Journal of Emerging Trends in Economics and Management Sciences: Home

Article Title:
A Community-Based Investigation of Socio-Cultural Factors Associated With Utilization of Modern Family Planning By Rural Women in Nigeria
by Nsidibe A. Usoro, Dorothy N.Ononokpono, Joseph O. Alo Ekpechu and Esther Egemba

Abstract:
Researches and scientific literature have associated some socio-cultural factors with the levels of knowledge and utilization of modern family planning services by rural women in Nigeria. Drawing on structured interviews with rural women who have reached the age of puberty, this study explores some cultural norms and values to understand how rural women respond to modern family planning services. Adopting a survey approach and multi-stage sampling technique to select nine hundred (900) participants who were drawn from the three senatorial districts of Akwa Ibom State, findings reveal that married women aged 16-65years were 487 (54%) and the remaining 413 (46%) were unmarried women. The findings further show that 476 (52.9%) of the women knew of family planning: only 234 (26%) had ever used family planning service; and only a small percentage 77 (8.6%) were using family planning services as at the time of the survey. Findings also show that even though periodic abstinence and rhythm were widely used by the women, only 259 (28.8%) knew when a woman can become pregnant. Further analyses of data reveal that only 187 (20.8%) of the women claimed to have had access to family planning services. This study identify factors ranging from cultural beliefs, religion, illiteracy, lack of knowledge, to the problem of accessibility as major determinants of the level of utilization of family planning services in the rural communities. The study recommends more awareness campaign, provision of adequate family planning services, mass literacy policy and counseling facilities to accommodate the increasing health needs of women in the rural communities.\

Keywords: Community-Based, Culture, Factors, Family Planning, Rural Women, Product Markets

Download full paper