Knowledge, sources and use of family planning methods among women aged 15-49 years in Uganda: a cross-sectional study

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Date
2016-05-10
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Pan African Medical in partnership with the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET).
Abstract
Introduction: Lack of knowledge of where to obtain correct family planning (FP) information and methods can be a critical barrier to eventual uptake of FP services. We assessed knowledge, sources and use of FP methods among women of reproductive age in rural Uganda. Methods: This secondary analysis uses data from a larger cross-sectional study conducted to measure changes in perceptions towards long-term and reversible contraceptive use among 2,033 women of reproductive age (15-49years) resident in 34 districts of Uganda. Both users and non-users of FP methods were interviewed. Data were analyzed using STATA statistical software, version 12. Results: Majority of the women were less than 30 years of age (64.3%). Nearly three-quarters were married (73.1%), 51.1% had primary education and more than half (57%) were engaged in employment. Knowledge of FP methods was universal (98.1%). Clinic providers (60.4%), friends (56.9%) and the media (51.3%) were the most trusted sources of contraceptive information. Government (27.6%) and private (21.1%) health facilities were the main sources of modern FP methods. Sixty two per cent of women reported current use of any FP method. Among non-users of FP, injectables (50.4%), implants (22.8%) and pills (20.2%) were the most preferred FP methods. Conclusion: Our findings show that knowledge of FP methods is almost universal and that six in ten women use any FP method. Clinic providers, friends and the media are the most trusted sources of FP information. Government and private health facilities are the main sources of FP services.
Description
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This article is available online at: http://www.panafrican-med-journal.com/content/article/24/39/full/
Keywords
Family planning - Uganda, Family planning methods, Contraceptive methods - Uganda, Family planning knowledge - Youth - Uganda
Citation
Stephen Galla Alege et al. (2016) Knowledge, sources and use of family planning methods among women aged 15-49 years in Uganda: a cross-sectional study. Pan African Medical Journal. 24:39. Doi:10.11604/pamj.2016.24.39.5836