Modern Contraceptive Use In Nigeria
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PROJECT MATERIAL
Modern Contraceptive Use In Nigeria
ABSTRACT
A decrease in population growth is thought to increase a country’s possibilities for economic development, which in turn is thought to boost the country’s ability to better the lives of its citizens.
In the case of Nigeria, we can see the rapid growth of population, which has increased threefold, for example, from 56 million people in 1963 to 117 million in 2006, according to the National Population Commission (2011).
There is no more serious socioeconomic issue than population growth. Thus, in order to preserve the country from such a serious crisis, population increase must be carefully controlled and monitored, and people must prioritise their health.
The objectives of this study are to analyse the level of knowledge and practice of family planning, especially modern contraceptives, by people in Nigeria, with particular emphasis on the Hausa community of Katsina-Ala L.G.A.
Benue state, which is one of the populated community in Katsina-Ala L.G.A., examine the characteristics of contraceptive users, and identify those factors that create hindrances to the practice of family planning, especially the modern method of family planning.
The study was analysed by taking a random sample of eighty (80) respondents in their reproductive age in the Hausa community of Katsina-Ala LGA Benue State; data was collected through primary and secondary data;
the research instrument used were a questionnaire, personal observation, and oral interview; and data analysis consisted of simple tabulation on a background of showing frequencies and percentages.
The study reveals that modern methods of family planning are still very underutilised in the study area. Finally, conclusions and recommendations were drawn from the findings in order to improve and facilitate modern family planning practice in our contemporary culture.
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
One of Nigeria’s greatest economic and social challenges is its high fertility rate, which leads to rapid population expansion. This is due to the fact that the usage of modern contraception in Nigeria remains quite low, although increasing over the last few decades from 3.5% to 8.6% (1990 and 1999 Demographic Health Survey; Nigeria National Population and Health Survey 2008: pp4).
It is also suggested that the use of contraception among sexually active adolescents is notably low, contributing to the high rates of teenage pregnancy, unsafe abortion, and maternal mortality, among other things.
Overall, total demand for family planning (FP) remains very low, with only 29% of women demanding it in 1999, according to the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS 2003). However, between 1990 and 1999, the level of unmet family planning needs decreased from 21% to 13.3%.
Nigeria is reported to have one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with figures ranging from 704 (FOS/UNICEF, 2000) to 1500 (UNFPA, 2002) maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (FGN 1986, 1990, UNICEF 1994, Ladipo 1989, Ante 1986).
Modern contraceptive use has been and continues to be a major concern on the international health agenda. Over the last two decades, there has been a growing global concern among policymakers, implementers, and scholars to improve modern contraceptive use, particularly in developing countries (World Health Organisation, 1999; United Nations, 1996; Family Care International, 1994; MDGs 2000).
The establishment of primary health care as a cornerstone of health policy, combined with the importance placed on community-level efforts to improve health services (including family planning)
as well as the efforts of national and international organisations in recent decades, has increased awareness and involvement in family planning services. The launch of the National Population Policy on April 14, 1989, is proof of the government’s end or part of population program.
Since then, Nigeria has made significant efforts to improve its people’s health and lives by building more health facilities and training more health personnel for health care service delivery, but the available statistics show that Nigeria’s reproductive health situation is still poor, with outstanding challenges in the areas of family planning, maternal mortality, adolescent reproductive health, sexually transmitted infections, and gender-based violence (NDHS).
Other partners who have made major contributions to reproductive health in Nigeria include the Pathfinder Internal Centre for Development and Population Activities (PICDPA), Population Services International/Society for Health (PSI/SFH), and Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN), among others. However, the majority of these activities have been spearheaded by various donors and private sectors. Examples of such donor agencies include:
United National Fund for Population Activates (UNFPA): They support reproductive health and family planning
World Health Organisation (WHO): Monitoring Polio
Health System Development Project (HSDP): Assist with capacity building, civil works, equipment, and payment.
Plan Parenthood Federation (PPF): Helps with Family Planning.
United States Agency for International Development (USAID): Assist with reproductive health and family planning.
Mac-Authur Foundation: Primary Donors. (Funmi Adesokan 2014:482-483; Reproductive Health Nigeria, The Enhance Project, June 2005).
