Introduction: Despite the unique young married women’s contraceptive need, studies in Ethiopia were limited to wide age range of 15-49 and focused on individual background related factors ignoring the sociocultural influences on young married women contraceptive utilization. This study is, therefore, aimed to assess the level of contraceptive utilization and associated factors among young married women in Eastern Ethiopia.

Methods: A community-based survey was conducted among 14-24 years married women living in Kersa Demographic Surveillance System site. A total of 3039 women were interviewed by trained data collector using a structured questionnaire. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) was used to identify factors associated with contraceptive utilization using multivariable logistic regression analysis.

Results: The mean (±SD) age of study participants were 19.6(±2.6) years. Among the study participants only 369(14.1%) (95% CI: 12.8-15.5) were currently utilizing contraceptive methods. Perceptions of social support (injunctive norm) (AOR=1.9; 95% CI=1.6-2.3) and perception of friends’ contraceptive practice (descriptive norm) (AOR= 1.41; 95% CI: 1.23-2.6) were significantly associated to higher likelihood of young women contraceptive utilization. Belief in contraceptive myths was negatively associated with young women contraceptive utilization (AOR= 0.62; 95% CI: 0.52-0.75).  Moreover, contraceptive knowledge (AOR=1.8; 95% CI: 1.3-2.4), recent exposure to family planning information (AOR=1.6; 95% CI: 1.2-2.1), recent experience of physical intimate partner violence (AOR=1.32; 95% CI: 1.01-1.75) and age 20 years and above (AOR=1.92; 95% CI: 1.2-3.1) were significantly associated with young married women’s higher odds of contraceptive utilization.

Conclusion: Only about one-in-seven young married women were utilizing contraceptive methods. There were individual and sociocultural factors that influence young married women contraceptive utilization. Contraceptive behavior change communication that enable young women to challenge the traditional norms that limit access to contraceptive services is needed.

Key words: Contraception, subjective norm, contraceptive myths, young women