ABSTRACT

According to the 2022 state of world population report, global use of family planning has increased and unmet needs have declined. Today, more than three quarter of the 1.1 million women with a desire to limit or delay childbearing are using a modern method of contraception. Family planning is an important component of the safe motherhood initiative that has received increased attention worldwide because of the ever expanding population, high maternal mortality rates, as well as the economic and health care demands that uncontrolled fertility imposes on the family and on society in general. Family planning is the practice of controlling the number and spacing of children through the use of modern contraceptive methods and natural or traditional methods.  A descriptive Community based Cross sectional study was used. A sample size of 110 participants was adopted. A convenience sampling was used, participants were selected based on their availability and willingness to participate for the study. A questionnaire in four parts in accordance with the specific objectives was administered. The Questionnaire will consist mostly of closed ended questions. Out of the 110 respondents, a greater proportion 71(64.55%) were of age 25 to 28 years, 64(58.18%) were graduate and above. Majority of the participants (81.82%) had good knowledge about family planning. Interestingly, 70(63.64%) of the participants said they rarely discuss with their partners about family planning, 79(71.82%) said family planning has benefit for women. majority 50(45.45%) strongly agree that large family size affects economic condition negatively. Majority of the participants; 29(26.36%) use the withdrawal method, 100(90.91%)said they have use family planning whenever they don’t intent to get pregnant. This study reveals the knowledge, attitude and practice of family planning. Based on the study it shows that majority of the women had adequate knowledge on family planning and the practices. Also, most of the women had a negative attitude towards family planning, due to the fact that the respondents rarely discus with their partners concerning family planning and most of them refused to the fact that men should be involve in family planning.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

According to the 2022 state of world population report, global use of family planning has increased and unmet needs have declined. Today, more than three quarters of the 1.1 million women with a desire to limit or delay childbearing are using a modern method of contraception (world population report, 2022). Each year, over three-fourths of the women of reproductive age in the United States, seek family planning services from primary care clinicians (Chandra et al., 2014). Fertility awareness-based methods (FABM) of family planning rely on a woman’s understanding and recognition of her fertility (WHO, 2009).

Family planning is an important component of the safe motherhood initiative that has received increased attention worldwide because of the ever-expanding population, high maternal mortality rates, as well as the economic and healthcare demands that uncontrolled fertility imposes on the family and on society in general (Ababa, 2006). Family planning is the practice of controlling the number and spacing of children through the use of modern contraceptive methods and natural or traditional methods (WHO, 2015).

In New Zealand, Pacific peoples are one of the fastest-growing populations in the country, with the highest proportion of children of any ethnic group and a median age of 22.1 years (Statistics New Zealand, 2013). They are reported to have high rates of teenage pregnancy, with rates double that of the overall population (Boddington et al., 2003), and evidence suggests that socioeconomic and cultural sensitivities limit their access to family planning services (Gao and Paterson, 2009).

A study by Paterson and colleagues (2004), of pregnancy planning among mothers in an Auckland hospital found that taboos around sexual and reproductive sensitivities were persistent and contributed to a lack of communication around contraception. They found that, of the mothers who had not planned their pregnancies, most did not think about contraception and did not like using contraception (Paterson et al., 2004).

In Ethiopia, the demographic and health survey (DHS 2000), identified that one in four deaths among Ethiopian women in the period 1994–2000 was due to pregnancy or pregnancy-related causes. One of the reasons for this is the lack of skilled healthcare personnel attending births. The WHR (2005) reported that in 2000 only 6% of births in Ethiopia were attended by an appropriately skilled person; however, there is also evidence to suggest that up to 100 000 maternal deaths could be avoided each year if women who did not want children used effective contraception (Marston & Cleland, 2003). The total fertility rate of the country for the year 2000 was found to be 5.9 children per woman and the contraceptive prevalence was only 8%. This is too low to affect the fertility levels significantly (DHS 2000; Fitaw et al., 2003), and the fertility rate of the country actually increased to 6.1 children per woman for the year 2003 (WHR, 2005). Ethiopia is a large country divided into regions, each of which has its own culture and beliefs concerning fertility and contraceptive practice. Therefore, it is difficult to develop a family planning strategy that will work nationally unless each region is considered separately so that the key issues can be identified (WHR, 2005). Inadequate information about each region means that the planning and development of policies and strategies may be inappropriate and therefore ineffective in bringing about an increase in family planning practice across all the regions (Mesfin, 2002).

