ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to assess awareness of family planning among women of childbearing agein Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria. Ex-post facto research design was used for this study and the sample size consisted of 384 respondents. To achieve this purpose, a researcher developed questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. The population of the study consisted of 72,844 women of childbearing ageof child bearing age. The instrument was vetted by five jurors from the Departments of Physical and Health Education and Nursing Sciences. Three hundred and eighty-four (384) copies of questionnaire were distributed to the respondents. Three hundred and seventy-nine (379; 98.7%) were adequately filled and retrieved from respondents. Five (5;1.3%) copies of questionnaire were not filled correctly and therefore; those were not used. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed which consisted of; stratified, simple random, purposive, proportionate sampling procedure. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentages, mean and standard deviation. To test the formulated hypotheses, one sample t-test was used. All the formulated null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 alpha level of significance. The results of the study revealed that women of childbearing agein Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Nigeria have significant knowledge of family planning with a t-value of 3.201 (p-value of 0.021). The findings further showed that women of childbearing agein Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi do not have significant attitude towards family planning with t-value of 1.291 and p-value of 0.18, finally the results of the study revealed that women of childbearing agein Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi do not significantly practice family planning with a (p-value of 1.05). On the basis of the research findings, the following conclusions are drawn; that women of childbearing agein Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi were knowledgeable about family planning, that women of childbearing age in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi do not have a positive attitude and practice of family planning. The following recommendations were made based on the conclusions. Federal, state and local government health units should encourage women of childbearing age in sustaining their knowledge of family planning through community mobilization and enlighten programmes. The health directorate in collaboration with the family planning unit should roll out more programmes such as organizing workshops, seminars, to educate married couples on the benefits of family planning practices. This will bridge the gap between knowledge and practice of family planning.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
The act of giving birth is the most serious labour in the world (Ademowore, 2011). The explosive increase in the nation’s population emanating from indiscriminate child-bearing, apart from a small number of privileged and conscientious countries that have succeeded in reducing the population growth, each pregnancy and birth remains a risk fatal experience for hundreds of millions of women of childbearing age worldwide.
Family planning is a means by which individuals or couples space the process of conception, pregnancy and childbirth in intervals, mutually determined by both husband and wife in order to have desired number of children that they can conveniently cater for their needs (Delano, 2010).
According to Ahmed (2014), Family Planning is the factor that may be considered by a couple in a committed relationship and each individual involved in deciding if and when to have children. Though, rarely articulated, family planning may involve consideration of the number of children a couple wish to have as well as the age at which they wish to have them. Family Planning are obviously influenced by external factors such as marital situation, career considerations, financial position, any disabilities that may affect their ability to have children and raise them, beside many other considerations.
