Contraceptive utilization among women of childbearing age in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study was a comparative analysis of contraceptive utilization among women of childbearing age in rural and urban areas of the Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area. Four objectives, four research questions, and four hypotheses were stated to guide the study. The study adopted the comparative research design with a population that consisted of three hundred and fifty-four thousand, five hundred and fifty-six (354,556). The sample size for the study was 420 which was selected using the multi-staged sampling procedure. The data collection tool utilized in the study was a structured questionnaire titled: Utilization of Modern Contraceptive Questionnaire (UMCQ), having a reliability coefficient of 0.88. The collected data from this questionnaire were subjected to analysis using Statistical Product for Service Solution (SPSS) version 23.0, employing mean, standard deviation, and t-test at a significance level of 0.05. The finding illustrated that more women in the urban areas (2.62±0.66) than those in the rural areas (2.06±0.91) utilized hormonal contraceptive methods. More women in the urban areas (3.01±0.69) than those in the rural areas (2.76±0.80) utilized barrier contraceptive methods. The finding of the study showed that more women in the urban areas (2.10±0.51) than those in the rural areas (2.01±0.54) utilized permanent contraceptive methods. The result showed that more women in the urban areas (3.01±0.77) than those in the rural areas (2.69±0.91) utilized natural contraceptive methods. It was concluded that the utilization of hormonal, barrier, permanent, and natural contraceptive methods in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area of Rivers State was more among women of childbearing age in the urban areas than those in the rural areas. It was recommended that the government should make hormonal contraceptives more financially accessible by giving it free of charge for women of reproductive age, this will help to boost the utilization of such services.