Differences in contraceptive practice in the city of São Paulo, Brazil: Results of the Ouvindo Mulheres population survey

Abstract

Contraception is essential for women to be able to regulate their fertility, exercising a key dimension of reproductive rights. However, little is known about how women deal with this challenge in Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo. To fill this gap, the population survey Ouvindo Mulheres: Contracepção no Município de São Paulo was conducted with a probabilistic sample of 4,000 women 15 to 44 years of age living in this city in 2015. This article presents the prevalence of contraceptive practice and analyzes factors associated with lack of contraception use and with types of contraceptives. Prevalence of contraception was estimated for women with at least one heterosexual relation in the 12 months prior to the interview and who were not pregnant. Logistic regression was used to verify factors associated with lack of contraception use, and the CHAID model was used to identify associations with the types of contraceptives used. Prevalence of contraception was 84.8% (95%CI: 83.2-86.3). The most prevalent contraceptives were the pill and condoms. Factors associated with lack of contraceptive use were religion (Pentecostal), number of children (fewer than 3), not having used contraceptives in the first sexual relation, not having a partner, and not having had sex in the previous month. Number of children and woman’s age were the first two levels of discrimination of the types of contraceptives used. Prevalence of contraception was high, but maintaining a concentration in two methods: historically, female sterilization and the pill prevailed, nowadays, the pill and condoms do. New hormonal contraceptives should be incorporated by the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS), besides promoting the use of long-acting methods such as IUDs.