TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Statement of the Problem
Purpose of the Study
Significance of the Study
Scope of the study
Research Questions
Hypotheses
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED
LITERATURE
Conceptual framework
Concept of family
Concept of family planning
Methods of family planning
Benefits of family planning
The role of education in family planning
Implication for counselling
Theoretical framework
Health belief model by Rosen Stock et al
Theory of reasoned action by Fish Bein and
Ajzen
Empirical Study
Summary of the review
CHAPTER
THREE
RESEARCH
METHOD
The Design of Study
Area of the study
Population of the study
Sample and Sampling
Technique
Instrument for Data
Collection
Validation of Instrument
Reliability of Instrument
Method for Data Collection
Methods of Data Analysis
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS
SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDING
CHAPTER
FIVE
SUMMARY,
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
DISCUSSION OF THE STUDY
EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATION
RECOMMENDATION
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER
STUDY
SUMMARY OF THE STUDY
REFERENCES
QUESTIONNAIRE
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Population increase
has become a thing of great concern for economic planners, demographers and
even government agents. As world population moves towards 5.9 billions, the per
capital production of money basic commodities is falling, for instance the
recent global food shortage is an evidence. (Population Report, 2006). The
effort to raise incomes and living standard is falling in many countries like
Nigeria, particularly where population is growing most rapidly and where family
planning is not fully practiced.
In the seventies,
our country enjoyed the oil boom and having a large family, did not bring any
economic burden to parents because things were relatively cheaper and easy to
come by. There was little or no psychological stress about caring for children.
Many parents stuck to the traditional belief of having many children because
culturally, having many children prove how wealthy a man is. More also many men
prefer to have large families that cold help them in farming.
The current
realization that large population can hold back socio-economic development and
health for all programmes has led to the quest for information on family
planning and other related reproductive health problems in Nigeria.
Planned Parenthood programmes have become necessary in
Nigeria because of the prevailing
socio-economy and psychological factors that affect both parents and children.
However, in recent
years economic situations changed and caring for children brings both
psychological and economic strains on both parents and children. Therefore,
there is need for family planning either traditional or the newly introduced
modern methods to curtail the trend. The traditional method include prolonged breast feeding, post
partum, the use of ring, waist band, wooden doll, the use of black soap and
salt to be dissolved and taken
immediately after sex. The above mentioned methods are commonly practiced on
the Yoruba’s. on the other hand, the new modern method emphasized the use of
contraceptive such as pill, IUCD (Intrauteri9ne Contraceptive Device), condom,
implant, and vasectomy. For clarification, the new modern method is broken down
into three categories, which includes Temporary modern methods examples are
pills, injectable, condom. Permanent new modern method examples are vasectomy,
tubectomy and Natural methods which involves withdrawal method and rhythm
(Ayeni, 2002).
Family planning is a
way of maintaining reasonable interval in childbearing practice. That is
letting a woman rest after giving the first birth before another birth. Family
planning also embraces a way of preventing unwanted pregnancy, and a means of
sexual gratification. Nwangoro (1999) defined that family planning is an
organized effort to assist people to have the number of children they want and
to space them as they choose. In addition, family planning is available to help
individuals and couples to choose if and when they will have a child or to
choose the number of children that they will have. The choices depend on a
complicated mixture of social, cultural and psychological influences; and
lately for the first time in history, men and women have had reliable methods
to enable them to make that choice freely and relatively easily.
This principle of
choice is important as it includes not only the choice of using family
planning, but the choice of the birth control method most suited to the
particular circumstance of the couple. But neither the man nor the woman can
make an informed choice until each has a basic knowledge of the different
methods, their efficiency in protection against pregnancy and their advantages
and disadvantages. The choice maybe that the man uses contraceptive measures;
or that the woman chooses the contraceptive. Both should know of the available
method so that the decision is made carefully. The choice is helped if each
partner has an idea of how efficient the method chosen is in an unwanted
pregnancy. On the other hands, family planning involved the use of
contraceptive control in limiting or spacing out pregnancies either for
socio-economic health, or population control purposes.
The benefits of
family planning cannot be over emphasized because they go a long way in helping
individuals, parents, children, communities and government in the area of
health, education of children, and social economic and political development of
the society. For these reasons, government, non-governmental organizations and
individuals have found it necessary to introduce family planning Programmes at
federal, state, local and community levels and Isiala Mbano in Imo State in
Okigwe senatorial zone is not left out. The local government is made up of semi
urban and rural areas namely; Amaraku, Amauzari, Anara, Eziama, Ibeme, Obollo,
Ogbor, Umuduru, Umunkwo, Ugiri, Umuneke and Umuozu
The population of
the people is about ten thousand five hundred (2006 census figure from National
Population Commission Office, Isiala Mbano Local Government Council Imo State). The local government has a wide
range able land. For this reason; the major occupation of the people is
farming. Due to the nature of their occupation, most men prefer to have a large
family that will assist them in their farming and this had led to high population
in the area. On the other hand, most of the women prefer to go into marriage
rather than going to school. This is to a large extent affects the level of
literacy among the people. It is only those in the semi-urban areas of the
local government who have little interest in education and they prefer to send
their children to school instead of engaging hem in early marriage. In view of
the above discussion, the location levels of literacy to a large extent have
impact on the level of awareness to family planning programme among the people.
Family planning was
introduced to this country at a time when such need was of paramount
importance. It was to bring both psychological and economic relief to families.
