CONTRACEPTIVE PREFERENCES AMONG REPRODUCTIVE WOMEN ATTENDING CHILD WELFARE CLINIC IN THE BONGO DISTRICT, UPPER EAST REGION, GHANA

Abstract

Introduction; Maternal and child health remain an important component of the health delivery system globally. Contraception plays a pivotal role in enhancing the health of a mother and her child. The patronage of this services in the postpartum period has been very low in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region despite numerous strategies implemented by health authorities. This study was aimed at exploring the contraceptives use and preferences, knowledge on contraceptives and factors that influence contraceptives preferences among postpartum women attending Child Welfare Clinic in Bongo District. Methodology; The cross-sectional study design and mixed study type were adopted. A sample size of 425 respondents was calculated for the quantitative aspect and 6 respondents were purposefully chosen for the qualitative part. Semi-structured questionnaire and interview guide were used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative data were entered onto Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 23.0 for analysis. In terms of the qualitative data, the interviews were audio recorded, and transcribed onto Microsoft word before analysis. Findings; This study found a significant association between some socio-demographic characteristics such as educational level (P< 0.001), religious affiliation of respondent (P< 0.045), (P < 0.001) and contraceptives preference. About 61.4% of respondents reported using contraceptives at the time of the study. Conclusion; This study concludes that knowledge and use of contraceptives is appreciably high among respondents in the Bongo district. The most preferred contraceptive is the injectable and fertility preferences among respondents was one of the factors that had a significant relationship with contraceptives preferences.