Factors affecting utilisation of family planning services in Lamwo district, Northern Uganda.

Abstract

Frequently many pregnancies and child birth leads to maternal and child morbidity and mortality. Effective contraceptive use contributes to maternal health and improved child survival. Objective: To assess factors affecting utilization of family planning services among the population in Lamwo District. Method: A cross-sectional study, using both quantitative and qualitative data collection method. A total of 266 women were randomly selected from the community. Data were collected using a pretested questionnaire, and administered by the research assistants that were trained to conduct this survey. Qualitative data were collected through 9 Focus Group Discussions with selected 3 couples per sub-county and 8 key informants. Quantitative data of 266 questionnaires were analyzed using logistic regression to establish factors affecting utilization of family planning. Results: Factors associated with FP use included age between 31 to 40 years –AOR 1.07, 95%CI 0.23-4.98 and a p-value 0.029: Educational level: those who attended secondary school AOR 4.26; 95%CI 1.01-18.01; p-value 0.049: Occupation, the self employed AOR 6.29; 95%CI 0.29-13.60; p-value 0.024. Side effects significantly associated with non-utilization AOR 4.22; 95%CI 1.20-14.82; p-value 0.025. Cost of 5000 Ug shs. AOR 2.16; 95%CI 1.04-4.49; p-value 0.039: Awareness of family planning services was very good at 85.0%, AOR 4.78; 95%CI 1.84-12.40; p-value 0.001. Contraceptive prevalence rate was at 42.9%. From the qualitative analysis, high awareness level, limited male involvement, poor provider attitude, misconceptions, long distance to service points and side effects were reported to affect family planning utilization. xi Conclusion; the study found that FP utilization was very low compared to the national utilization level. Factors affecting utilization included; age of respondents, educational status, awareness of FP services, occupation of respondents, side effects were found to be significantly associated with FP utilization, therefore heightened measures need to be taken to improve utilization. Obstacles like side effects, inaccessibility, misconceptions and limited male involvement need to be addressed through sensitization, advocacy, and using community health workers for distribution of commodities.