The utilization of family planning among women of reproductive age attending a teaching hospital, Oyo State, Nigeria

INTRODUCTION: The utilization of family planning services among women of reproductive age is essential and underscores the need for comprehensive health education and accessible family planning services. This study assessed sociodemographic factors influencing the utilization of family planning among women attending a teaching hospital in Oyo State, Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used, and a systematic random sampling technique was used to select 326 respondents. The data collection instrument was a pretested questionnaire with a reliability index of 0.79. Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to test for association between variables. RESULTS: In this study, 45.7% of respondents used family planning, while 54.3% of respondents did not utilize family planning. There were significant differences between the family planning use group and the non-use group in marital status (P=0.03), women’s occupation (P<0.001), husband’s occupation (P=0.01), parity (P<0.001), age (P<0.001), women’s level of education (P=0.03), husband’s level of education (P=0.03), and husband’s monthly average income (P<0.001). However, there were no significant differences in religion (P=0.73), ethnicity (P=0.10), monthly average income (P=0.39), and type of marital status (P=0.16) of respondents between the family planning use group and the non-use group. CONCLUSION: It is therefore recommended that women should be educated on the need to make use of modern family planning, and they should be empowered.