Family Planning Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Males in Ilorin, Nigeria

Abstract

Summary A household survey conducted between September 1988 and January 1989 in Ilorin, Nigeria, yielded data on the contraceptive knowledge, attitudes and practices of 1,022 men. Although the sample is not representative of the city, the data provide comparative information by level of education and area of residence, which serves as a proxy for socioeconomic status. Contraceptive knowledge is virtually universal among these men, with the condom and oral contraceptives the most commonly known methods. The condom is also the most commonly used method, yet less than half of men from the most educated and highest socioeconomic groups have ever used it. The majority of men at all education and residence levels have positive attitudes toward family planning, and contraceptive use is associated with communication about family planning between husbands and wives. Among men who say they have had such discussions, 22-60 percent report that their wives use a method, compared with 4-10 percent of those who say they have not discussed family planning with their wives.