Practice Of Family Planning Research Articles

Determinants of Male Involvement in Family Planning Services in Tarime District, Tanzania

This paper examines the determinants of male involvement in family planning services by investigating the relationship between knowledge and male involvement in family planning, and between the involvements of both sexes in family planning services. The study adapted a mixed research design whereby quantitative and qualitative approaches were employed to generate primary data, complemented by other methods like in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and documentary review. The main tool of data collection was a questionnaire, and data analysis was done using descriptive statistics, logistic regression; while qualitative data were subjected to content analysis. The unit of analysis was the individual at household level, and questionnaires were served to 312 households, while in-depth interviews involved 12 key informants. The major findings indicated that many people were currently not practicing family planning methods (73.1% for females and 47.2% for males) although the knowledge about family planning was high (94.6% for females, and 96.0% for males). Some of the reasons for not using family planning were fear of side-effects like having deformed children, fear of cancer, heavy pain during delivery and wives being unfaithful for they have protections. The ANOVA findings showed that there is statistically significant relationship between knowledge of males and use of family planning in future, at p=0.013. The study recommends an improvement in the awareness of family planning services, and allowing more innovative strategies like SMS communication especially in rural areas. Equally, more qualified staff at all levels should be employed to bridge the gap between service providers and clients, which is a major concern.

Impact of reproductive health education on the knowledge of mid adolescents boys of urban population of Haryana

Overall objective was to study impact of reproductive health education on knowledge of mid-adolescents boys of urban population with special reference to reproductive health. Study design: The study was cross-sectional type conducted over a time period of six months. Materials and Methods: The study subjects were drawn from three schools, of urban population of Faridabad, in Haryana. The present study was designed to evaluate the existing knowledge and impact of reproductive health education amongst mid-adolescent boys, related to adolescent health with special reference to secondary sexual characteristics, menstrual cycle, pregnancy and motherhood, AIDS and family planning practices. Sample Size: A sample size of 250 students was selected for this study. Study group: comprised of mid adolescent boys and girls of 14-16 years, studying in co-educational senior secondary schools. Data from students was collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire. Conclusion: There was marked improvement in knowledge of same adolescents after education on the reproductive health in almost each and every field. The fact that children engage in sexual behavior before they have a clear understanding of what it is all about, places them at very high risk of a variety of adverse experiences that can impact negatively on their development. Adolescents whom mothers were housewives were more aware of their reproductive health as compare to working parents. But parent’s education doesn’t produces significant difference in their knowledge. Conversely, although many adolescents have sexual knowledge, this knowledge does not always influence their behavior.. Keywords: Adolescent, Reproductive health education, Knowledge.

Factors Affecting Contraception Access and Use in Patients With Opioid Use Disorder.

Maternal opioid use disorder increased > 4-fold from 1999 to 2014 and is associated with poor maternal and fetal outcomes. Women with opioid use disorder are at 2 to 3 times greater risk for unintended pregnancy than the general population and may face additional barriers to accessing and effectively using contraception compared to women without opioid use disorder, particularly highly effective long-acting reversible contraception. Additionally, women with opioid use disorder tend to use less effective forms of contraception such as condoms alone. Barriers to contraceptive access include patient misconceptions or knowledge gaps regarding reproductive health and family planning, cost, intimate partner violence, fear of criminalization, difficulty accessing care, comorbid health conditions, and health care provider misconceptions or practice limitations. Strategies that may assist women with opioid use disorder in achieving their family planning goals include colocation of family planning services within opioid treatment facilities, optimization of patient care services to minimize the need for costly and/or time consuming follow-up, increasing provider education and awareness of best practices in family planning and opioid use disorder treatment, and providing patient-centered family planning education and counseling. Additional research is needed to identify and develop strategies that empower women who use opioids to effectively access and use their preferred contraceptive method.

