The Profile of Norplant Acceptors in Calabar

Abstract

This study was based on a review of client record notes of 1048 Norplant acceptors at the Family Planning Unit, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), who presented between January 1989 and December, 1995. There were 5340 new contraceptive acceptors during the study period, with a Norplant acceptance rate of 19.6%. The modal age range in the study was 20-29 years (60.0%). Educational level of clients showed that 143 (13.6%) did not have any formal education, while 486 (46.4%) had secondary education. Norplant acceptors were engaged in nine different types of occupation, with the most predominant being petty traders (19.2%), seamstresses (14.3%) and hairdressers (14.0%). Six hundred and seventy-six (64.5%) clients were married, while, 472 (45.0%) had three to five children. Clients became aware of Norplant through friends and relatives in 398 (38.0%) cases and through referrals from other clinics in 203 (19.4%) cases. These results suggest that Norplant is readily acceptable to married clients of low and middle – income levels desirous of regulating their family size. Adolescents and other women in unstable relationships should also be targeted.

Key Words: Norplant Use, Profile of Acceptors, Source of Information.

Mary Slessor Journal of Medicine Vol.4(1) 2004: 45-48