Autonomy and utilisation of family planning services among women in Osun State, South-western Nigeria

Abstract

Objectives: Women's autonomy has been established to substantially impact health-related outcomes, and it is crucial for the use of high-quality maternal healthcare services, including family planning services. This study aimed to assess the determinants of women’s autonomy in household decision-making and its associated factors with utilisation of family planning services.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study among women in Ifelodun Local Government Area (LGA), Osun State. Data was collected using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire from 388 respondents recruited using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 26. A binary logistic regression model was used to identify the predictors of women’s autonomy in family planning utilisation. The level of significance was set at p-value <0.05.

Results: The mean age of respondents was 39.7 ± 7.3 years, and about 67.8% of them had a high level of autonomy in household decision-making, with only 53.1% currently using modern contraceptives. At the bivariate level, women’s age at marriage (p=0.007), children ever born (p= 0.034), children alive (p=0.026), and ANC visits at last confinement (p=0.043) were statistically significant with autonomy. At the multivariate level, age of the women, age at marriage, occupation, family settings, husband’s age, wealth index and positive perception about women's autonomy remained the predictors of women's autonomy in family planning services utilisation.

Conclusions: The study found that socio-demographic factors were significantly associated with women's autonomy in family planning services utilisation. Implementing targeted policies on female empowerment by policymakers will ultimately improve women's autonomy.