Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge and the utilization of family planning
methods among married women in selected communities of Tarauni Local Government Area. The study provided insights to family planning educators and reproductive health
researchers/workers for understanding the criteria that can be used to examine the knowledge and use of family planning methods. Moreover, the study was guided by two research questions. Survey design was used for it. The population consists of 11, 503 women attending the antenatal clinic of the public primary healthcare facilities (PPHFs) in selected communities (Tarauni Gabas, Unguwa Uku Gari, Babbangiji and Hotoro) of Tarauni LGA. The sample size for the study, which is three-hundred-and-seventy (370), comprised three-hundred-and-thirty married women. A sample size 370 was a drawn using a cluster random sampling. The instrument used for data collection was a self-developed questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.87. The data collected were analysed using frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation.
The findings of the study revealed a good knowledge of traditional family planning methods among married women with a significant number having a poor knowledge of modem family planning methods. The study also revealed high levels of the utilization of family planning methods but with traditional methods being the most used. The study recommended, among others, the need for government and non-governmental organizations to embark on more vigorous sensitization campaigns to equip married women with knowledge of modem family planning methods and their efficacies and limitations
