Abstract

This study assessed the usage of indigenous family planning practices among rural nursing mothers in Ibarapa Central Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study described the socio-economic characteristics of respondents, identified indigenous family planning practices used by respondents, and identified challenges associated with the use of indigenous family planning practices by respondents. Primary data were collected using an interview guide administered to 102 nursing mothers who were selected using a multistage sampling procedure. Data collected were analysed using frequency, percentages, Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and Chi-square at 0.05 level of significance. Results show that the mean age of the nursing mothers was 30.9 years, and the mean household size was 6 persons. Also, 36.3% had no formal education while 31.4% had secondary education. The indigenous family planning practices used by the majority of the respondents were sperm-killing agents (77.5%), withdrawal (76.5%) and continual breastfeeding (67.6%). Very severe challenges faced by the majority of the respondents were carefree (66.7%), religious barriers (87.3%) and fast-changing social environments (89.2%). Factors significantly associated with the use of indigenous family planning practices were age (r=0.26), household size (r=0.48), marital status (?≤=73.32), primary occupation (?≤=135.05), educational level (?≤=84.46). This study concludes that sperm-killing agents, withdrawal and continual breastfeeding were the commonly used indigenous family planning practices of rural nursing mothers in Ibarapa Central Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. The study recommends an awareness campaign of the health benefits of using family planning among religious leaders and why women should take it so seriously.

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