COVID-19 pandemic and unmet need for family planning in Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction the unmet need for family planning is a global health burden. The lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced access to contraceptives, especially in the developing countries. This study examined the predictors of the unmet need for family planning during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Nigeria. Methods the study adopted a cross-sectional analytical survey design. A self-designed questionnaire was administered to 1,404 adult respondents aged 18 years and above. The data was generated through the use of online Google survey and analyzed with SPSS version 25. The results were presented using descriptive and logistic regression at p≤0.05. Results fourty-seven percent of the respondents were females and 58.8% were married. The four major reasons for non-access to contraceptive methods during the lockdown were: fear of visiting health facility (77.9%), locked drug/chemist stores (51.2%), the restriction of movement (47.6%) and a lack of access to health care providers (42.9%). Predictors of unmet need for family planning were: aged 26-33 (OR = 1.912, 95% CI: 1.02-3.55), married/cohabiters (OR = 3.693, 95% CI: 2.44-5.58), tertiary education (OR = 0.272, 95% CI: 0.13-0.54), Yoruba ethnicity (OR=1.642, 95% CI: 1.02-2.62), rural residence (OR = 0.554, 95% CI: 0.36-0.85) and 2-4 children born (OR = 3.873, 95% CI: 2.32-6.45). Conclusion a significant proportion of Nigerians experienced an unmet need for family planning during the COVID-19 lockdown. Prioritizing the access to contraceptives during the pandemic would not only allow women and men to correctly plan childbirth, it also reduces maternal risks, poverty and undesirable fertility rates.

Effect of COVID-19 on the Need for and Access to Family Planning among Nigerian Women: Secondary Analysis of an International Survey

“…Our study also revealed that marriage, the highest level of education, and employment status were not statistically significant in predicting the need for family planning services during the pandemic. This is in contrast to another study done in Nigeria where they were found to be statistically significant and were associated with a higher unmet need for family planning during the pandemic [26]. The difference here can be due to the small sample size in our study and may not be a true representative.…”

COVID-19: the unmet need for family planning and its effects on sexuality: a cross-sectional study

“…In this study, it was seen that there was a significant relationship between having difficulty in reaching the family planning method in COVID-19 and FSFI scores, and the FSFI scores of the participants who had no difficulties in reaching it were higher. In the research, it was determined that the risk of infection transmission in health institutions decreased, the applications to family planning services decreased, there was a significant decrease in the use of modern family planning during the pandemic process, and there was more disruption in family planning counseling in the public sector compared to the private sector [21][22][23] . The regression analysis performed in this study showed that difficulty in accessing the family planning method would lead to a 0.33 point increase in the probability of female sexual function.…”

“…Reproductive health services, which will affect the health of individuals and society in the long term, should be carried out in a controlled manner. In the pandemic process, practices such as providing individuals with access to family planning methods, continuing to provide services such as counseling and curettage in isolated centers, and providing consultancy with distance education are recommended to prevent the long-term public health problems 6 , 22 , 23 . With the results of the research, it was thought that access to family planning was reported as a problem, as in many countries in the world.…”

Faktor Faktor Yang Berhubungan Dengan Penggunaan Kontrasepsi Pada Masa Pandemi Covid 19 Di Puskesmas 2 Densel

“…Hal ini sejalan dengan penelitian yang dilakukan Aprilia Nurma (2021) dimana usia tidak memiliki makna yang signifikan terhadap pemilihan kontrasepsi. Usia subur seseorang berada pada rentang usia 20-35 tahun (Michael et al, 2021), kehamilan pada usia < 20 tahun dan > 35 tahun memiliki resiko tinggi pada kesehatan terutama organ reproduksi wanita tersebut sehingga berpengaruh terhadap pemasangan kontrasepsi. Sedangkan untuk usia >35 tahun adalah usia dalam masa fase ingin mengakhiri kehamilan dan tidak ingin ada anak lagi sehingga biasanya usia tersebut adalah usia yang dianggap paling membutuhkan kontrasepsi.…”

“…Dukungan dari pasangan dapat memberikan dampak pada kesadaran pasangan akan pentingnya mengikuti program KB terutama pada masa pandemic COVID-19. (Michael et al, 2021) Metode kontrasepsi yang digunakan tergantung kesadaran dan saling dukung diantara pasangan. (Sharma et al, 2020) (Michael et al, 2021) Pada masa pandemic COVID-19, pelayanan kesehatan komunitas di masyarakat harus memastikan untuk terus memberikan bimbingan dan dukungan guna memastikan bahwa semua perempuan dan laki-laki dapat mengakses pelayanan KB.…”