A Survey on Perception, Knowledge and Use of Contraceptives among Females in Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State.

Abstract:

The rate of unwanted pregnancies and maternal morbidity can be significantly reduced by the use of various forms of contraception. This study assesses the perception, knowledge and use of contraceptives among women in Ikot Abasi local government area of Akwa Ibom State. A pre-tested, structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was the tool for data collection and multi-staged sampling technique was used to select 512 females of reproductive age from the five clans of Ikot Abasi. The method of multinomial logistic regression were used to determine the contraceptive methods and determinants of contraceptive use while the Chi-Square test were applied to determine the perception of contraception. The results revealed that about 97% of the women have knowledge about contraceptives and their major source of information about contraceptives were from their friends/relatives which account for about (37%). Women in the age category 33 – 38, M.Sc/Ph.D level of education and income earners of more than ₦100,000 per month have high relative risk ratio of contraceptive use of 3.90, 2.48 and 3.32 respectively. Finally, Age group, level of education, level of income per month and relationship status were discovered to be the main determinants of contraceptives use among women in Ikot Abasi.