Prevalence and determinants of unmet need for contraception in North Gonja District, Ghana

BackgroundUnmet need for contraception contributes to the burden of unwanted pregnancies, which are correlated with a host of adverse maternal and child outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and identify the determinants of unmet need for contraception in North Gonja District, Ghana.MethodsA cross-sectional survey involving 386 randomly selected women of childbearing age was conducted in North Gonja district, Ghana, with the use of a questionnaire in household interviews. Women were classified as having unmet need for contraception if they were fecund, sexually active and wished to postpone the next birth or halt childbearing completely but were not using any form of contraception. Chi-square/Fisher’s exact test and logistic regression analysis were used to identify the determinants of unmet need.ResultsThe mean age of the study population was 26.1 (±8.4) years and awareness on contraception was almost universal in the district (95.9%). The overall prevalence of unmet need for contraception was 38.9%, with 27.5% having unmet need for limiting and 12.2% unmet need for spacing. In multivariate analysis, compared to women aged 25–29 years, those aged 20–24 years [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) 0.26; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.11–0.58] and 30 years and above (AOR 0.25; 95% CI 0.09–0.73) were less likely to have unmet need for contraception. However, uneducated women (AOR 5.06; 95% CI 1.07–24.01) compared with those educated to tertiary level; those unaware of family planning (AOR 3.93; 95% CI 1.12–13.80) compared to those aware; and those who had not previously practised contraception (AOR 1.81; 95% CI 1.09–3.00) compared to those who did were more likely to have unmet need.ConclusionsThe present study found high prevalence of both awareness on and unmet need for contraception among the study population. Unmet need for contraception is associated with age, educational status, awareness on family planning and previous contraception practice. Educational campaigns to promote contraception should prioritize women of middle age and low educational status. Further studies are needed to understand the low correlation between awareness on and unmet need for contraception.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice on Family Planning among Married Muslim Women of Reproductive Age.

Maternal mortality is associated with the unmet need of family planning. Family planning has been subjected as taboos in the Muslim community with low use of its methods. Gulariya Municipality is the second largest community for Muslim. This research focuses on knowledge, attitude and practice of family planning among Muslim women of reproductive age. Descriptive cross-sectional study design was undertaken in Gulariya Municipality. Married Muslim women of reproductive age group from 164 households were interviewed using systematic random sampling. Key informant interview was also applied. The percentage of women who have knowledge on family planning methods was found 94.5%. On the means of contraception, most of the women (73.2%) knew about Depo. The attitude of the respondents was seen positive. A total of 79.3% of women were found to have practiced temporary means of family planning while none of the women surveyed were found using permanent family planning methods. Association between all socio-economic and demographic factors with knowledge of family planning methods were found insignificant at 0.05 level of significance. However, association between wealth rank and practices on family planning shows statistically significant association. Majority of women have knowledge on family planning, but still lack knowledge on few method like condom. Most of them found practicing family planning, despite the practice was not seen being done regularly. Language barrier seems to be influencing knowledge, attitude and practice of family planning. The research warrants newer strategies to be developed and employed to deal with the multi-disciplinary prospective of family planning among Muslim women.

<p>Use of Modern Contraceptive Methods in Burkina Faso: What are the Obstacles to Male Involvement in Improving Indicators in the Centre-East and Centre-North Regions?</p>

IntroductionIn Burkina Faso, despite several efforts to improve contraceptive uptake, contraceptive prevalence remains low. Studies suggest that the low levels of family planning (FP) practices can be partially attributed to the low participation of men in reproductive health programmes. Involving men in FP programmes in Burkina Faso is thus imperative, but the obstacles to this are poorly documented. This study has two objectives to explore the perspectives of men and women on barriers to contraceptive use and to identify the strategies to increase male involvement in family planning.MethodsIt is a qualitative study using 20 focus groups and 52 in-depth individual interviews in two regions (North Central Region and Central East Region) with a sample of 29 adult men and 23 women who were married and had children or not. Interviews were conducted in Moore (the national language commonly spoken in both regions). All interviews were recorded and transcribed into French using Microsoft Word. Then, content analysis was carried out using the constant comparison method to identify the major themes.ResultsThe results show that men’s attitudes are still a significant barrier to women’s use of modern contraceptives. The reasons women do not use contraception and men do not adhere to FP programmes include lack of method knowledge, negative beliefs and perceptions about modern contraceptive methods, and the side effects of contraceptives. Cultural norms and preferences for large families are also common barriers to FP. However, the results showed that men’s awareness of FP, communication between spouses, and access to FP services can promote men’s adherence to FP programmes in the Centre-East and Centre-North regions of Burkina Faso.ConclusionEfforts should be made to improve educational standards, especially for men, and reorient FP services to make them more accessible to men.