While donor organisations and the Nigerian government have made significant contributions to family planning, much more is needed to give it the priority it deserves at all levels of government.
Margaret Sanger, a nurse from America, pioneered family planning in 1912. In recent decades, health workers have come to recognise that, in addition to clean or safe water, a healthy environment, and a balanced diet
family planning is an important component of a good health plan and a unit in a health service that has been neglected to some extent by both individuals and their various communities.
This has been a leading factor in high-risk pregnancy, contributing to the high maternal and infant mortality rate (FGN 1986, 1990; UNICEF 1994; Ladipo 1989; Anate 1986).
High fertility is connected with high levels of material mortality, both because having more pregnancies increases the likelihood of pregnancy-related deaths and because the dangers of pregnancy and childbirth increase after the third child. Nonetheless, despite the risk, many communities in Nigeria continue to put pressure on women to have a large number of children.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO, 1997), family planning is “a way of thinking and living that is adopted voluntarily on the basis of knowledge, attitude, and responsible decision by individuals and couples in order to promote health and welfare of the family, group, and thus contribute effectively to the social development of the country” (National Training Manual on Family Planning (NTMFP), 2004: pp. 31).
Family Planning was further described as the action taken by individuals and couples to plan the number, training, and spacing of children they want in order to promote the family’s health and welfare (G. O. Sofoluwa, 1986).
Although Nigeria is rich in people and national resources, it is currently classified as one of the world’s 13 poorest countries, with approximately 66% of Nigerians living below the poverty line.
This high level of poverty, particularly among rural populations, further restricts access to adequate health care and other basic services (Reproduction Health Nigeria, June 2005).
Furthermore, looking at the high fertility rate of Nigerian women, which is 5.7 births per woman, though it varies from zone to zone, we are mostly concerned with the high material and child mortality rate as indicated by the Nigerian Demographic Health Survey (NDH) 2003, which shows that one woman dies every 10 minutes and about 54,000 women die every year due to complications related to pregnancy and childbirth (Reproductive Health survey, 2003; Reproductive Health Nigeria,
According to Principle 3 of the National Policy on Population for Sustainable Development and Self-Reliance, everyone has the right to the best possible bodily and mental health, including family planning. 22).
There are various sorts of family planning methods, including modern, traditional, and natural methods. This study will focus on modern contraceptive use in Nigeria, with a special emphasis on Hausa
which is common in Katsina-Ala LGA, Benue state. This is because a variety of variables, including education, religion, economics, and traditional beliefs, have contributed to the underutilisation of contemporary contraceptives.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Nigeria has one of the World’s fastest growing populations (2.9% each year). Nigeria had a population of 56 million people in 1963, and it has more than doubled since then, which is concerning for the country’s political, economic, and social development.
According to the National Population Commission (2011), Nigeria’s current population is one hundred and sixty seven million. The current fertility rate is 5.7 children per woman, and Nigeria’s population will double even quicker, reaching 225 million in just 21 years.
One of the primary causes of high fertility in Nigeria is a lack of use of modern contraception (NDHS 2008:7; Population studies on population and quality of life, 2004:7).
The percentage of couples and women of childbearing age who use modern contraception is frequently significantly lower, as it is in the study region, the Hausa community of Katsina-Ala LGA in Benue State.
One cause for the disparity in modern contraceptive use is that individuals are unfamiliar with the various types of modern contraceptive techniques of family planning.
The lower utilisation of modern methods is also due to how they interpreted it and what their way of life is. It has to do with their views and values.
The majority of individuals in the Hausa community Kastina – Ala Local Government Area lack knowledge of modern contraception methods like as hormonal, barrier, and so on.
Few persons who have used modern family planning methods are concerned about side effects and consequences, possibly due to a lack of understanding about modern contraceptives.
Sadder still, men in the study area are not always participating in family planning practices or services because they believe it is only for women, therefore the expected reaction and results on the subject heighten the level of struggle in this regard.
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS.
How does a lack of awareness about modern contraceptive techniques of family planning affect their use in the field of study?
What impact do service providers and facilities have on the implementation of family planning programs?
What is the relationship between a lack of preferred family planning commodities and a poor response to their use in the research area?
How do traditional and religious beliefs about modern contraceptives influence their use in the field of study?
