Availability, readiness and accessibility of family planning services in Burkina Faso: analysis from health facilities and population cross-sectional data

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Résumé

Background Access to Family Planning (FP) services remains limited in many low-income countries, particularly in Burkina Faso. Understanding the availability, readiness, and geographic accessibility of contraceptive services is essential to improve delivery and utilization.
Methods We conducted a secondary data analysis from two databases linked using geospatial information. The Harmonized Health Facility Assessment (HHFA) facility census was performed in 3,056 health facilities in Burkina Faso. A nationally representative female population-based survey was also conducted with 6,947 women in reproductive age by the Performance Monitoring for Action (PMA). The indicators on FP services included the offering, the provision of short- and long-acting methods, the availability and the accessibility to the facility offering any contraceptive method. Women were linked to the nearest health facility using geographic coordinates and Euclidean distance, with a 5 km threshold defining accessibility. We performed descriptive statistics and logistic regression using Stata 17 software.
Results FP services are offered in 82% of 2757 health facilities. Short- and long-term methods are available in more than 98.6% of facilities, while less than 1% (0.7%) of the facilities offered all the possibilities. Geographic accessibility within 5 km of a facility offering at least one modern contraceptive method was higher among women aged over 20 years, those with higher education, and those from wealthier households. Women aged 20–24 years were 2,6 times more likely to have access to a health facility offering all methods compared to adolescents aged 15–19 years. Women with primary education, secondary education and those from wealthier households are more likely to have access to a health facility, with short- and long-term methods respectively, 1.3 times (p < .01), 2.05 times (p < .01) and 3.7 times (p < .01).
Conclusion Although family planning services are available in Burkina Faso, gaps remain in service readiness and equitable geographic access. Strengthening service quality and addressing geographic and socioeconomic disparities could improve equitable access to modern contraception.

Mots-clés

Family planning services, Availability, Readiness, Accessibility, Health facilities, Burkina Faso, HHFA, PMA