Accessibility and use of family planning information among rural people in kilombero district, tanzania
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Date
2005
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
This study investigated accessibility and use of Family Planning Information (FPI)
among rural people in Kilombero District, Tanzania. The purpose was to examine the
entire infrastructure required for accessing and using FPI in rural settings. The study
used survey method for data collection. Data gathering instruments were
questionnaires, interview schedule and observation guide. A total of 120 respondents
were involved in the survey. These included women and men of reproductive age,
Maternal and Child Health (MCH) clinic staff and community health workers. The
study revealed that, there is high awareness of the availability of Family Planning
Services (FPS), inadequate knowledge of various family planning methods and
limited access and use of FPI. This situation is mainly caused by a number of factors
which include: ignorance, inconsistent availability of family planning methods, few
staff (providers) with limited training, inaccessibility of FPS and patriarchal gender
relations. Furthermore, the study found that rural communities access FPI through
radio and MCH clinic staff; and there are unequal opportunities between women and
men in accessing FPI. The study concludes that the surveyed rural communities are
disadvantaged in accessing and using FPI. In addition, family planning knowledge
has an influence on the adoption and use of family planning methods. The
recommendations made include: provision of more health facilities in rural areas,
providing training to family planning providers, raising public awareness of family
planning, ensuring constant availability of all the family planning methods, provision
of family planning education in schools for both sexes and provision of all the
necessary facilities needed for effective dissemination of FPI in the rural settings.
Description
Masters Dissertation
Keywords
Family, Kilombero, INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AREAS::Older people and ageing, Rural, Planning