Turkey is characterized by high fertility and low maternal age indicating room for improving reproductive health services among Syrian women. Therefore, this study aims to identify the determinants of unmet need for FP among Syrian migrant women of reproductive age by using data from the 2018-TDHS. The probability of unmet need for FP is estimated as a function of various socio-demographic characteristics as a logit model. Results show that Syrian women who are at least 40 years old or under 24 years old, living in large families, non-camp residences and in Central region are more likely to have unmet need for FP. Woman’s autonomy in her own healthcare decision and sources of information on FP are also statistically significant factors associated with unmet need for FP. These results will help to develop FP programmes to improve the sexual and reproductive health of Syrian migrant women.