Factors associated with the uptake of long-acting reversible contraception among female sex workers in post-conflict Northern Uganda: a cross-sectional study

Background Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is the most effective and reliable contraception option for female sex workers (FSWs) who desire future fertility. Unlike the other reversible contraceptive methods, LARC use requires only periodic users' involvement at the time of application and re-application. However, only a few studies on LARC uptake among FSWs are available in Uganda. To fill this knowledge gap, we examined factors associated with the uptake of LARC among FSWs in post-conflict Northern Uganda. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study among adult FSWs operating in the post-conflict Gulu district in Northern Uganda. We collected quantitative data among 280 FSWs of reproductive ages (18-49 years) who were neither pregnant nor using permanent contraception. We utilized a pretested semi-structured questionnaire to gather information from each participant through face-to-face interviews. We collected data on socio-demographic characteristics, sex work-related characteristics, obstetric history, HIV status, and LARC uptake. Data were then entered into EPI INFO 7, cleaned, and analyzed using multivariable Poisson regression in STATA 14.0 to obtained adjusted prevalence ratios (PR). Results Among the study participants: the mean age (SD, range) was 26.5 (5.9, 18-45) years, 48.6% reported at least one unintended pregnancy during sex work, and 37.4% had at least one induced abortion. Meanwhile, only less than two in three (58.6%) participants were using LARC. At multivariable level, factors that remained independently associated with LARC uptake included: longer duration of sex work (adjusted PR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.03-2.02), higher parity (adjusted PR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.02-1.26), history of unintended pregnancies during sex work (adjusted PR = 1.24 CI: 1.01-1.51), and being a brothel/lodge-based FSWs (adjusted PR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.01-1.63). Conclusions The above findings revealed a gap in the uptake of LARC among FSWs in post-conflict Northern Uganda influenced by duration of sex work, parity, unintended pregnancies during sex work, and place of sex work. Interventions to improve LARC uptake should target the newly recruited FSWs with low parity and the non-brothel/lodge-based FSWs. Plain language summary Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is the most effective and reliable family planning method for female sex workers (FSWs) who desire future fertility. LARC is very reliable since it requires only periodic users' involvement at the time of application or re-application. However, only a few studies on the uptake of LARC among FSWs are available in Uganda. To fill the above knowledge gap, we examined the factors associated with the uptake of LARC among the FSWs in post-conflict Northern Uganda. We collected cross-sectional quantitative data among 280 non-pregnant FSWs of reproductive age (18-49 years) who were not on a permanent family planning method. We analyzed the data using Poisson regression to investigate possible associations between uptake of LARC and the various independent factors. The results showed that uptake of LARC was more common among participants who had been sex workers for a longer period, had more children, experienced unintended pregnancies during sex work, and was doing sex work from brothels or lodges. The findings revealed a gap in the uptake of LARC among FSWs in post-conflict Northern Uganda. Therefore, to increase LARC uptake among FSWs, future family planning interventions should target the newly recruited FSWs, FSWs with few children, and FSWs who do not work in brothels or lodges.