Interestingly, government and other non-governmental agencies have put in much
effort to bring the knowledge about family planning to the people through
advertisement on Television, Radio and other media. For instance, in 1987, the
Imo State Commissioner for Health stated that there should be increased public
enlightenment campaign to educate parents on the need for them to make use of
public health facilities particularly those concerning birth control. This
connotes request for contraceptive device as prevention of unwanted pregnancy
through provision of contraceptive as outlets that will be accessible to
families. On this note, if family planning education is adopted, the problem of
population explosion will be minimized. This should not be seen as divorcing
sexual act from procreation. Family planning should be geared towards changing
people’s attitude to family size. However, people’s attitude are to a large
extent influenced by social and cultural condition of the environment as well
as their views on the importance of children and their own need as status
aspiration.
The applications of
family planning method have a significant advantage to maintain in the area of
health social economic and political endeavours, therefore should be a
continuous process. Maine (1991), opined that family planning should be
encouraged for its advantages on the entire society because the advantages
derived from family planning are numerous.
However, opposition
to family planning was rational to the physicians. This was because they saw
family planning as writing with one hand and erasing with he other, in this
case they support family planning as a means of minimizing the problems posed
by illegal abortion and abandonment of babies.
People who suggest
family planning see it as he best thing parents can do for themselves and for their
children. Akingba (1994)
believes that it is Unreasonable
to bring more children into the world than a couple can afford to maintain
well. A couple should produce only the number of children that their
circumstances in life permit them to feed, cloths, educate and generally look
after properly in sickness and in health.
Another writer,
Feuerstein (1991), stressed the necessity of family planning. According to her
the major causes of increasing death o women at child birth seems to be “lack
of self-discipline, poor spacing of birth and general disregard for simple
health principles”. The result of pregnancies in quick succession is a worn
out, easily tired, and poorly nourished young woman looking many years older
than her real age. These states make one an easy prey to illness.
The effort of
government and other agencies on this issue has to be complimented by
counselors through thorough education of the people, especially at the local
level where much will be achieved in securing better family units through
well-planned child rearing habits.
Statement of the Problem
The world population is increasing in geometric
rate; government can no longer meet up with the demand of their citizens. This
has resulted to global food shortage. Having many children is really a great
burden that tends to drain the financial resources of standard of living and
bring about economic hardship. Most parents with large families find it
difficult to provide the basic need of their children such as food, shelter
health and education for the family. This tends to bring psychological and
emotional stress on most parents.
Family planning is the practice of exercising choice about
the arrival of the child into the family, taking into consideration the mother’s
health, welfare or the children, family happiness and all the prevailing
economic circumstances. Family planning encourages couples to have those
children that they can properly and adequately carter for. Also family planning
involves child spacing and child rearing practice.
On this backdrop therefore, the problem of this study pose
as question, is what are the influence
of family planning on families in Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo
State.
Purpose of the Study
The general purpose
of this study was to find out the influence of Family Planning on families in
Isiala Mbano L.G.A of Imo State. Specifically, the study was set out:
1.
To determine the level of awareness the people
have on family planning programmes.
2.
To ascertain the level of acceptance the people
derive on family planning.
3.
To find out the most effective family planning
methods embraced by the people of Isiala Mbano.
4.
To ascertain the influence of family planning on
parents reproductive behaviour.
Significance of the Study
This study which
investigated the influence of family planning is immensely significance to the parents, government,
non-governmental organization, health workers, as well as family guidance
counselors.
The benefit of
family planning cannot be over-emphasized because they go a long way in helping
parents, their children, and education of the children and also enhanced the
socio-economic and political development of the society. For these reasons,
government, non-governmental organization have found it necessary to introduce
family planning at both Federal, State and Local Government levels to maintain good health,
socio-economic and political endeavours.
However, guidance
counselor will benefit from this study since it beholds on them to inform the
public, parents as well as society on the importance of family planning. Family
guidance counselor gives information related to child spacing and likewise
encourage on the number of children one can carter for.
Since government and
other agencies had made effort to control the situation, the researcher was
therefore interested in the influence of family planning on he families of
Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State. The study will therefore help
parents, health workers and most specifically guidance counselors to know the
right steps to take in creating awareness on the appropriate method of family
planning that is good for different individual and society at large.
Theoretically, the study will add to the body of knowledge in the step that had
been taken so far in the implementation of family planning. This body of
knowledge will be disseminated through publication in journals, workshop,
conferences and seminars.
Scope of the study
This study covered
the entire communities of Isiala Mbano Local government Area of Imo State. The
study was limited to the response of the existing families in the entire
communities towards family planning.
The Isiala Mbano Local Government
Area consists of twelve communities
namely:
Amaraku, Amauzari, Anara, Eziama, Ibeme, Obollo, Ogbor,
Umuduru, Umunkwo, Ugiri, Umuneke and Umuozu. In addition, the study focused on
the level of awareness, level of acceptance of family planning by the people,
method of family planning mostly embraced by the people and the impact of
family planning o nthe people’s reproductive behaviour.
Research Questions
In pursuance of purpose of the study, the
researcher sought answer to the following
research questions.
1.
What is the level awareness on Family Planning
among the people in the community?
2.
What is the level of acceptance of the people
towards family planning?
3.
Which of these family planning methods do people
actually embrace mostly?
4.
What influence does family planning have on the
reproductive behaviour of parents in the community?
Hypotheses
This
study sought to test the following
hypotheses:
HO1: There was no significant difference in the
mean scores of the level of awareness on family planning methods, between the
families in semi-urban and those in the rural areas.
HO2: There was no significant difference in the mean scores
of the level of acceptance of new modern method of family planning between
families on rural areas and those in semi-urban areas.
Login To Comment