Knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to family planning and gender equity among husbands of adolescent girls in Niger

Figures & data

Table 1. Socio-demographic characteristics of husbands of adolescent girls in the Dosso Region of Niger, N = 1136.

Demographics	Mean	SD	% Yes/Agree
Husband’s age	25.53	5.31
Index wife’s age	17.29	1.54
Wife’s age at marriage	14.18	1.84
Husband’s education level (continuous 0–3)	0.88	1.00
Husband quranic education			33.0
Wife’s education level (continuous 0–3)	0.57	0.87
Wife quranic education			25.2
Wife works in agriculture			39.1
Family wealth	2.06	1.16
Number of children between index couple	0.94	0.96
Number of wives	1.15	0.40
Language of interview
Hausa			32.2
Zarma			67.8
District
Dosso			32.4
Doutchi			34.2
Loga			33.4
Gender equity and FP knowledge/attitudes
GEM sum score	4.2	3.5
# of items where VAW is appropriate	1.3	1.6
Wife has a say in health care decisions			4.5
Believes only man should make FP decisions			68.1
Contraceptive knowledge/attitudes/behaviours
Overall knowledge of at least one modern method			65.4
Ever heard of the pill			56.5
Ever heard of an IUD			6.4
Ever heard of injectables			44.9
Ever heard of implants			10.5
Ever heard of lactational amenorrhea (non-modern method)			11.2
Desired family size
0–4 children			2.4
5–9 children			44.6
10–14 children			23.0
>14 children			7.7
Unsure			22.4
Need for family planning			52.1
Current contraceptive use with wife			7.6

Table 2. GEM scale items and violence against women attitudes.

GEM scale items	n	% Agree
Men should not bathe, feed or otherwise take care of children.	691	63.5
A woman should obey her husband in all things.	1035	95.0
A woman should tolerate violence to keep her family together.	992	91.0
A woman’s most important role is to take care of the home and cook for the family.	1039	95.3
A man should have the final word about decisions in the home.	1035	95.0
More rights for women mean that men lose out.	1001	91.8
There are times when a woman deserves to be beaten.	644	59.2
I think it is shameful when men engage in caring for children or other domestic work.	644	59.1
If another man in my community insults me, I will defend my reputation, with force if I have to.	905	83.1
Giving baths to children, changing children’s clothes, and feeding children are the mother’s responsibility.	1002	91.9
A woman should never question her husband’s decisions even if she disagrees with them.	902	82.8
Women are too emotional to be leaders.	945	86.8
It is natural and right that men have more power than women in the family.	1030	94.8
If a man cooks or cleans it is shameful for his wife.	928	85.3
My only role for caring for my children is as their financial provider.	870	80.1
Only when a woman has a child is she a real woman.	831	76.5
A real man produces a male child.	611	56.2
It is the man who decides if and when to have sex.	766	70.7
Men are always ready to have sex.	825	76.3
Men need sex more than women do.	822	76.0
A woman should not initiate sex.	695	64.2
A woman who has sex before she marries does not deserve respect.	950	87.6
Violence against women attitudes In your opinion, is a husband justified in hitting or beating his wife in the following situations:
If she goes out without telling him?	307	28.3
If she uses a family planning method without his permission?	325	29.9
If she argues with him?	261	24.0
If she refuses to have sex with him?	211	19.5
If she burns his food?	280	25.8
Acceptable in at least 1 case	548	50.8

Table 3. Results from bivariate logistic regressions with family planning-related dependent variables: (1) FP knowledge (N = 1136), (2) Beliefs about FP decision-making (N = 1136), and (3) Current FP use (N = 592).

	(1) Knows at least 1 modern contraceptive		(2) Believes man alone should make FP decision		(3) Currently uses FP method with wife
	UOR	95% CI	UOR	95% CI	UOR	95% CI
Socio-demographics
Husband’s age	1.06	(1.03–1.08), p < 0.01	0.99	(0.96–1.01), p = 0.25	1.05	(1.00–1.10), p = 0.04
Wife’s age	1.09	(1.01–1.18), p = 0.03	0.89	(0.82–0.97), p < 0.01	1.15	(0.94–1.40), p = 0.17
Wife’s age at marriage	0.95	(0.88–1.01), p = 0.11	0.99	(0.92–1.06), p = 0.76	0.85	(0.72–0.99), p = 0.04
Husband’s education level (continuous 0–3)	0.90	(0.78–1.02), p = 0.11	0.83	(0.72–0.94), p < 0.01	1.21	(0.90–1.64), p = 0.21
Husband quranic education	1.60	(1.22–2.10), p < 0.01	1.79	(1.35–2.38), p < 0.01	1.64	(0.93–2.90), p = 0.09
Wife’s education level (continuous 0–3)	1.20	(1.01–1.41), p = 0.04	1.00	(0.85–1.18), p = 0.98	1.23	(0.88–1.73), p = 0.23
Wife quranic education	1.59	(1.18–2.15), p < 0.01	1.26	(0.94–1.71), p = 0.13	0.82	(0.42–1.60), p = 0.55
Wife works in agriculture	0.62	(0.48–0.80), p < 0.01	0.94	(0.73–1.23), p = 0.67	1.38	(0.76–2.49), p = 0.29
Family wealth	1.14	(1.02–1.27), p = 0.02	0.99	(0.89–1.10), p = 0.85	0.76	(0.59–0.99), p = 0.04
Number of children between index couple	1.26	(1.10–1.44), p < 0.01	0.88	(0.77–1.00), p = 0.05	1.50	(1.16–1.96), p < 0.01
Number of other wives	0.98	(0.72–1.35), p = 0.92	1.02	(0.74–1.41), p = 0.91	1.03	(0.50–2.13), p = 0.93
Language of participant is Zarma (ref = Hausa)	1.96	(1.47–2.60), p < 0.01	1.36	(1.03–1.81), p = 0.03	1.46	(0.82–2.58), p = 0.20
District of participant is Dosso (ref = Loga)	2.22	(1.64–3.02), p = 0.03	0.91	(0.67–1.23), p = 0.15	0.96	(0.45–2.09), p = 0.40
District of participant is Doutchi (ref = Loga)	2.71	(1.99–3.70), p < 0.01	1.21	(0.89–1.66), p = 0.08	1.60	(0.79–3.23), p = 0.09
Gender Equity Variables
GEM Scale (higher = more equitable)	0.94	(0.91–0.98), p < 0.01	0.87	(0.83–0.90), p < 0.01	0.94	(0.86–1.04), p = 0.23
# of items where VAW is appropriate	1.23	(1.12–1.34), p < 0.01	1.33	(1.21–1.46), p < 0.01	0.99	(0.83–1.19), p = 0.91
Wife has a say in her health care decisions	0.26	(0.15–0.48), p < 0.01	1.00	(0.54–1.83), p = 0.99	3.16	(1.12–8.95), p = 0.03
Believes only man should make FP decisions	1.43	(1.10–1.87), p < 0.01	–	–	0.41	(0.23–0.73), p < 0.01

