Does community mobilisation improve awareness, approval and uptake of family planning methods among women of reproductive age in Ebonyi State Nigeria? Experience from a quasi-experimental study

Abstract

Introduction: family planning programmes have helped in increasing the prevalence of contraceptive use and reducing total fertility rate in
developing countries from six to three births per woman. However, its uptake is lower in the rural areas compared to urban areas. This study seeks
to elucidate the effect of community mobilisation on awareness, approval and use of family planning among women of reproductive age in the rural
areas of Ebonyi state, Nigeria. Methods: we conducted a quasi-experimental study among women aged 15 to 49 years in two rural communities in
Ebonyi state. Using simple random method, we recruited 484 women for the study. We used pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire to
collect information from the participants. Community awareness and distribution of information, education and communication materials were carried
out within one month. We estimated the effect of the intervention on the level of awareness, approval and uptake of family planning methods.
Results: level of awareness increased by 19% (p=0.001) while uptake of family planning increased by 16.7% (p=0.001) in the intervention group.
The approval rate was higher in the intervention group compared to the control group (p=0.008). The most commonly used method of family
planning was the natural method in intervention and control arms. Conclusion: although uptake of family planning increased significantly in the
study population, the rate is generally low. Given the critical role of the community in family planning programmes, community mobilisation may be
deployed to increase uptake of family planning in similar rural communities