Background
Nigeria is among nations experiencing accelerated growth rate world-wide, but its modern
contraceptive prevalence rate is low. There are physical barriers to accessing Family Planning
(FP) services in Nigeria. We examined the relationship between Maternal Healthcare Services
Access Index (MHSAI), FP awareness programmes and modern contraception in Nigeria.
Method
NDHS 2013 data-set was used with focus on weighted sample of women of reproductive age
who had no fertility intention (n=3203). Data were analysed using multinomial logit regression
models (α=0.05).
Results
Respondents’ mean age, number of surviving children and MHSAI was 31.7±7.6, 4.0±7.2 and
7.3±4.0 respectively. MHSAI, FP media exposure, health facility visit and home visit by FP
worker were found to be among the important predictors of modern contraceptive use (p<0.05).
Others were; age, education, region and number of living children. Lower level of MHSAI
inhibits the use of short or long term modern contraceptive method. The likelihood of the use
of either long term or short term FP method was higher among women with higher FP media
exposure, those that were visited at their homes by FP worker and women who received FP
information during their visits to health facility in the last one year (p<0.05).These patterns
were persistent when other important factors were used as control.
Conclusion
Access to maternal health care services and FP information increased the use of short or long
term modern contraceptive in Nigeria. Therefore, women should optimize the use of maternal
health care services as this will promote FP uptake in Nigeria.