UOR = Unadjusted odds ratio. CI = Confidence interval.

*p < 0.01, +p < 0.05.

Table 4. Results from three multivariable logistic regressions with family planning-related dependent variables: (1) FP knowledge (N = 1136), (2) Beliefs about FP decision-making (N = 1136), and (3) Current FP use (N = 592).

	(1) Knows at least 1 modern contraceptive		(2) Believes man alone should make FP decision		(3) Currently uses FP method with wife
	AOR	95% CI	AOR	95% CI	AOR	95% CI
Socio-demographics
Husband’s age	1.05	(1.01–1.09), p = 0.01	1.01	(0.97–1.04), p = 0.72	1.03	(0.96–1.11), p = 0.44
Wife’s age	1.01	(0.89–1.15), p = 0.84	0.91	(0.80–1.03), p = 0.13	1.00	(0.75–1.34), p = 0.99
Wife’s age at marriage	0.96	(0.87–1.07), p = 0.44	1.00	(0.90–1.10), p = 0.92	0.97	(0.78–1.20), p = 0.75
Husband’s education level (continuous 0–3)	0.97	(0.81–1.15), p = 0.72	0.89	(0.75–1.05), p = 0.16	1.27	(0.87–1.87), p = 0.22
Husband quranic education	1.15	(0.80–1.64), p = 0.46	1.75	(1.21–2.51), p < 0.01	2.54	(1.17–5.53), p = 0.02
Wife’s education level (continuous 0–3)	1.35	(1.10–1.67), p < 0.01	1.10	(0.91–1.34), p = 0.34	1.08	(0.72–1.63), p = 0.71
Wife quranic education	1.05	(0.70–1.57), p = 0.80	0.89	(0.60–1.32), p = 0.55	0.51	(0.21–1.24), p = 0.14
Wife works in agriculture	0.75	(0.54–1.03), p = 0.08	1.01	(0.73–1.39), p = 0.95	0.89	(0.43–1.84), p = 0.74
Family wealth	1.09	(0.96–1.23), p = 0.20	0.91	(0.80–1.03), p = 0.13	0.81	(0.60–1.09), p = 0.16
Number of children between index couple	1.21	(0.97–1.49), p = 0.09	0.90	(0.74–1.10), p = 0.30	1.34	(0.87–2.06), p = 0.18
Number of other wives	0.83	(0.53–1.31), p = 0.42	1.09	(0.71–1.67), p = 0.69	0.55	(0.18–1.69), p = 0.30
Language of participant is Zarma (ref = Hausa)	1.52	(0.60–3.88), p = 0.38	1.66	(0.67–4.12), p = 0.27	0.46	(0.08–2.69), p = 0.38
District of participant is Dosso (ref = Loga)	1.92	(1.35–2.73), p = 0.10	0.75	(0.52–1.07), p = 0.79	1.02	(0.43–2.46), p = 0.26
District of participant is Doutchi (ref = Loga)	1.50	(0.58–3.88), p = 0.87	0.48	(0.19–1.22), p = 0.21	3.66	(0.56–23.77), p = 0.16
Gender equity variables
GEM scale (higher = more equitable)	0.95	(0.91–1.00), p = 0.04	0.89	(0.86–0.93), p < .01	–	–
# of items where VAW is appropriate	1.11	(1.00–1.23), p = 0.05	1.25	(1.12–1.39), p < .01	–	–
Wife has a say in her health care decisions	0.42	(0.21–0.84), p = 0.01	–	–	4.20	(1.22–14.52), p = 0.02
Believes only man should make FP decisions	1.34	(0.98–1.82), p = 0.07	–	–	0.37	(0.20–0.70), p < 0.01

AOR = Adjusted odds ratio controlling for all other variables listed. CI = Confidence interval.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, PJF. The data are not publicly available due to the fact that the data contain information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.