Main Article Content
Knowledge, attitude and practice of family planning following termination of pregnancy among Basotho women at Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, Maseru, Lesotho.
Abstract
Mortality and morbidity due to unsafe abortion continue to pose a serious global threat to women‟s health and lives especially in developing countries like Lesotho because of complication of backstreet abortion. This study looks into the knowledge, attitudes and practice of Basotho women on family planning following termination of pregnancy at Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, Maseru, Lesotho.
The study employed a cross sectional study design. The study was conducted among 143 Basotho women who were admitted and had termination of pregnancy done in Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, Maseru, Lesotho. Information about their knowledge, attitudes and practice of family planning were collected via survey questionnaire.
One out of three Basotho women were knowledgeable of at least two (2) family planning methods and more than half of them have used at least one form of family planning method before. However, only a quarter of them were presently on post abortion family planning while about three out of four of them were had not counselled for post abortion family planning at discharge after been evacuated. Although 68.5% of Basotho women were knowledgeable about family planning, only 25.2% were categorized as having a high practice of family planning while 20.3% were classified as having positive attitude about family planning. The practice and perception of Basotho women in Lesotho about family planning methods is low and many of them were not counselled for post abortion family planning at discharge after been evacuated. It is essential that the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) be involved in promoting health education about the importance of family planning and the Ministry of Education (MOE) should introduce or resuscitate family health education in schools.
The study employed a cross sectional study design. The study was conducted among 143 Basotho women who were admitted and had termination of pregnancy done in Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, Maseru, Lesotho. Information about their knowledge, attitudes and practice of family planning were collected via survey questionnaire.
One out of three Basotho women were knowledgeable of at least two (2) family planning methods and more than half of them have used at least one form of family planning method before. However, only a quarter of them were presently on post abortion family planning while about three out of four of them were had not counselled for post abortion family planning at discharge after been evacuated. Although 68.5% of Basotho women were knowledgeable about family planning, only 25.2% were categorized as having a high practice of family planning while 20.3% were classified as having positive attitude about family planning. The practice and perception of Basotho women in Lesotho about family planning methods is low and many of them were not counselled for post abortion family planning at discharge after been evacuated. It is essential that the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) be involved in promoting health education about the importance of family planning and the Ministry of Education (MOE) should introduce or resuscitate family health education in schools.
