ArticleBMJ global health2026
Long-acting reversible contraception, condom use and sexually transmitted infections in developing countries: a multi-country serial cross-sectional analysis using demographic and health surveys.
Article in BMJ global health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionUnintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are major public health issues in developing countries. While long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) effectively prevents unintended pregnancy, there is limited evidence from large multinational studies on its association with condom use and STI-related outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the association between LARC use, condom use and STIs among women in developing countries.
methodsThis serial cross-sectional study extracted data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), a series of nationally representative household surveys conducted in developing countries. The analysis included women aged 15 to 49 years, with data on contraceptive methods and demographics. Generalised linear mixed effect models (GLMMs) were used to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) for condom use and self-reported STI-related outcomes, comparing LARC users with both non-LARC users and oral contraceptive users. Subgroup analyses were conducted at the individual level and at the country level.
resultsData from 2 171 884 women across 31 countries were analysed. Overall, the prevalence of self-reported STI-related outcomes was 7.4%, 3.9% of participants used LARC, and 7.5% of participants reported consistent condom use. LARC users were significantly less likely to use condoms compared with non-LARC users (aPR=0.40, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.53) and compared with oral contraceptive users (aPR=0.61, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.78). LARC use was associated with a higher prevalence of STI-related outcomes compared with non-LARC users (aPR=1.19, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.28) and compared with oral contraceptives users (aPR=1.14, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.24). Associations were stronger in low-Human Development Index (HDI) countries, especially among younger women (15-19 years), but were not significant in high-HDI countries. Country-level heterogeneity was observed.
conclusionsLARC use is associated with reduced condom use and higher self-reported STI prevalence, particularly among younger women and in lower HDI developing countries. These findings support integrating STI prevention into LARC services and promoting dual-method use to prevent both unintended pregnancies and STIs.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.