Post Partum Contraception: Awareness and Willingness to Use by Antenatal Attendees in A Third Level Health Facility, Southern Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The contraceptive prevalence of Nigeria is low. Post partum contraception (PPC), especially in the immediate post period, may improve our contraceptive prevalence rate. Objective: To determine the level of awareness and willingness to use post partum contraception by antenatal attendees of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH). Methods: This is a cross-sectional questionnaire-based prospective study in consented antenatal attendees of the UPTH between the 1st of June and 31st of August 2020. Pretested questionnaires were administered on the respondents by trained assistants. Their socio-demographic data and information on their awareness and willingness to use post partum contraception were entered into excel spread sheet and analyzed with SPSS version 20.0. Chi-square test of variables were done and P<0.05 was taken as significant. The results were presented in tables of frequencies and percentages. Result: Two hundred and seventy-one antenatal attendees of the UPTH participated in this study. Their mean parity was 2.65 with a standard deviated of 1.25. Of the total number of respondents, 299(99.26%) had at least a secondary education, 156 were aware of post partum contraception; giving a prevalence of 57.56%. Two hundred and six (76.01%) expressed willingness to use post partum contraception if counseled and offered. Husbands support for the use of contraception was 69.37%. Conclusion: There was poor awareness of post partum contraception in the UPTH antenatal attendees. However, the expression of willingness to use this method of contraception was high.