Impacts of Socioeconomic Milieus, Enlightenment and Location on Utilization and Accessibility of Family Planning Services among Women in Lafia LGA, Nasarawa State

Abstract

The study examined the impacts of socioeconomic milieus, enlightenment and location of health centers on the accessibility and utilization of family planning services (FPSs) among women of reproductive age in Lafia Local Government Area (LGA) of Nasarawa State. Five out of 13 wards that constitute the LGA were randomly selected. Four primary healthcare centers (PHCs) were selected from each of the wards, totaling 20 PHCs. A one-time structured questionnaire form was randomly administered to 20 women between the ages of 15 and 49 years in each of the selected PHCs, totaling 400. Descriptive statistics and chi-square were used to analyze the data at p?0.05. The findings showed that two-thirds (61.9%) of the selected women using any of the family planning (FP) methods were young adults (21-30 years). The majority of them (76.4%) were married, predominately (72.6%) Muslims, with half having tertiary education. One-third (33.7%) were engaged in business with over two-thirds (68.8%) earning less than the minimum wage, while the majority resided in the metropolis. Awareness and purpose were significant factors associated with FP utilization, whilecloseness of home, distance covered, time duration and means of transport to a health facility were significant factors associated with FP accessibility. It was recommended that enlightenment on the utilization of FP services should be extended to spouses in the study area, as well as establishing more healthcare centers for prompt accessibility and recruiting additional personnel in the rural areas.