What steps has the government taken to improve the use of modern contraceptives?
1.4 Objectives of the Research
The overarching goal of this study is to investigate the use of contemporary contraception in Nigeria. Specifically, the study aims to
Evaluate the effects of contemporary contraception on the Hausa people in the Katsina Ala Local Government Area of Benue State.
To investigate the variables that prevent the usage of contemporary contraceptives.
Evaluate the government’s role in promoting the use of modern contraception in the Hausa community of Katsina Ala LGA, Benue State.
Identify and discuss options for improving the use of modern contraception in Nigeria.
To make recommendations on potential methods for improving the use of modern contraception.
1.5 Significance of the Study
Many authors, writers, and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have recently made significant contributions to the issue / subject matter under discussion, but it appears that their efforts are generating no results in Nigeria due to the worrisome increase in birth rate.
To improve planning, the situation must be revisited or revised to determine why the available modern contraceptives do not have a passive influence on the majority of Nigerian women.
The researcher, a qualified social worker, has taken on the burden of rescuing, advocating, sensitising, and preventing childbirth through the use of contemporary contraception and family planning, as well as educating women on how to access quality family planning services (preventive and curative).
The research aims to investigate and examine the usage of contemporary contraceptives in Nigeria, with a focus on the Hausa people in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area in Benue state. If thoroughly examined, there may be variables that work against the usage of contemporary contraception in the study area.
This study is significant because the findings will help shape government policy regarding couples’ reproductive health rights. The findings of this study will expose and inform couples on the use and importance of various current contraceptive methods.
Furthermore, it will prepare or open the way for other researchers who wish to conduct research on this topic, thereby contributing to the knowledge and increasing literature in this field.
1.6 Scope of the Study
This research focusses on the Hausa community in the Township Ward of Katsina Ala Local Government Area in Benue State. It focusses on the usage of modern concepts in Nigeria, specifically in the Hausa community in Katsina Ala Local Government Area, Benue State.
The study explores the influence of contemporary contraceptives on people, with a focus on the Hausa community, and the variables that create an unfavourable environment for the use of modern contraceptives will be discovered, as well as suggestions for improving utilisation.
1.7 THE STUDY SETTINGS (Hausa Community, Katsina-Ala LGA, Benue State)
Geographical location: Katsina Ala Township is the administrative centre of Benue State’s Katsina Ala LGA. Katsina Ala Township is home to the Hausa community, which is the focus of this study.
Location: The Hausa community situated in the western section of Katsina Ala Township Ward, Benue State.
Boundaries: The Hausa community is bordered on the west by the River Katsina Ala, on the north by the Ikurav-Tiev I community, on the south by the Etulo community, and on the west by the Abaver community. All of these boundaries fall within Katsina Ala Township District.
The Hausa community in Katsina Ala Local Government Area has an estimated population of 5,375 individuals, according to the National Population Project 2003.
Health Facility: The Hausa community is home to one local government comprehensive health centre. There is no private health care facility in the community.
Social Amenities: The community has very poor housing conditions, few primary educational institutions, inadequate roads, and portable water.
Religious Belief: The majority of the Hausa community of Katsina Ala Township is Muslim, with only a few Christians and Pagans.
Occupation: The majority of the residents are unemployed, with a few tiny traders and farmers.
1.8 Definition of Terms
Every academic discipline has specific terminology linked with it. When terms are employed literally, they often convey meanings that differ from those used professionally. As a result, it is now necessary to define the following terms in order to gain a thorough comprehension of the text in which they appear.
Family Planning is the use of contraceptives to space or limit the number of children.
Modern family planning is the use of artificial contraception to space or limit the number of children.
Traditional Family Planning: It is a family planning practice that involves the use of native herbs specific to the each culture.
Fertilisation is the process of impregnating an ovum with spermatozoa.
Ova: A female reproductive cell.
Spermatozoa is the adult male reproductive cell.
Sterilisation is the process of rendering an organism incapable of reproducing.
Vasectomy: Surgical incision of a portion of the vas deferens in men, commonly for sterilisation.
Tuberligation is the tying up of the fallopian tubes, commonly for sterilisation in females.
Need help with a related project topic or New topic? Send Us Your Topic