The rate of use of family planning services in the developing world and more particularly in Cameroon remains unsatisfactory (INS et al., 2011; Nansseu et al., 2015). The number of women with an unsatisfied potential demand for contraception is still very high in Cameroon (Ajong et al., 2016). A recent survey (2015) in Yaoundé–Cameroon showed that 20.4 % of women in a union had an unmet need for family planning and that the potential demand for family planning was just at 70.6 % (Ajong et al., 2016). According to the national demographic and health survey in 2011, with a contraceptive prevalence of 24, 94 % of women of childbearing age in Cameroon had knowledge of at least one modern contraceptive method. Also, about 46% of contraceptive non-users in 2011 had no intention of adopting any method in the future (INS et al., 2011). The adoption of any contraceptive method requires prior knowledge of the method. A good knowledge of the use of family planning methods and their benefits/side effects depends on the effectiveness of the counselling and sensitization of the risk population (Mustafa et al., 2008; Boelskifte et al., 2009; Wiebe et al., 2015; Nansseu et al., 2015). Also, the perception of family planning by women is dependent on good knowledge and has a great impact on their attitudes and practices (Aryeetey et al., 2010; Morse et al., 2013; Miano and Mashereni, 2014).

1.2 Problem Statement

Unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV infection continue to be a major reproductive health problem, globally and in Africa (WHO, 2004; McPhail et al., 2007). Family planning can reduce the number of deaths among women by preventing unintended pregnancies, which account for about 30% of all births in sub-Saharan Africa (Ross and Winfrey, 2002; WHO, 2010). In Lesotho almost one-third of currently married women have an unmet need for family planning, 11% for spacing their children and 20% for limiting childbearing. In 2004, 38% of births in Lesotho were unwanted and 12% were mistimed (wanted later), and 41% of all births to women under age 20 were unwanted (LDHS, 2004). Lack of detailed and accurate information on contraceptives has resulted in a reluctance to adopt family planning methods, as some potential users want to know their side effects and contraindications (Tamire and Enqueselassie, 2007). Among university students in Ethiopia only about 44% had ever heard about emergency contraceptives and less than 10% had accurate knowledge regarding when to use them (Tamire and Enqueselassie, 2007). In a study in Nigeria, major factors that influenced the choice of contraceptives for users were convenience and effectiveness (Adeniran et al., 2006). Comprehensive sex education is often lacking and contraceptive use remains low among adolescents and young women (Okpani, 2000). The majority of sexually active adolescents and young women do not always use a condom (Ohene and Akoto, 2008). The needs of young adults in this regard should be met by providing access to basic reproductive health information and youth-friendly services that will enable them to take control of reproductive health decisions (Senbeto et al., 2005). A similar situation was observed in the Muea community which prompted us to carry out the study by assessing family planning awareness and practice among women in the Muea community.

1.3 Rationale

The goal of this study, is to help create awareness of family planning and practice among women thereby reducing the rate of unplanned pregnancies, maternal mortality, and unsafe abortions by educating them on the importance of family planning and the various methods. Hence, this study will provide data that could be used to assess family planning awareness and practice among women in the Muea community.

1.4 Research Questions

1) What knowledge do women aged 15-35 years in the Muea community have on family planning?

2) What is the attitude of women aged 15-35 years towards family planning in the Muea community?

3) What is the practice of women aged 15-35 years on family planning in the Muea community?

1.5 Objectives

1.5.1 General Objective

To assess family planning awareness and practice among women in the Muea community.

1.5.2 Specific Objectives

1) To assess the knowledge of women age (15-35 years) on family planning in the Muea community.

2) To assess the attitude of women aged 15-35 years towards family planning in the Muea community.

3) To assess the practice of family planning among women aged 15-35 years in the Muea community.