Central African Journal of Public Health 2018; 4(4): 119-124 http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/cajph doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20180404.14 ISSN: 2575-5773 (Print); ISSN: 2575-5781 (Online) Family Planning Use Among Women Attending a Health Care Facility in Rural Ghana Adadow Yidana 1, * , Alhassan Salifu Sharif 2 1 Department of Community Health and Family Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana 2 Department of Public Health, School of Allied Health Sciences, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana Email address: * Corresponding author To cite this article: Adadow Yidana, Alhassan Salifu Sharif. Family Planning Use Among Women Attending a Health Care Facility in Rural Ghana. Central African Journal of Public Health. Vol. 4, No. 4, 2018, pp. 119-124. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20180404.14 Received: August 7, 2018; Accepted: August 22, 2018; Published: September 19, 2018 Abstract: Demand for and the use of family planning is fundamental in ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health care. Family planning in Ghana remains a delicate issue that is reluctantly accepted. This study was carried out to assess the use of family planning among women attending a health facility in Ghana. A descriptivecross-sectional study design was used involving 344 respondents, randomly selected for the study. A questionnairewas used in data collection and was analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. Majority of the respondents were between the ages of 25-35. Again, the majority was married; again, the majority was non-salaried workers. The majority had good knowledge of family planning, and many had used family planning services for up to 2 years. Almost 50% believed that the ideal time to use family planning services after childbirth is 1-3 months. Many claimed family planning worked effectively for them. Again, the majority received husbands support and approval for family planning services. Barriers to family planning were affordability, religion, and health worker attitude. The study concludes that family planning usage in the study area could be improved. The study recommends awareness creation on the relevance of family planning among women within the study community. Keywords: Family Planning, Attendance, Healthcare, Women, Rural Ghana 1. Background Demand for and the use of family planning is fundamental in ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health care services [1]. Minimizing the increasing incidence of unwanted pregnancies and promoting child spacing hinges on the timely utilization of family planning service [2]. The United Nation Sustainable Development Goals’ targets 3.7 and 5.6, stipulates that by the year 2030, access to reproductive health services should be universal [1]. The role family planning plays in decision making with regard to population growth and development has drawn the attention of the global community to its utilization [3]. Family planning essentially is meant to enable couples or individuals to attain the desired number of children, how and when they need them through the use of contraceptive methods [4-6]. In Ghana, however, family planning has remained a delicate issue that is still reluctantly accepted on account of religious beliefs and the misconception that family planning is synonymous with population control [7]. It must be emphasized that timely utilization of family planning intervention can contribute to healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy. Again, it plays an important role in decreasing maternal mortality [8]. The realization of the important role of family planning methods and the speed with which this knowledge was put to practice worldwide is perhaps the most remarkable achievements [9]. This notwithstanding, people in lower income economies are still battling with the rapid and uncontrolled increase in population [10]. Research shows that most unintended pregnancies result because many people in the population do not still appraciate the role of family planning in the prevention of these unwanted pregnancies [11-12]. Traditionally, women were the focus of family planning regardless of the important role played by male partners [2]. In the lower income economies, male’s general knowledge and attitudes concerning the ideal family size, gender