Prevalence and factors associated with offering post-partum contraception by healthcare workers in Kayunga District: A cross-sectional study.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51168/sjhrafrica.v6i12.2244Keywords:
Postpartum contraception, Healthcare workers, Kayunga DistrictAbstract
Background.
Postpartum contraception is a critical component of maternal health, helping to prevent unintended pregnancies and reduce pregnancy-related risks. Despite high levels of awareness about family planning methods in Uganda, their uptake during the postpartum period remains low. This study sought to determine the prevalence and factors associated with the provision of postpartum contraception by healthcare workers in Kayunga District.
Methodology.
The study employed a cross-sectional design using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative aspect involved a review of family planning and maternity records from January to June 2024 to determine the proportion of mothers who received postpartum contraceptive methods and their preferred choices. Additionally, self-administered questionnaires were used to assess healthcare workers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding postpartum contraception. The qualitative component included key informant interviews with facility heads to explore facility-level factors affecting service provision.
Results.
A total of 2,502 women received family planning (FP) services before 6 months postpartum across all facilities. This accounted for 16.4% of all FP users (15,281) and 37.9% of all deliveries (6,597). Facility-level variation was wide, ranging from 0% in some health centers to as high as 290% in others. Overall, 47% demonstrated good knowledge; Attitudes were largely positive: 93% expressed good attitudes, while 73% demonstrated moderately good practices. Basic infrastructure exists in most facilities, but service delivery is constrained by inadequate training and inconsistent method availability.
Conclusions.
Findings demonstrate that low postpartum contraceptive uptake is primarily driven by knowledge and training deficiencies, inconsistent supply systems, and weak supervision frameworks, rather than by a lack of physical infrastructure.
Recommendations
Efforts to improve postpartum contraception should begin by enhancing early uptake through strengthened integration of family-planning counselling and service provision at all contact points along the maternal-child health pathway, including antenatal care, delivery, postnatal, and immunization visits.
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