| Popis: |
The characteristics of new acceptors at the family planning clinics operated by the Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN), in the Bendel State of Nigeria, were analyzed in reference to age at 1st clinic attendance, number of living children, and educational achievement. The PPFN operates several clinics in Benin City and provides services throughout the state via mobile social workers. Data for the study was obtained from the clinics' records for 1131 new acceptors in 1975 and for 2144 new acceptors in 1979. 1975 marked the time when family planning services were made widely available, and 1979 was the last year for which information was available. Among new acceptors in 1975, 23.6% were either uneducated or had less than 6 years of education, 44.7% had 6-9 years of education, 22.7% had secondary education, and 8.5% were currently enrolled as secondary students. Respective figures for the 1979 acceptors were 21.2%, 60.6%, 14.5%, and 3.3%. THe average number of children decreased as education levels increased. The respective average number of children for the 1975 and 1979 acceptors for the first 3 educational catagories noted above were 6.42 and 6.63, 3.26 and 3.98, and 29.3 and 1.73. The variations in the average number of children were, to a large degree, a function of the age at 1st clinic attendance. Women with less education tended to present at the clinics at a later age than the more educated acceptors. Among the noneducated or the least educated women, the age category with the highest percentage of new acceptors was the 35-39 year old group (1975) and the 40-44 year old group (1979). Among women with 6-9 years of schooling, the age category with the highest percentage was the 25-29 year old group (1975 and 1979). Among women with more education, the age category with the highest representation of new acceptors was the 20-24 year old group (1975 and 1979). The mean number of children for all acceptors aged 40-45 years was 7.23 in 1975 and 7.33 in 1979. The tendency for less educated women to present at the clinic at later ages than the more educated women may indicate that less educated women have less exposure to health education. The findings suggest that the government should provide broader support for family planning and ensure that less educated women receive sufficient family planning information. |