Family planning practices of women working in the Cambodian garment industry: a qualitative study

BackgroundWomen working in Cambodian garment factories have unmet needs for family planning (contraception and safe abortion) services, because of their background and living conditions. This study describes their experiences regarding abortion and contraception as part of a larger project to develop an intervention to support comprehensive post-abortion care.MethodsWe conducted semi-structured interviews with women seeking abortion services at private health facilities. In addition, we interviewed the private providers of abortion and contraception services surrounding garment factories. Interviews lasted up to 60 min and were conducted in Khmer and later translated into English. A thematic analysis was undertaken, with medical abortion experiences coded according to the Cambodia comprehensive abortion care protocol.ResultsWe interviewed 16 women and 13 providers between August and November 2018. Most women reported being married and had at least one child. Among factory workers the major reported reasons for abortion were birth spacing and financial constraints. Family, friends, or co-workers were the major information resources regarding abortion and contraception, and their positive or negative experiences strongly influenced women’s attitude towards both. Medical abortion pills were not always provided with adequate instructions. Half of the participants had a manual vacuum aspiration procedure performed after medical abortion. While women knew the side effects of medical abortion, many did not know the adverse warning signs and the signs of abortion completion. Only three women started post abortion family planning, as most of the women expressed fear and hesitation due to concerns about side effects of modern contraception. Fear of infertility was particularly reported among young women without children.ConclusionThis research shows that in this setting not all women are receiving comprehensive abortion care and contraceptive counselling. Provision of accurate and adequate information about abortion methods and modern contraception was the dominant shortfall in abortion care. Future work to address this gap could involve the development of appropriate interventions and informative tools for women in the Cambodian garment industry such as through existing client contact-centres or social media, including creation of videos or posts on topics that come from clients questions.

The Association Between the Special Subsidy for Families Practicing Family Planning and the Mental Health of Loss/Disability-of-Single-Child Parents: Evidence from China.

This study evaluated the association between the special subsidy policy and the mental health of loss/disability-of-single-child parents (LCPs/DCPs) in China and found that accepting the special subsidy is inversely related to the mental health of LCPs and DCPs. In addition, accepting the subsidy is more inversely related to the mental health of LCPs than DCPs, of rural parents than urban parents, of male parents than female parents, and of loss/disability-of-single-son parents than loss/disability-of-single-daughter parents. According to taboo trade-off theory, we proposed several explanations for the finding and put forward some policy recommendations.

Level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of family planning and associated factors among disabled persons, north-shewa zone, Amhara regional state, Ethiopia

