Factors Influencing the Uptake of Family Planning Among Women Aged 15 to 49 Years Old in the Sawaba Community in the Northern Region of Ghana

Abstract

Background:Family planning (FP) has been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the essential sexual health measures necessary to encourage safe childbearing by reducing maternal and newborn death (United Nations, 2014). Method: A cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach was used to carry out this research. This approach was used to measure both the outcome (uptake of family planning) and exposures (socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, and attitude of women towards family planning) concurrently. Result: The result of the study showed that 88(34.1%) of the respondents were between the age of 31 to 35 years. The mean age of the respondents was 30.67 years with a standard deviation of 6.162 years. The results also showed that the majority of the respondents (98.1%) were aware of family planning. Also, 76.4% and 77.1% of the study participants had good knowledge and a good attitude toward family planning respectively. The uptake of family planning among the respondents was 78.7%. Conclusion:Study participants’ age, marital status, ethnicity, number of children, and knowledge were associated with FP uptake among women of reproductive age. Recommendation:Family planning education should be based on isolated factors such as side effects, preference, and spousal opposition that influence contraceptive use among women of childbearing age.