Knowledge, perception, and acceptance of vasectomy among male teachers in secondary schools in chikun local government area of Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Family planning programs have historically been focused on women. This has reinforced the misconception that family planning is largely a woman’s responsibility, with the man playing a peripheral role. Vasectomies are a safe, effective, permanent, and cost‑effective modern method of contraception which has poor global uptake in spite of its many benefits. Aim: This study aims to assess the knowledge, perception, and acceptance of vasectomy among male teachers in secondary schools in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Across‑sectional descriptive study was carried out using a pretested interviewer‑administered questionnaire. A total of 178 male teachers were selected using a multistage random sampling technique. Data were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 23, and the results were presented using tables. Chi‑square test of proportion was used to test for association. Fisher’s exact test was used where conditions for Chi‑square test were not met. The level of statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 37 ± 7.4 years. Only a small proportion of teachers (6.7%) had good knowledge on vasectomy. Only 5.6% of the teachers had a positive perception about vasectomy, and majority (92.1%) were unwilling to accept to carry out the procedure. The age of the teachers and number of children they had were found to have a statistically significant association with their acceptance of vasectomy (P = 0.004 and P < 0.0001, respectively). Conclusion: Majority of the respondents had poor knowledge and negative perception toward vasectomy with a lot of misconceptions. Acceptance of vasectomy was also poor. Intermittent awareness campaigns on family planning methods should be carried out in the community by the local government health authority, and vasectomy should be discussed in detail to improve awareness and dispel misconceptions.