Demand and Unmet Need for Means of Family Limitation in Rwanda
CONTEXT: Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa,
with substantial annual population growth. The current
government seeks new policies for family limitation as a way to
facilitate more sustainable development. METHODS: Data from the
2005 Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey were used for a two-
step analysis; binary logistic regression was used to identify
factors associated with desiring to stop childbearing and having
unmet need. RESULTS: Eighty-seven percent of women aged 15–49
approve of family planning, but only 64% believe that their
partner approves of it. There is a high level of unmet need for
family limitation; 58% of women who want to stop childbearing do
not use modern contraceptives. Demand was lower among women who
did not approve of family planning, those who did not know their
partner's attitude toward family planning and those who had
discussed family planning with their partner fewer than three
times. Unmet need was