BackgroundIn Ethiopia, people with disabilities face socioeconomic disadvantages and they have a limited access to sexual and reproductive health information including family planning service. At present, however, there is a scarcity of research on the association between disability and family planning, and only limited data is available for disabled people in Ethiopia. Hence, this study assessed the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of family planning and associated factors among disabled persons in North-shewa zone, Amhara regional state, Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted from June to October 2019. A total of 397 study participants were interviewed using a structured and pre-tested questionnaire. A multistage systematic sampling technique was employed to select study participants. Data were entered into Epi data and exported into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 for analysis. Logistic regression was performed to analyze the data. A significant association was declared at a p-value of less than 0.05.ResultsForty-six percent of study participants were knowledgeable about family planning methods. The injectable was the most known method of modern contraception (74.8%) while withdrawal (18.1%) was the least known traditional family planning method. Fifty-five percent of our study participants had a good attitude about family planning methods and one-fourth (24.5%) of disabled persons currently utilized any method of family planning. Those having a good knowledge of family planning were 1.6 times more likely to utilize family planning methods than those having poor knowledge of family planning methods (AOR = 1.61, CI = 1.27, 16.24). Moreover, participants who completed college education were 7 times more likely to have a good knowledge of family planning methods than uneducated participants (AOR = 7.23; 95% CI = 2.28, 22.06).ConclusionsIn this study, the knowledge, attitude, and practice of disabled people about family planning methods were relatively low. Due attention should be given to ensure that disabled people are well informed about family planning methods through information, education, and communication activities.

Patterns of contraceptive use among Thai women aged ≥40 and at risk of pregnancy

Objectives The aims of the study were to identify the patterns of contraceptive use among Thai women aged ≥40 years and the reasons for not using contraception. Methods This cross-sectional study included sexually active women aged 40–49 years in Khon Kaen, Thailand. Information on contraceptive practice and reasons for not using contraception was collected through a self-reported questionnaire. The unmet need for a modern method of contraception and the unmet need for any method of contraception were calculated based on the percentage of participants who were not using contraception but who wanted to postpone or prevent pregnancy. Results Of 400 women, 75.5% were currently using some form of contraception, with female sterilisation being the most used (35%). The main reasons for not using contraception included perceived low risk of pregnancy, health concerns, infrequent sexual intercourse and wish to become pregnant. The unmet need for a modern method of contraception was 23.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.20%, 0.29%). Having children was a significant protective factor (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.18; 95% CI 0.08, 0.37; p = 0.000). The unmet need for any method of contraception was 12% (95% CI 0.09%, 0.16%). Previous abortion was a significant risk factor for not using any contraception (adjusted OR 2.23; 95% CI 1.12, 4.44; p = 0.022). Conclusion Although the use of contraception was common, some participants displayed a lack of knowledge and/or did not practise family planning. Our findings address the importance of improving knowledge about the risks of pregnancy and the need for effective contraception in this population.

A study on knowledge, attitude and practice of family planning and determinants of fertility among different socio religious groups in a southern city: a cross sectional study

Background: The present study was conducted to assess knowledge, attitude, the practice of family planning and to study the determinants of fertility in different socio religious population in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India.Methods: The present cross-sectional study was carried out among 150 study subjects using a self-administered questionnaire. The data was collected and analyzed with Epi info version 7.Results: Only 144 participants actively participated and given their consent. Majority of them have knowledge about any one method of contraception. An average of both Muslim and Hindu religion have known about the natural contraceptive methods, oral contraceptive pills and IUCD was equal and an average of 11-12% of the participant were aware about side effects of oral contraceptive pills. The objections to contraceptive preventing women from using contraceptives coming from husbands and mother-in-law were strongly agreed/agreed in Hindu and Muslim population almost similar. The religious believes were strongly agreed/agreed in Muslim women than Hindu. Even though most of the participants visited or consulted with health care professionals in health center for family planning and 3/4th of them were using contraception. While comparing the four proximate determinants of fertility, index of contraception had greater impact on fertility than others.Conclusions: The present study highlighted that most of the women have not practised and have less knowledge about modern contraceptive methods. Innovative approaches have to be planned, tested and implemented to ensure their access to information, contraceptive methods and family planning services.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of family planning among reproductive age group women of urban and rural areas of Gadag: a comparison study

