Risk Management and Healthcare Policy (Oct 2023)
The Effect of Family Planning Education on Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Toward Family Planning Methods Among Married Couples in Kersa and Goma Districts of Jimma Zone, South West Ethiopia
Abstract
Fekadu Yadassa,1 Gurmesa Tura Debelew,2 Zewdie Birhanu3 1Department of Population and Family Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia; 2Department of Population and Family, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia; 3Department of Health Behavior and Society, Jimma University, Jimma, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Fekadu Yadassa, Jimma University, Faculty of Public Health, Department of Population and Family Health, Jimma, Ethiopia, Tel +251 912050454, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Individuals with accurate knowledge that goes beyond knowing a few contraceptive methods, such as knowledge of fertility, benefits, and contraceptive side effects, are more likely to use and less likely to discontinue using family planning.Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of family planning education on knowledge, attitude, and practice towards family planning among married couples in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia.Methods: A quasi-experimental study was done on 766 married couples sampled using a random sampling technique and analyzed using SPSS 23.0. The significance of differences in mean knowledge and attitude between control and experimental couples was measured using the non-parametric 2-independent sample analysis (P < 0.05).Results: The comparison of knowledge score means and significance of their differences between control and experimental women was found to be significant at the posttest (P = 0.001; r = 0.045). Similarly, the experimental men’s knowledge score means and their difference was significant at posttest (P = 0.001, r = 0.26). With respect to a comparison of mean score of attitude and the significance of their difference between control and experimental women at posttest was significant with (P < 0.001; r = 0.13). Similarly, the comparison of the male partners in the control and experimental groups was significant at posttest (P = 0.001; r = 0.12). At the posttest, the proportion of experimental couples using each contraceptive method relatively increased, with a shift to relatively effective ones. Two hundred and ninety five (77.6%) of the control and 318 (83.5%) of the experimental men reported supporting their wives in the use of contraceptives, showing more improvement among the experimental men than the control group.Conclusion: Along with routine counseling, a well-structured behavioral model-based family planning education is required for effective and continuous use of contraceptives.Keywords: knowledge, attitude, education, contraceptives, couples, IMB model
