MODERN
FAMILY PLANNING PRACTICES AND ITS CHALLENGES AMONG WOMEN OF BODO COMMUNITY IN
GOKANA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study
Family
planning practice help individual or couples to avoid unwanted pregnancies
regulate the intervals between pregnancies, control the time of birth in
relation to the age of parent and determine the number of children in the
family through contraceptive use or other means.
However,
modern family planning or contraceptive has increased worldwide over the last
couple of years the contractive prevalence rate (C.P.R) in the low resources
countries in very low coverage of 25% of couples in Nigeria, who want to space
their children do not use any form of family planning method (Nigeria Demographic
and Health Survey, 2013).
Nigeria
is the most populous country in Africa, with a population figure of 1662
million as at 2012. It also has a high annual rate of population growth of 3.5%
and a total fertility rate of 6.0 life time birth per woman. The national
demographic and health survey (2003) indicate infant mortality rate of 101 per
1000 live births and material death at 828 per 100,000 live births.
Report
from national aids and reproductive health survey NARHS (2012), in Nigeria
indicate that while awareness of contraceptive was available at the proportion
of female using any method and modern contractive available at the regional and
national level include, pills, intrauterine contraceptive device, Injectable
implants male condoms, female condoms, male and female sterilization,
diaphragm, foam/jelly, lactation amenorrhea, and emergency contraceptive.
According
to Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey NDHS (2013) about 23% of teenage girls
between age 15 and 19years were already mother or pregnant with first child.
About 100 0ut of 250 adolescent pregnancies of Nigeria end with unsafe abortion
and the estimated 600,000 include abortion annually, adolescent contribute 60%
(Ezechi, 2009). Despite this, the level of contraceptive usually among women,
this group has been reported to be low.
However,
the age at which women engage in sexual activities varies considerably
depending on the various socialization influence and opportunities available
for practicing sexual behavior, the economic situation of the couples lifestyle
and family history make some wives do not stay with any particular husband this
is why, information and medical service, relate to sexuality reproduction,
contraception and fertility control should be made available to all regardless
of their individual income marital status race ethnicity, sexual orientation,
age, nationality or residence (Planned Parenthood Federation, 2012).
These women
have negative attitude about family planning while some have heard false and
mislead information they believe that women don’t need contraception since they
are living with their husband and for that they can get as many children as
possible in order to tackle population increase, efforts have been made by the
federal government of Nigeria and united nation children fund (UNICEF) Planned
Parenthood federation association (PPFA) to increase awareness, attitude and
practice of family planning among all reproductive age group including
adolescent.
1.2
Statement of the Problem
The
researchers being native of Bodo Community in Gokana local government area
observed that most women in the community of reproductive age may be married or
not and most of them know little or have incorrect information about modern
family planning methods. Even when they don’t know when to get them and how to
use it, a perceived barrier of the modern is that they believed that only
commercial sex workers should be involved in the art of family planning. The
correspondence between them and health worker, knowledge, and acceptance of
modern family planning methods has drawn attention to women’s perception about
the positive and negative aspect of modern contraceptive among women and child-bearing
is yet to be effective among women in rural area of most developing countries.
Based on the perception of some of these women or modern family planning
contraceptive the researchers resolved to examine knowledge attitude and
practice of modern family planning through application of recent contraceptives.
1.3
Significance of the Study
The study
should be used to determine the effectiveness of health education on modern
family planning contraceptive usage at the grass rote. It is hoped that the
study will have practical significance as it is geared toward addressing an
issue that is fundamental to individual, families, communities and to the
society and Nigeria is at large.
A study of
this nature will help in policy decision making on the importance of child
spacing to the public and thus, help in the economic development of the nation
it will equally help in the management of population control and human
resources development.
Practically,
the finding from the study will be used by future research to explore other
ways of reducing material morbidity/mortality from unwanted pregnancy
complication and sexually transmitted infections the knowledge acquired from
the study will be used to create awareness on the modern family planning
methods.
1.4
Objective of the Study
This is stated in two sub-sections
below
1.4.1
General Objectives
The aim of
this study is to access the knowledge, attitude and practice of modern family
planning among women of reproductive age in Bodo Community in Gokana Local
Government Area.
1.4.2
Specific Objective
The specific objectives for this
project are
1.
To
determine the knowledge of contraceptive among women of child-bearing age in
Bodo community
2.
To
identify factors associated with current use of modern contraceptive in the
study population
3.
To
identify the attitude of Bodo women of child-bearing age toward modern family
planning contraceptives.
4.
To
determine the extent of use of modern family planning contraceptives by Bodo
women of child-bearing age
1.5
Researcher Questions
The following research questions are
formulated to guild the study
1. What is the level of knowledge of
child-bearing age mothers about modern family planning contraceptive I Bodo
community?
2. What is the attitude of child-bearing
age women toward modern family planning contraceptive in Bodo community?
3. To what extent have the women of
child bearing age in Bodo community used any modern family planning
contraceptive?
4. What are the challenges associated
with the use of modern family planning contraceptive?
1.6
Scope of the Study
This research shall involve or cover
women child bearing age as regard to modern contraceptive in Bodo community
1.7
Operational Definition of Terms
Modern: relating
to the present and recent times as an opposed to the remote past or designed
and made using the most recent ideas and methods.
Practices: the
observation of religious duties that a church requires its members, or a
customary action, habit, or behavior, a manner or routine
Women: plural
of woman, an adult female human
Family Planning: it’s a way of thinking and living that is adopted voluntarily upon the
bases of knowledge, altitude, and responsible decisions, by individuals and
couple in other to promote the health and welfare of the family and thus,
contribute effectively to the social development of the country (WHO)
Contraceptive: it’s
a device or drug that prevent a woman from becoming pregnant
Modern Contraceptive: a product or medical procedure that interferes with
reproduction from acts of sexual intercourse
Challenge: a
call someone to participate in a competitive situation or fight to decide who
is superior in the term of ability or strength. OR a call to prove a justify
something
