North Eastern residents yet to embrace family planning

A study has shown that many residents of North Eastern Kenya are yet to embrace modern family planning methods.

Misinformation perpetuated by religious leaders and negative attitude among residents have adversely affected the use of various family planning methods leading to unwanted pregnancies.

A survey conducted by three international relief agencies show that many residents believe that nursing mothers are worse off using the family planning methods as they produce less milk.

But those who engage in unsafe sex end up getting pregnant again thereby jeopardising their own lives.

They also put at risk the well-being of their large families which they struggle to feed every day.

The research that covered Mandera and Wajir counties was carried out by UK-Aid, Save the Children and the European Society for the Study of Human Evolution.

ATTITUDES AND BARRIERS

It aimed at assessing knowledge, attitudes and barriers regarding family planning.

It reveals that family planning methods were hardly encouraged among young mothers, adversely affecting a family’s ability to feed and educate their children.

Many women assume that their husband only supported breastfeeding as the only acceptable method of family planning.

Such women also assumed that their partners did not support modern family planning methods, thus causing them to seek family planning services secretly.

The Kenya Demographic Health Survey 2008-2009 indicated that only four per cent of married women in North Eastern Kenya used any family planning method compared to the country’s prevalence use of various methods that stands at 46 per cent.

Newly married women in this area were found to fear discussing family planning with their spouses because they were yet to build rapport to discuss such issues as they are considered extremely sensitive.

Further, new husbands were found to assert much authority and they do not entertain such topics as children spacing through family planning.

HEALTH WORKERS

While health workers took advantage of first births to sensitise new mothers on the need to adopt modern family planning methods, most women already believed that breastfeeding for at least two years would prevent unplanned pregnancies.

“Fear of side effects is a major barrier. Besides religion, this is the second most mentioned deterrent. Fear of infertility, heavy menses, reduced breast milk and fear of child born with deformity were concerns.

Some providers might not discuss side-effects in detail during uptake given that the population already has reservations about modern family planning,” reads the report.
It recommends the involvement of community and religious leaders including chiefs and Muslim preachers in promoting modern family planning.

Communities also need to be trained on differentiating between religious teachings and family planning in a bid to clear misconceptions.