Contraceptive Use in Cameroon: 1991-2004

Samuel Kelodjoue, Université de Dschang
Michelle Ngo Yon, Université de Yaoundé

In every country, contraceptive behaviour has important implications for fertility and the prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).There has been relatively little attention to the dynamic of contraceptive practices in Africa, however, particularly how patterns of method use may have changed during a period. Also, despite the fact that choosing a contraceptive method is often a decision made by couples,little is known about the dynamic of perceptions of men and women, the characteristics of various method types,and in the importance that they attach to those characteristics when choosing a contraceptive method. Numerous differences between them may have an important influence on how couples make their method choices. The stability in contraceptive use over the last decade has left Cameroon’s overall contraceptive prevalence among the lowest in Africa. These changes in contraceptive behaviour complicate efforts to plan for social and health needs, particularly policy decisions focusing on reducing infections with STDs.