Objective: To determine the role of husbands in family planning (FP) practices of reproductive age group women attending antenatal clinics in Karachi, Pakistan.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study with a sample of 450 women of reproductive age group attending antenatal clinics was conducted using consecutive sampling technique. The data were collected through structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS 22.
Results: We found that 49% husbands were in favor of family planning and only 26.8% were practicing family planning. The reasons reported were family pressure, sociocultural constraint, fear of side effects and want of more children. There was significant association were income, husbands in favor of FP, Husbands in favor of adopting FP, husbands were in favor of gap in pregnancy, women discussed FP with husbands, number of children more than two, women use FP before current pregnancy, women encourage other women to use FP methods.
Conclusion: A small proportion of husbands were practicing family planning methods. The factors showed significant association with household income, favor in family planning, and gap in pregnancy, having more than two children, discussion with husbands, and encouraging other women to practice family planning.
Key words: Reproductive age group women, family planning, husband involvement, reproductive health.
|
