FACTORS INFLUENCING UTILIZATION OF MODERN FAMILY PLANNING METHODS AMONG WOMEN OF CHILD BEARING AGE (15-49 YEARS) IN UNIVERSITY OF UYO HEALTH CENTRE, UYO, AKWA IBOM STATE

The study investigated factors influencing utilization of modern family planning methods by women of child bearing age (15-49 years) in University of Uyo Medical Centre. Two research questions and two null hypotheses guided the study. The study employed descriptive survey design. The population of the study was 238 women of child-bearing age attending family planning services at the University of Uyo Medical Centre. To achieve this purpose, a structured questionnaire was administered to one hundred and twenty-six (126) respondents who were attending family planning clinic at the Medical Centre of the University. Similarly, a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) consisting of twenty (20) respondents were also organized by the researcher. The data collected were statistically analyzed using simple linear regression. The findings from the study revealed that cultural beliefs and level of education attained by women contributed to the low utilization of modern family planningservices in the University of Uyo Medical Centre. Conclusion drawn from the findings suggests that a lot needs to be done by the government and health personnel on creating more awareness, enlightenment on the various methods and their proper usage, health benefits and importance of planning a family. Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made among others, that health and education sector should be given a priority by the government, family planning education should be included in the school curriculum and family planning services should be free from any form of charges