Intentions and associated factors to use postpartum contraceptives among pregnant women in the third trimester attending ANC at Kawempe National Referral Hospital
Abstract
Introduction:
Postpartum family planning (PPFP) is the initiation and use of family planning services in the first 12 months after birth to prevent an unexpected and imminent pregnancy. The postpartum period is important for addressing unmet needs in family planning and is used to reduce short birth intervals.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to assess intentions and associated factors to use postpartum contraceptives among pregnant women in the third trimester attending antenatal care at Kawempe National Referral Hospital.
Methodology:
A cross sectional study design was used. Data was obtained from 315 pregnant women in the third trimester attending antenatal care at Kawempe National Referral Hospital using an interviewer administered questionnaire between September and October 2022. Data was analyzed using STAT. At bivariate level, a chi-square test was used. Variables whose p-values were less or equal to 0.05 were considered to have an association with intention to use contraceptives and hence considered for further analysis at multivariate level using the logistic regression model.
Results:
The proportion of intention to use modern contraceptive among pregnant women in the third trimester attending antenatal care at Kawempe National Referral Hospital was 83%. Factors associated with the intention to use postpartum family planning include suffering from chronic diseases or not(OR=2.4922, p=0.0500), positive attitude towards postpartum family planning utilization(OR=3.3428, p=0.0070), spousal support in family planning decisions(OR=0.3753,p=0.0380), having children(OR=0.4009,p=0.0310) and knowledge about fertility after using family/contraceptive(OR=15.9463,p=0.0300). The variables above were considered to be significant since their p-values were less than 0.05.
Recommendations:
There should be measures to ensure that all women of reproductive age are educated about the use of contraceptive.
The study also recommends that all pregnant women should be encouraged to come with their partners for antenatal care as this will improve on spouse support.