KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF FAMILY PLANNING AMONG WOMEN

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to ascertain the knowledge, attitude and practice of family planning among women in Oredo Local Government Area, Edo state. To achieve the purpose of the study, four (4) research questions were raised and literature related to the study were also reviewed. The descriptive survey research design was used for this study and the population consisted of women of child bearing age (15-49 years) in Oredo Local Government Area, Edo state. A total of one hundred (100) women were selected using the simple random sampling technique. The instrument used for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire administered by the researcher with the aid of two trained research assistants. The questionnaire was validated by the project supervisor and two other lecturers in the Department of Health, Safety and Environmental Education. The split half method was used to establish the reliability of the questionnaire. Copies of the instrument were given to a convenience sample of 20 women in Oredo local government Area and a reliability coefficient value of 0.64 was obtained. A total of one hundred (100) questionnaires were administered to the sample respondents and data collected was analyzed using frequency count and percentage. The results of this study indicates that the women have a high level of knowledge about family planning and most of the women showed positive attitude towards family planning. Data collected and analyzed revealed that the main source of information to women in the study were healthcare providers and the mass media. This makes it more likely that correct and complete information on family planning would be conveyed to respondents which could lead them to developing positive attitude towards family planning.Based on these findings, it was recommended that Family planning programmes in Oredo local government Area should target women within the ages of 15-25 years so as to inculcate early in them a positive attitude towards family planning methods and Healthcare facilities in Oredo local government should be equipped to provide quality family planning services. This includes training healthcare providers, stocking a variety of contraceptive methods, and maintaining privacy and confidentiality.