Awareness, practice, and predictors of family planning by pregnant women attending a tertiary hospital in a semi-rural community of North-West Nigeria

Background : Nigeria’s maternal and perinatal health status is still among the poorest in the world, with a poor contraceptive prevalence rate and a high fertility rate. Aim : The aim of this study was to assess the level of awareness of family planning methods among women attending antenatal care, its uptake, and predictors of use. Subjects and Methods : This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, carried out at the antenatal clinic of Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kudu, Jigawa state, Nigeria, using an interviewer administered questionnaire to assess the awareness and practice of family planning methods among 350 pregnant women, whom were selected through a systematic sampling technique from June 19, 2012, to August 26, 2012. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relative effect of determinants, adjusting for other predictor variables. Results : Of the 350 respondents, 319 (92%) had heard of family planning, of which 29% had ever used a method and the injectables were the most common method used. The use of family planning methods was significantly associated with respondents’ ethnicity, occupation, and level of education (P ≤ 0.05). The odds ratio of not using family planning methods was 2 times higher in women with informal education (adjusted odds ratio = 2.12; 95% confidence interval = 1.1–3.8). Conclusion : Awareness of family planning methods was high among the respondents surveyed, but the utilization was poor. Female education and empowerment would help to promote uptake in this setting. KEY WORDS: Awareness, family planning, Nigeria, North-West, practice, predictor