FACTORS INFLUENCING THE PRACTICE OF FERTILITY CONTROL AMONG MARRIED WOMEN IN EMURE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EKITI STATE IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The study investigated the factors influencing the practice of fertility control among married women in Emure Local Government Area of Ekiti State of Nigeria. The research was a cross-sectional survey conducted among 220 women using a pretested, close-ended questionnaire. The respondents were selected through simple random and stratified sampling techniques. The research questions were answered descriptively while the formulated hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using t-test and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The results revealed that a considerable number of the respondents practiced fertility control while injectables and oral pills topped the methods of fertility control. The fear of adverse effects and opposition to fertility control by husbands were the major identified reasons influencing the practice of fertility control. There was no significant difference between respondents in rural and urban location on factors influencing fertility control but a negative significant relationship was found between practice and factors influencing the adoption of fertility control. Based on the findings, it was recommended that health workers should sensitize the populace on the benefits of a planned family. The populace should be informed on the various methods of fertility control and routine sensitization should be done through the mass media.