Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices Study Of Females In Child Bearing Age Towards Family Planning In Mayuge Town Council

Uganda has a population of approximately 29.6 million people, of which almost 6 million are women of reproductive age (15-49 years) (Uganda Bureau of Statistics [UBOS], 2007). The annual growth rate is approximately 3.2 percent (UBOS, 2006), and the total fertility rate (TFR) (measured in the 2006 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey [UDHS]) remains high at 6.7 children per woman. As a result, Uganda is the third fastest growing country in the world (United Nations Population Division [UNPD], 2005). Researchers have identified several reasons why women who do not want to become pregnant do not use contraceptives. These include little perceived risk of pregnancy, health concerns about contraceptives and side effects, opposition to use (from husbands, families, and communities), poor access to and quality of family planning supplies and services, and lack of information (Ropey et al., 1996; Govindasamy and Boadi, 2000; Westoff, 2001; Drennan, 1998).However, these reasons had not been studied localy in Mayuge town council. The results from this study have revealed that the majority of the populations do not accept family planning practice even if they have wide Knowledge. Their attitudes are guided by cultural and the religious values. The main aim of this study was to find out the knowledge, attitides and practices of females in reproductive age towards family planning services in Mayuge Town Council –Mayuge district.