Family planning practice in a tertiary health institution in north-western Nigeria.
BACKGROUND
Family planning in our environment had remained a delicate issue that is still reluctantly being accepted based on religious belief and the perception that it is synonymous with population control.


OBJECTIVE
This study was carried out with the objectives of identifying the characteristics of contraceptive acceptors in our family planning unit, their source(s) of information and methods of preference among others.


METHODS
The record cards of all clients who attended the family panning clinic between January 1st 1998 and December 31st 2002 as well as the theatre records of patients that had bilateral tubal ligation (BTL) during the study period were reviewed. Relevant information on biodata, reasons for family planning, methods of choice and reasons for discontinuation were extracted and analysed. Comparative percentage was used for the analysis.


RESULTS
A total of 839 clients requested and were served with contraceptives during the study period with an acceptor rate of 167.8/annum.Over 75% of the acceptors were Muslims. The main reason for selecting family planning services was for child spacing (84.9%) with only 12% requiring the service to end the reproductive carrier. Antenatal/postnatal clinics were their main source(s) of information about family planning services.


CONCLUSIONS
The study revealed that the practice rate of family planning in this community is still low. Female education, use of religious/traditional leaders along with improved dissemination of information using the mass media may go along way to increase contraceptive up take.
Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria. isahay@yahoo.com
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Isah
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Nwobodo
D000328:Adult; D005193:Family Planning Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria; D012067:Religion