Knowledge and Practices of Family Planning among Adolescents in the Sahelian Environment of Mali

Introduction: Family planning is a “way of spending and living, in order to improve the health of the family. It saves the lives of adolescents. In this work, the authors studied the knowledge and practices of adolescents in relation to family planning in five health areas in Mali in 2022, the objective of which was to describe the knowledge and practices of adolescents in relation to family planning. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional, quantitative study, the survey of which was conducted between March and April 2022 in five health areas in Mali and targeted single adolescents aged 15 to 19. We used a structured questionnaire administered in individual interviews, the data of which were collected using KoboCollect. The analysis was done with SPSS 22 software. Results: During our survey, 1,404 young adolescents were targeted. We recorded a participation rate of 92% of cases (n= 1287). Although an equal distribution between girls and boys was planned for the present survey, boys were more numerous than girls (51.7% vs 48.3%). Except for the male condom, all other family planning methods were better known by girls than boys. Indeed, 29% of girls said they did not know any family planning method compared to 37% of boys. Despite good knowledge of family planning methods, more than 77% of girls and boys did not use any family planning method. Boys used condoms more (21.4%) due to ease of access (47%), lower cost (44%) and no need for assistance in its administration (18%). They mainly obtained their supplies from pharmacies (52%); from shops (40%) and only 10% obtained their supplies from the health center. As for girls, they used implants more (15.1%) because of their longer duration in (30%) and their availability (17%). Conclusion: Despite the good knowledge of family planning methods by adolescents in Mali, more than 77% of girls and boys did not use any family planning method. If they managed to use it, boys preferred condoms and girls implants (15.1%).