Background: India is the second most populous country in the world 1.311 million (2015). With only 2.4% of the world land area India is supporting 17.5% of the world population. The rampant population growth has been viewed as the greatest obstacle to the economic and social advancement. Reproductive choice is one of the most fundamental rights of a couple. Empowering a woman to control her fertility allows her to complete her education or employment aspirations. Aim and objective of the study was to know the distribution of socio-demographic factors which influence KAP about FP methods among eligible reproductive age group women.Methods: A community based cross sectional study was done from 27 March 2017 to 20 April 2017 in rural and urban areas of Gadag Taluk in women of eligible reproductive age group with a sample size of 560.Results: 25.4% of the women are in the age group of 28-32 years. Majority of the women belonged to Hindu (87.5%) and 11.1% Muslims. Highest proportion of women have completed middle and high school which amounts to 42.3%. and 17.7% were illiterates. 43.6% of the respondents married at the age of 20-24 years, 48.2% of the women were homemakers, 3.6% were professionals and 1.8% were semi-professionals and 23.2% were unskilled.Conclusions: Family planning is the most effective measure to bring control on the population. Knowing the socio-demographic factors which influence the adoption of family planning methods is of utmost importance to plan for birth control and spacing children especially for the policy makers.

A questionnaire-based study on contraceptive practice in patients with rheumatic disease found no significant difference in age-matched healthy controls.

Birth control is crucial in preventing unplanned pregnancy. The study analyzed contraceptive practice in women and men with rheumatic disease. A questionnaire-based study investigated the actual contraceptive practices in patients of reproductive age from three European countries and compared them to age-matched healthy women and men. Associations between patient characteristics and contraception behavior were analyzed by association analysis. No significant difference in the frequency of contraception use was found in 133 rheumatic patients compared to 122 healthy controls. The main reason for not using contraception was lack of partner or the wish to become pregnant, whereas the current use of contraception was predominantly to limit family size in general or at this stage of life. Both patients and controls preferred barrier methods (48% and 45%, respectively) followed by hormonal contraceptives (31% and 38%, respectively). Characteristics associated with less use of contraception in patients were living single, having no children, and for being religious, whereas gender and education had no influence. Treatment with teratogenic drugs was no major patient concern, and 13 of 30 female patients using methotrexate, mycophenolate mofetil, or leflunomide did not practice birth control. Patients used contraception less frequently than healthy individuals, and the main reason for use was to limit family size. Contraception should be an integral part of counseling patients of fertile age, since the patient-preferred methods in case of active disease or therapy with teratogenic drugs were unreliable for the prevention of pregnancy.

Practice of Family Planning among Married Female Attendants to Shawa Family Health Unit, Dakahlia, Egypt

Background: Contact of healthcare team with healthcare customers is a good opportunity to communicate health education regarding family planning (FP). Objectives: to assess FP practice among rural female attendants to Shawa Family Health Center and to determine the associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Shawa village (Dakahlia governorate, Egypt). The target population included all married non-pregnant attendants during the period of the study. A predesigned questionnaire was used to collect data related to socioeconomic characteristics, FP practice, satisfaction with the service provided. A convenient sample was obtained. Results: The study included 449 women. Contraception prevalence rate was 46.5%. The prevalence of unmet need for limiting pregnancy was 23.8%. Logistic regression shows that women’s age of (25-34.9y), ≥35Y, insufficient income, having more than 2 children were independent significant predictors of higher FP use [AOR (95%CI): 7.8 (4.4-13.6), 1.4(0.7-2.8), 5.4(3-9.7), 2.4(1.3-4.3) respectively]. Among women aged ≥25Y, the unmet need increased significantly among illiterate women [AOR (95%CI): 11.9 (3.86-37.08)], while it decreased significantly among women with insufficient income [AOR (95%CI): 0.13(0.05-0.32)]. Important concerns related to privacy and counselling were documented. Conclusions: Findings showed poor FP practice among attendants. Contact of attendants with healthcare staff does not imply good FP practice if this contact is not accompanied by active communication and education. Poverty may be a trigger of higher FP practice. Unmet need for pregnancy limiting relates mainly to low education level. Information, Education, Counselling activities are urgently needed.

