Family planning practice in a tertiary health institution in north-western Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Family planning in our environment had remained a delicate issue that is still reluctantly being accepted based on religious belief and the perception that it is synonymouswith population control. Objective: This study was carried out with the objectives of identifying the characteristics of contraceptive acceptors in our family planning unit, their source(s) of information andmethods of preference among others. Materials and methods: The record cards of all clientswho attended the family panning clinic between January 1 1998 and December 31 2002 as well as the theatre records of patients that had bilateral tubal ligation (BTL) during the study period were reviewed. Relevant information on biodata, reasons for family planning, methods of choice and reasons for discontinuationwere extracted and analysed.Comparative percentagewas used for the analysis. Result: A total of 839 clients requested and were served with contraceptives during the study period with an acceptor rate of 167.8/annum. Over75%of the acceptors were Muslims. The main reason for selecting family planning services was for child spacing (84.9%) with only 12% requiring the service to end the reproductive carrier. Antenatal/postnatal clinics were theirmain source(s) of information about family planning services. Conclusion: The study revealed that the practice rate of family planning in this community is still low. Female education, use of religious / traditional leaders alongwith improved dissemination of information using themass mediamay go alongway to increase  contraceptive up take. 

Keywords: Family planning, acceptance,Muslimcommunity.