The negative consequences of non-use of contraceptives on reproductive health are well documented. The role of contraceptive use in attaining the desired number of children in Nigeria is yet to receive adequate academic investigation. The central concern of this paper was to examine how socio-cultural and economic variables influence contraceptive use and desire for less number of children among currently married women of reproductive age (15-49) in Nigeria. The data were derived from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and health Survey (NDHS). The NDHS collected data on current background characteristics, contraceptive methods, desire for more children, and number of living children, among others. The 23,933 currently married women respondents who had provided responses to questions on contraceptive use methods and desire for more children constitute the sample. The study found large disparities among correlated variables as factors determining contraceptive use and desire for more children. The study revealed that while 16% of the sampled population used contraceptive methods, 78% acknowledged desire for more children. The regression analysis showed that current contraceptive use and desire for more children significantly varied by selected background characteristics. Thus, there is an urgent need to reach out to women of reproductive age on the need for contraceptive use in marital union to limit childbearing and the concomitant negative effects in Nigeria

Introduction the unmet need for family planning is a global health burden. The lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced access to contraceptives, especially in the developing countries. This study examined the predictors of the unmet need for family planning during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Nigeria. Methods the study adopted a cross-sectional analytical survey design. A self-designed questionnaire was administered to 1,404 adult respondents aged 18 years and above. The data was generated through the use of online Google survey and analyzed with SPSS version 25. The results were presented using descriptive and logistic regression at p≤0.05. Results fourty-seven percent of the respondents were females and 58.8% were married. The four major reasons for non-access to contraceptive methods during the lockdown were: fear of visiting health facility (77.9%), locked drug/chemist stores (51.2%), the restriction of movement (47.6%) and a lack of access to health care providers (42.9%). Predictors of unmet need for family planning were: aged 26-33 (OR = 1.912, 95% CI: 1.02-3.55), married/cohabiters (OR = 3.693, 95% CI: 2.44-5.58), tertiary education (OR = 0.272, 95% CI: 0.13-0.54), Yoruba ethnicity (OR=1.642, 95% CI: 1.02-2.62), rural residence (OR = 0.554, 95% CI: 0.36-0.85) and 2-4 children born (OR = 3.873, 95% CI: 2.32-6.45). Conclusion a significant proportion of Nigerians experienced an unmet need for family planning during the COVID-19 lockdown. Prioritizing the access to contraceptives during the pandemic would not only allow women and men to correctly plan childbirth, it also reduces maternal risks, poverty and undesirable fertility rates.

Contraceptive use and an ideal number of children are among the factors that significantly influence the fertility of a country. Sub-Saharan Africa in general and Nigeria in particular are noted for polygynous marriages. The relationship between polygyny and fertility is well documented in literature. However, the influence of polygyny on fertility in Nigeria is yet to receive adequate academic attention. This paper sets out to re-examine the polygyny-fertility hypothesis. Data were sourced from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, which was a nationally representative survey of women of reproductive age (15-49). The survey interviewed women on fertility, family planning, marriage history, and maternal and child health. The 26,403 married women that provided responses on questions concerning marital unions and fertility behavior constitute the sample for the study. The findings show that although marriage type has no significant effect on the fertility of married women, rank among wives in polygynous unions significantly influence fertility with the first wife being more prolific than subsequent wives. Population policies aimed at reducing high fertility should factor in the role of polygyny and competition among wives for higher number of children.

This study examined child fostering practices in Bayelsa State as a way of understanding the influence of socio-economic and cultural factors on critical family decisions. Functionalism, Social Action and Rational Choice perspectives provided the theoretical anchor upon which the thematic phenomenon was discussed. Quantitative data were collected from 408 questionnaire respondents. Six In-depth Interviews (IDIs) and two Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted among biological and foster parents. The mean age of the respondents was 32.5±10.8 years. More than half of the respondents had negative perception about child fosterage; poverty, desire to have children enrolled in school, effective training of fostered children, death of parents, and marital separation are implicated in the decision by families to have their children fostered. Despite the influence of modernism, the practice has remained virile in Bayelsa state due to persistent high fertility, poverty and its traditional and symbolic significance among other reasons.

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This study describes the sociocultural factors that influence the utilization of antenatal care services among unmarried adolescents aged 16 and below in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey design was utilized. A self-designed questionnaire was randomly administered to 621 ever-pregnant unmarried adolescents. Thirty-five in-depth interviews were purposively conducted among unmarried adolescents, skilled and unskilled healthcare providers, and caregivers. Twelve focus group discussions and four life histories were also conducted among unmarried adolescents. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate logistic regression at p ≤ .05; qualitative data were content analyzed. Poor health provider-patient relations, financial constraints, distant health facilities, and fear of the exchange of babies by health workers influenced antenatal care practices among unmarried adolescents. More than half of the respondents (68.3%) received pregnancy care from faith-based and traditional birth attendants. Antenatal care utilization from orthodox (certified medical) healthcare providers was associated with secondary school education (OR = 7.35, 95% CI [5.83-8.94]), wealthiest households (OR = 6.74, 95% CI [4.34-8.35]) and age at last pregnancy 14–16 (OR = 0.17, 95% CI [0.12-0.27]). There is a need for functional and accessible orthodox healthcare facilities and an increased awareness about antenatal care services among adolescents to reduce delays in antenatal visits and maternal-related health risks through effective policies that could lead to attitudinal change among the populace.

Child fosterage is one of the major manifestations of lack of capacity to cater for young family members in several societies of sub-Saharan Africa, which is reputed for prolific and sustained childbearing in the context of poverty. In Nigeria, the practice remains rife, with attendant negative consequences for foster children and communities in some cases. This paper, therefore, examined the challenges and coping strategies adopted by foster children in Bayelsa State, which was identified as one of the areas with high rates of child fosterage in Nigeria. Ethnomethodology and the rational choice theory were adopted as the theoretical framework. A total of 408 copies of a questionnaire were administered on respondents through a multistage sampling technique. Six in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions were conducted with foster children. The challenges reported by these children included physical abuse and maltreatment, lack of love and care, and lack of freedom of speech and boldness. Among the coping strategies identified by the foster children were endurance and silence, obedience and humility, and the uptake of paid jobs. There is, therefore, an urgent need for sustained fertility decline in order to discourage unnecessary child fosterage in Bayelsa and other states in Nigeria.