The acceptability and use of contraception: a prospective study of Somalian women's attitude

Abstract

This study combined quantitative and qualitative data in order to understand more fully the Somalian perspective of family planning services. Quantitative data alone were insufficient to provide a plausible explanation for the poor uptake of contraceptive services and methods for spacing pregnancies among Somalian women attending the African Well Women Clinic at the Central Middlesex Hospital. The qualitative data elicited deeper issues, provided insights and explained the causal factor of low uptake of family planning services. Religious teaching, status of men and women and an oral tradition were identified as fundamental to Somalian conceptualisation of family planning services. This study suggests that there is a need to provide not only family planning, but health-care services as a whole within a broader social and cultural dimension that meets the need of this clientele. This would entail viewing care within their social and religious context.

Utilization of Postpartum Family Planning Services between Six and Twelve Months of Delivery at Ntchisi District Hospital, Malawi

“…Hence approval or disapproval of the services by the husbands determined the use or non use of the services by the women. These results agree with those that were reported by Duong, et al [18] Okech et al, [15] Behrman, et al [19], Haile and Enqueselassie [20], Rubardit and Echevarria [21], Comerasamy et al [22] and Rakhshani et al [23]. Therefore there is need to strengthen male involvement during antenatal, family planning and postpartum counselling so that the husbands understand benefits of PPFP services and influence their wives to use the contraceptives.…”

Why Refugee Women Didn't Use Modern Contraceptives? Lesson from Women in Shedder Refugee Camp, Ethiopian Somali Regional State, Eastern Ethiopia; 2014

“…Result obtained from study conducted in Mali showed that approval of family planning by women was found strongly associated with modern contraceptive use [20]. In this study, proportion of current users among women who approved family planning use by couples was found to be higher compared to women who disapproved family planning use by couples.…”

“…Women's discussion with their partners on family planning was found among the determinants of modern contraceptive use of women in many previous studies [20,21]. A study conducted among Afghan women in Kabul, 2004, it was found that, the odds of using contraceptive methods was found significantly higher among women who reported that they were involved in decision making on family planning with their partners compared to those who did not involve in decision making [18].…”

Barriers and facilitators to contraceptive use among Somali immigrant women in Oslo: A qualitative study

“…For example, Somalis believe that female genital mutilation (FGM) is obligated by Islam, while many Muslim communities in Norway are not only totally unfamiliar with the practice, but also considered it un-Islamic. A study in USA found very low uptake of contraceptives among Somali women which was associated with religious beliefs [34]. However, in most Muslim countries, Imams support the use of modern contraception [35].…”