Intention to use contraceptives and subsequent contraceptive behavior in Morocco

In this article, the relationship between stated intention to use contraceptives and subsequent use during a three-year period in Morocco is examined. Longitudinal data are drawn from two Demographic and Health Surveys: the 1992 Morocco DHS and the 1995 Morocco Panel Survey. Reported contraceptive intentions in 1992 have a strong predictive effect on subsequent contraceptive use even after controlling for other characteristics of respondents, and the strength of the effect is second only to that of previous contraceptive use. Women who in 1992 said they intended to use contraceptives in the future but did not do so are the most likely to have had an unmet need for contraception in 1995. Weakly held fertility preferences reported by some of the women surveyed in 1992 appear to have been a contributing factor in the subsequent failure of these women to act upon their intention to practice contraception.