Family Planning Methods Utilization among Women of Reproductive Age in Ebonyi North Zone of Ebonyi State

Abstract

This study investigated family planning methods utilization among women of reproductive age in Ebonyi North Zone, Ebonyi State. Five research questions and four hypotheses guided the study. The study employed cross-sectional research design. The study was conducted in Ebonyi North Zone Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. The population of the study comprised of 7525 women of reproductive age in Ebonyi North Zone, Ebonyi State and 752 participated in the study. Multi-stage sampling technique was adopted in the selection of the sample. The instrument for data collection was structured questionnaire labeled: Family Planning Methods Utilization Questionnaire (FPMUQ). Internal consistency of the instrument was determined using Cronbach alpha co-efficient r and the overall reliability coefficient was 0.87.Mean, standard deviation, One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and t-test statistics were used to analyze the data. The results showed that women of reproductive age in Ebonyi North Zone utilized family planning methods to a low extent (1.87± 0.06). The same trend was observed when individual characteristics namely; education, years in marriage, location and parity were tracked. However, women with tertiary education (2.10± 0.51), 21years and above in marriage (1.97± 0.57), women residing in urban (2.30± 0.37) and those with 5 children and above (2.00± 0.56) utilize family planning methods better than others. When ANOVA statics was run, significant differences were observed in the extent of family planning methods utilization among the women regarding level of education (F-value 24.952, p=0.000), years in marriage (F-value 16.582, p=0.000), location (t-value 18. 097, p=0.000) and parity (F-value 21.159, p=0.000). The study concluded that women of reproductive age in Ebonyi North zone utilized family planning methods to low extent and the implication is that it will lead to increase in population size, unsafe abortion and other life threatening Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) problems which the use of family planning methods would have been prevented. The authors recommended, among others, that government and Non-Governmental Organizations through health educators should intensify activities toward creating awareness on the need for use of family planning methods to avert some reproductive health problems among the women.