ATTITUDE OF PARENTS TOWARDS MODERN TECHNIQUES OF FAMILY PLANNING.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Family planning, until recently a very sensitive subject in black Africa, is now Being increasingly accepted as necessary ingredient of socio- economic development as claimed by the centers for Disease control.
The development came as a response to the population increases which is in a geometrical progression.
Adeleke, Leong (2004) claimed that “the fact that population increases is in geometrical progression (i.e., 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 ….) has worried men since the time of Malthus (2002)”. The book described Malthus as “a British clergyman and political economist, who noted with dismay that men would one day reach a starvation level when food production would fail to keep up with population increase”.
According to Adekunle, Areoye, Alabi, Boluwaji (2006), on the average, the population growth rate in West Africa is about 2.5%. The book added that recently, the rate of growth of population has been relatively high in West Africa.
Adeleke, Leong (1999) therefore suggested some ways of meeting the population problem. The most important of all the ways suggested was the cutting down of the rate of population increase through family planning or birth control .the book included that:
If the number of births can be cut down:
The rate of increase of population will be allowed, and although population will continue to grow, increases in food production may be able to keep pace with the demand.
Lambo (1999) disclose that:
The present high youth dependency ratio is, of course, serious from the view point of Mobilizing domestic savings and, hence, Capital formation. It is expected that the National population commission will take more urgent view of the functions of population planning and control than even the Third National Plan stipulates.
It should engage in more rigorous and more meaningful national campaigns in favour of family planning, provide enough advisor and treatment services, facilitate sale of subsidized birth control devices and draw as such as possible, on the experience of Japan and Taiwan.
Many African leaders according to the center for Disease control, “now accept family planning as an important health measure contributing to the health of mother and children”.
Barcelona, Paulina, Donald (2000) disclosed that:
Research studies shows that the concept and techniques of family planning have been widely accepted in a majority of developing countries and most of the developed countries.
Duberman (1998) has this to say in favour of family planning:
Married couples must decide at some time usually within the first year or two whether they want to have children and if so how many, when, and how far apart.
Duberman (1998) went further to stress the need for family planning In American. According to him:
American became conscious of the environment in the mld-1960s, noting the depletion and pollution of our natural resources. Part of this concern focused on the perils of over population. Many Americans began to give serious consideration to limItIng the ste of their families. Thus the birth rate is a factor in personal decision on family size.
He went further to say that other variable also influence decisions on children. Career women, for example, are likely to want fewer children than women who are closely Involved in the home. He added that because an important factor In marital satisfactions is the fit between the planned number and spacing of children and reality, it Is desirable that the husband and wife be in accord.”
Delane (2000) outlined many method of birth control commonly used today, they include: Withdrawal, Spermicides, Condoms, Oral Contraceptive, Implant, Abstinence, Douching, Safe period, Diaphragms, Inter-Uterine Device, Injectable contraceptive and sterilization.
Duberman (1998) said, at present time, the two most popular methods of controlling whether and when conception is to occur are the intra-uterine device, called the I.U.D. and the oral contraceptive pill for women.
According to him, research has indicated that all married couples in the United States. He disclosed further that “not only do married people approve of birth control, they also practice it. Campbell found that 81 percent of his subjects were using some kind of birth control”.
Rainwater found a relationship between social class, religious, and choice of contraceptive methods according to Duberman (1999). Lower class catholic and Protestants select douching, withdrawal, or the condoms, middle class Protestants prefer the pill and l.U.D. lower-middle class catholic use the rhythm method”.
On the other population reports (2006) asserted that, it is evident that many people remour about the later child bearing probability after the use of contraception’s. The report goes further to say that: Despite rumors of infertility or birth defects, recent large studies show that couples become fertile again after using Barcelonatal_(1997)ascertained that, it is important to note that reasons for many people’s negative attitude towards the use of contraception is that many of them are not familiar with the different contraceptive methods. Many people that use or have used contraceptives according to the source worry about their side effects. This is due to inadequate information.
Some people may also have the knowledge and interest in the methods but such people may not know where to get the contraceptive or get them supplied Bercelona et al (2004) added.
The researcher sees that family planning has gone a long way in helping parents to reduce their family size, It is the hope of the present writer that the attitude of parents towards family planning devices should be positively encouraged. This would help not only the individual parents but equally help government in their planning’s.
1.2 Statement of Problem
Family planning is a laudable programme aimed at reducing the excessive and rapid increase in birth rate thereby giving room for a proper and standard living condition of
the people in the country. It is the purpose of this study to identify some of the attitudes of parents towards the modern techniques of family planning with particular reference to Ise-Orun local government area of Ekiti State.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is to find out the attitude of parents towards the modern techniques of family planning. It is the intention of the study to make suggestions towards better implementation of family planning programme and to equally encourage interested researcher(s) to make further researches and recommendations on family planning programmes.
1.4 Research Questions
The following research questions are formulated to guide the study
1. Are the parents aware of the family planning progremme?
2. Do parents actually accept the reasons for family planning?
3. Do parents use any family planning method?
4. What do parents feel about the use of family planning
methods?
5. What are the attitudes of parents towards the family planing?
1.5 Scope of the Study
Due to the constraints of time and money, the research is limited to Ise-Orun Local Government Area of Ekiti State.
The sampled parents included both men and women residing in the rural and the urban areas of the Local Government.