An Exploratory Study of Factors Affecting Uptake of Family Planning Among Women of Reproductive Age in Ungogo Local Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria

Introduction: The uptake of family planning services in developing countries has been found to avert unintended pregnancies, reduce maternal and child mortality.However, contraceptive prevalence rate still remains low.The objective of this study is to determine factors affecting uptake of family planning in Ungogo Local Government Area Kano State, from June to November 2023.Descriptive mixed-method was used to conduct cross-sectional study in Ungogo local government of Kano State.Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained.Systematic random sampling was employed to recruit 300 residents, aged 15-49 years.The interviewer administered questionnaire and in-depth interview guides were used to obtain information from respondents.Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21.0 and manually for quantitative and qualitative data respectively.Descriptive and inferential statistics were used and p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.The Socio demographic profile of respondents indicated that a good number of the respondents were between the ages of 15-24 (70%) and 25-34(30%).The study also showed that many of the respondents 40% (120) were married and of Muslim religion 240 (80%).The commonest family planning method used was implants (33%) followed by injectables (30%).Both the husbands and wives were jointly involved in family planning decision-making (96%).Maternal age, husband's occupation and prior treatment for infertility are factors influencing family planning decisionmaking.There is need to promote women's autonomy and control over their bodies and the need for men to be involved in maternal and child health programmes.