Perception, pattern of use, partner support and determinants of uptake of family planning methods among women in rural communities in Southeast Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Family planning is a cost-effective strategy for achieving population development. Family planning uptake is low in sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria. We assessed the perception, pattern of use, partner support and determinants of uptake of family planning methods among married women of reproductive age in rural communities of Ebonyi state. Methods: This is part of a baseline report of a quasi-experimental study. A total of 484 married women of reproductive age were recruited using multistage sampling method. Four focus group discussions (men and women) and pretested semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect information from the participants. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 software and thematic analysis. Chisquare test and logistic regression were carried out at 5% significance level. Results: Only 26.2% of respondents were currently using any method of family planning. The most commonly used method was the natural method (57%). Amongst those who reported using artificial methods, 32.7% used condoms, 27.3% used implant while 23.64 and 16.4% used injectables and pills respectively. Predictors of current use of any family planning method were: older age (AOR = 1.7, 95%CI = 1.01-3.00), having more than five children (AOR = 1.7, 95%CI = 1.05-2.83), minimum of secondary level of education for respondent (AOR = 3.3, CI = 1.60-6.96) and their husband/partner (AOR = 2.0, 95%CI = 1.05-3.92). Qualitative findings showed that only few families were using a method of family planning and those who did not practice family planning perceived it to interfere with God's plan for fruitfulness and to be counter-productive to household income due to decreased manpower for agricultural activities. Poor partner involvement and support for family planning was also cited as a deterrent by both male and female participants.

Prevalence of married women’s decision-making autonomy on contraceptive use and its associated factors in high fertility regions of Ethiopia: a multilevel analysis using EDHS 2016 data

“…According to this study, women with secondary-level or higher education were more likely to have decision making autonomy on use of contraceptives than those women without formal education. This finding is in line with other studies such as a study conducted at Mizan-Aman, Ethiopia [ 24 ] and Nigeria [ 13 , 42 ]. As a possible justification, education empowers women to be independent and provides them with essential information that can be crucial in determining their reproductive health.…”

Women’s Decision-Making Power on Modern Family Planning Use and Its Associated Factors in Northwest Ethiopia

“…This study showed women who had secondary level and above education were about eleven times more likely to have decision-making power on family planning use than those who cannot write and read; women who had elementary level education were about seven times more likely to have decision-making power on family planning use than those respondents. This article is in line with other articles such as a study conducted at Mizan-Aman, Ethiopia [13], in Nigeria [24,25].…”

Strategies to enhance indigenous Ugandan men’s support for the utilisation of LARCs amongst rural women in Uganda: A qualitative study

“…Why should we give long-acting family planning methods that can expose our women to diseases?" (FGD RM 38) This study underscores the ndings from a study done in Nigeria which con rmed that men preferred natural methods to modern contraceptives because of believing that they are free from side effects [22].…”

“…"I am a coffee farmer and I need labor to help in this venture, I need many children who will help me to plant and manage the coffee and for this reason, I only support my wife to use short-term family planning methods and not LARCs" (FGD K 5). Families in Africa consider many children as a source of labour as supported by a study done in Nigeria [22] which states that families preferred to have many children to provide labour. This nding is also consolidated in another study done in Ethiopia where many children were preferred as a source of labour for the family [39].…”