Background: Fertility rate in Tanzania is about 5.7 births per woman, with areas having total fertility rate of 6.5 that is average of six children per woman. The contraceptive prevalence rate is 34% among married women, and the studies have shown that use of modern methods of family planning has only increased from 20% in 2004 to 27% in 2010, this minimal rise in contraceptive use gives us the reflection of magnitude of unawareness of contraceptive method of preventing pregnancy and also it shows that acceptance of contraceptive use to have a been at a very slow pace in Tanzania.
Methods: A mixed qualitative and quantitative cross sectional was conducted in Makole hospital, at Dodoma region in Tanzania from August to September 2015. A total of 200 women of reproductive age group participated in the study. Kiswahili language was used to interview the respondents after given consent. Data collected included age, level of education, awareness of family planning methods and number of pregnancies and religion.
Results: All interviewed women knew at least one method of contraception. Oral pills and injectable were commonly known by them, (92%) of women knew about implants methods, (87.5%) of women knew about condoms, (63%) women knew about IUCD and only (21.5%) of women knew about tubal legation/vasectomy. The median was 28 years and the median parity was two children. Methods which were preferred by most women are injectable are (45%), followed by implants (34%), then oral contraceptives (8.5%). Less preferred methods were condoms (2%) and calendar method (1.5%) and only (2.5%) had tubal ligation. Also (70%) of women were married, (25%) were single and the rest are divorced and widowed.
Conclusion: Awareness of family planning methods are high among the reproductive are group of women attended family planning clinic at Makole population where OCP and injectable were known by all respondents followed by implants, though preferably methods were injectable and implants and while OCP was less preferred. This show that though health facilities provides family planning there are still women with unmet need for family planning who are probably adolescents, unmarried and widows and divorced.
Wurzburg Road 35, BMC Premises, Post Code: 33102: P. O Box 1464, Mwanza – Tanzania: Phone: +255 28 298 3384: Fax: +255 28 298 3386: Email: vc@bugando.ac.tz : www.bugando.ac.tz