Knowledge and Practice of Family Planning Methods among Married Women of Reproductive Age of Chepang Community of Dhading District

Background: Knowledge of family planning plays a significant role in public health to control birth and maintain the health of women. The Chepang, a backward and deprived indigenous group of Nepal, heavily experiences teenage pregnancies, high fertility and high mortality of infants and mothers, which are largely due to lack of knowledge on family planning. So, the objective of this study was to find knowledge and practice regarding family planning among married women of reproductive age.
 Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among married women of the Chepang community, Benighat, Dhadnig, Nepal from September 2016 to November 2016. A simple random probability sampling technique was used to collect 80 respondents.
 Results: The mean age of the respondents was (30.7 ± 7) years, ranging from 17 to 47, with majority being 25-29 years.. The average marital age, and average age at first pregnancy were (16.7 ± 2) years and (17.7 ± 2.33) years respectively. Ninety-two percent of the respondents were aware of family planning. The major sources of information were health workers (79.2%) and radio/television (57.1%). The most known methods of contraception were Depo- provera (87.3%) and pills (85.7%), whereas least known methods were copper T (31%) and Norplant (31%). The contraceptive prevalence was 49.9%, among which pills and Depo provera were used maximum by the respondents (41.1%). One third (33.8%) of the respondents had the adequate knowledge. Education, spousal communication, current contraceptive users, married age, number of children, and age at first pregnancy were the significant factors affecting the knowledge and practice of family planning (P < 0.05). 
 Conclusion: Literacy status, spousal communication, marital age, size of children, and age at first pregnancy are the associated factors of knowledge. Whereas, practicing of family planning was associated to cultural taboos, self-decision, literacy status, and spousal communication.

Household assets and food security in and around medium-sized towns: some insights from Morogoro and Iringa, Tanzania

ABSTRACT This paper examines the extent to which household assets ownership vary along the urban-rural continuum, and assess the influence of these assets on household food accessibility. A cross-sectional research design using a stratified random sample of 279 households was sampled along the urban-rural continuum in Morogoro and Iringa, Tanzania. The results show that household assets ownership varies significantly in areas regarded as urban, peri-urban and rural. Using binary logistic regression, household food accessibility improves as household head's education and the number of household members earning income increase. Conversely, food accessibility worsens as household size, the proportion of consumption expenditure on food, and reliance on aid increase. It is concluded that although household assets ownership varies greatly along the urban-rural continuum, its food accessibility status is influenced by factors such as household head's education level, number of members earning an income, household size, the proportion of consumption expenditure on food and reliance on aid. Household's location does not affect its food accessibility. Therefore, household's heads should be given appropriate technical skills to enable them to improve their household food accessibility. More job opportunities should be created mostly in rural areas and people should be sensitised to practice family planning.

Educational Qualification and Family Planning Practices Among Married Persons in Southwest, Nigeria

This study examined the relationship between educational qualification and family planning practices among married persons in Southwest Nigeria. Descriptive research design of the survey type was adopted for this study and the sample consisted of one thousand and two hundred (1,200) married persons. Multistage random sampling technique was used to select the sample. Information was collected for the study through the administration of questionnaire to the respondents. Data obtained were analysed using mean, standard deviation, ANOVA and regression analysis. The result revealed that educational qualification of married persons will significantly influence the family planning practices. It was concluded that married person with high educational qualification will definitely plan their family by giving birth to few children, It was therefore recommended that married persons need to improve on their educational status in order to increase the level of family planning practices. Also they should see the need to plan and space child birth. Keywords: Marriage, Family, Educational Qualification, Family Planning Practices, Child Spacing. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/10-6-05 Publication date: March 31 st 2020

Contraception as a Potential Gateway to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis: US Women's Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Modality Preferences Align with Their Birth Control Practices.

