Barriers to family planning service utilization in four emerging regions of Ethiopia

Community member's perspective

Abstract

Backgrounds: Access to family planning (FP) services can face challenges from both the demand and supply sides. Improved family planning services, combined with consistent access to modern contraceptives, can reduce abortion rates, fertility, and maternal morbidity and mortality. According to recent findings, FP use is low in Ethiopia's emerging regions, making an analysis of barriers to FP use critical in order to identify underlying causes and propose relevant solutions. The purpose of this study was to look into the barriers to using family planning methods among Ethiopian women of reproductive age in four emerging regions.

Methods: Community and facility-based existential phenomenological study designs was applied. Male and female contraceptive users, religious leaders, community leaders, health care providers, and family planning coordinators were all included in the study population. Purposive sampling was used to collect data from 23 districts. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), in-depth interviews (IDIs), and key informant interviews were used to collect data (KII). Data was recorded using an audio recorder, then transcribed and translated by facilitators, but validation was done by a third party. Using Nvivo software version 11, thematic analysis was used to create the themes and sub-themes.

Results: A total of 147 interviews/discussions were held with 252 individual participants (15 FGD, 80 IDI, and 52 KII). Three barriers to FP use were identified in this study. (1) Individual barriers include lack of knowledge, lack of decision-making, peer pressure, fear of side effects, and lack of time; (2) healthcare system barriers include lack of accessibility, financial support, guiding policy, and monitoring system; and (3) socio-cultural barriers include male dominance, desire for large family sizes, negative attitudes toward FP, nomadic lifestyle, and myths and misconceptions.