Factors Affecting The Use Of Family Planning Among Hiv Positive Women Attending Fortportal Regional Referral Hospital Kabarole District

ABSTRACT Introduction: use of contraceptives among HIV positive women is a matter of reproductive health importance both for the woman, the sexual partner and the unborn child in the eventuality of a pregnancy. Other than protecting the discordant sexual partner from contracting the disease, transmission of the disease to the child, contraceptives also prevent against unwanted pregnancies thus saving the family from the burdens that come with it. The study was about assessing the knowledge and factors affecting practice of HIV positive women towards family planning. Objective: To identify the factors affecting the use of family planning among HIV positive women attending FortPortal Regional Referral Hospital in Kabarole district, in order to identify the gaps and find interventions required to overcome challenges. Method: A cross sectional descriptive and analytical study which employed both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods, and which involved 86 HIV positive women was used. Results: The knowledge concerning FP was 87.21% with sources being health workers, friends or colleagues, traditional healers and grandmothers. Usage of FP methods was low at 41.86% with factors significantly associated with FP use being socio-economic status, education level, marital status and socio-economic status of respondents. Conclusion: Family planning use among women living with HIV in Kabarole District is low and thus needs to be scaled up. Level of education, marital status, socio-economic factors and distance from a health facilities were found to be statistically significant in influencing contraceptive use among HIV positive women. There is need to counsel them enough to use family planning methods which will reduce on the number of children they are to have and also encourage them to continue using Antiretroviral drugs to ensure their health is safe. People living with HIV should be educated and availed with family planning methods at a cheap cost to avoid them from unwanted pregnancies