Addressing women's low uptake of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) requires improved understanding of their product preferences. Such preferences should be contextualized according to other aspects of their reproductive health, including their contraception practices. We investigated women's preferences across 10 PrEP modalities currently available or under study and examined associations between PrEP modality preferences and contraception practices. Heterosexually active women recently engaged in care at Connecticut Planned Parenthood centers (n = 563) completed an online survey. Participants were presented with images and descriptions of 10 PrEP modalities and asked to indicate their preference and specify their reasoning in an open-response format. Participants also reported prior and current use of 16 contraception modalities along with relationship, sexual health, and sociodemographic characteristics. The sample included women ages 18-45 (45.3% 25 or younger) who were predominantly non-Hispanic black (35.7%) or white (33.7%). All PrEP modalities presented were preferred by at least some women, with daily pills (24.9%), injections (24.3%), and invisible implants (14.9%) preferred most commonly. Across all modalities, associated reasoning often centered around ease of use and comfort. Coincidence with contraception modality was the third-most common reason underlying women's preferences. Women currently using the analogous contraception modality versus never having used it had higher odds of preferring PrEP daily pills [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.03], injections (AOR = 8.45), invisible implants (AOR = 11.63), and vaginal rings (AOR = 8.66). Diversification of available PrEP modalities and prioritization of those coinciding with popular contraception practices-especially daily pills, injections, and implants-could optimize PrEP acceptability, encourage PrEP uptake, and ultimately reduce HIV incidence among women.

Unmet needs for family planning and its socio-demographic correlates among women in the reproductive age group in central rural India

Background: Unmet need is the discrepancy between reproductive intentions and birth control practices. If the unmet needs remained neglected it leads to population explosion which is one of the greatest threats to India’s economic, social and political development. A community-based study was carried out in rural areas with the objective to find the prevalence of unmet need for family planning and its socio-demographic determinants among married women of reproductive age.Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted between January to June 2019. After calculation of sample size 670 participants were selected by simple random sampling method. Predesign and semi structured Performa was used for data collection. Data was collected and analyse using Epi Info 7.Results: Unmet needs of family planning among the study subject was 31.19% (57.58% for the spacer and 42.42% for limiter). It was significantly higher among the Muslim (66.67%) and Boudh (40.38) religion. It was higher among Illiterate (40.82%), women residing in joint families (72.16%). Unmet need of family planning was significantly associated with age of women, religion, educational status of women and their husbands, occupation, type of family, no of children the women have and age at marriage.Conclusions: Unmet needs among married women in the reproductive age group was still high and was significantly associated with age of women, religion, educational status of women as well as their husband, occupation, type of family, number of children the women had and age at marriage.

Awareness and practice of family planning among women residing in two rural communities in Ogun State, South West Nigeria.

Background:Family planning helps individuals and couples to avoid unwanted pregnancies, regulate interval between pregnancies, and determine the number of children in the family. Family planning is an effective intervention for promoting maternal health, but its acceptability and utilization are impeded by many factors.Aim:This study was conducted to assess the rural women's awareness and practice of family planning in two communities in Ogun State.Materials and Methods:This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 561 women of reproductive age. Data collection was done using interviewer administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20. Frequencies were generated and Chi-square test was used to explore associations. Binary logistic regression was used to determine predictors of ever-used family planning.Results:Majority were aware of family planning (410, 73.1%). The method most commonly known was male condom (348, 84.9%), pills (276, 67.3%), and injectables (231, 56.3%). Respondents who had ever-used family planning were (265, 47.2%). The methods commonly used were injectables (104, 39.2%) and pills (85, 32.1%). Reasons for not using family planning include the desire for more children (78, 26.3%), lack of spousal support (56, 18.9%), and fear of undesirable effects (44, 14.9%). Determinants of ever-used family planning after logistic regression were age and occupation. Women between 31 and 40 years of age were two times more likely than women <20 years to have used family planning (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.17–1.23). Farmers were 53% less likely than traders to have ever-used family planning (AOR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.29–0.78).Conclusion:Although the awareness of family planning was high in this study, it did not correspond to practice. Campaigns promoting the use of family planning for child spacing, male involvement in family planning and dispelling of fears is recommended to improve practice of family planning.