Medical Science: Updates and Prospects Vol. 10

Background: Family planning is a cornerstone of maternal and child health improvement, fertility reduction, and socioeconomic development globally. In sub-Saharan Africa, where maternal mortality and unmet contraceptive need remain disproportionately high, access to and sustained use of family planning services are critical public health priorities. Nigeria bears a significant share of this burden, with national modern contraceptive prevalence rates among married women remaining well below regional targets. Despite growing policy commitments and programme investments, contraceptive uptake in many Nigerian states, particularly in the North-East geopolitical zone, continues to be constrained by complex sociodemographic, cultural, and behavioural determinants. Understanding the knowledge, attitudinal, and practice profiles of women at the primary healthcare level is therefore essential for designing contextually appropriate interventions.

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding family planning among married women attending Township Primary Healthcare Centre (PHCC), Jalingo, Taraba State, and to examine the influence of selected socio-demographic variables on these outcomes.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 359 married women of reproductive age attending Township PHCC, Jalingo, selected via simple random sampling. Data were collected using a structured, pretested, self-administered questionnaire comprising four sections: socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of contraceptive methods and family planning benefits, attitudes toward family planning, and current contraceptive practice. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS; descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means) summarised participant characteristics, while inferential statistics (chi-square tests) examined associations between socio-demographic variables and KAP outcomes. Statistical significance was set at p < .05.

Results: Most participants were within the reproductive age range of 20–39 years and had attained at least secondary-level education. Knowledge of family planning was high, with the majority demonstrating awareness of multiple contraceptive methods, their correct use, and associated health benefits. Attitudes toward family planning were predominantly positive; most respondents expressed support for contraceptive use, rejected religion-based misconceptions, and reported open communication with their spouses on reproductive health matters. Contraceptive practice was notably high, with 79.1% of participants reporting current use of at least one family planning method — a figure substantially exceeding national averages and indicative of relatively strong service uptake within this facility-based sample. Despite this, side effects, fear of adverse reactions, and sociocultural pressures — most notably spousal disapproval and community stigma — were identified as significant barriers to consistent and sustained contraceptive use. Inferential analysis demonstrated that educational attainment significantly predicted knowledge (p = .042), while attitude (p = .008) and marital status (p = .001) were significant predictors of contraceptive practice.

Conclusion: Knowledge of, attitudes toward, and practice of family planning among married women attending Township PHCC Jalingo are comparatively high relative to national benchmarks; however, sustained contraceptive use remains constrained by concerns about side effects, inadequate male partner engagement, and entrenched sociocultural barriers. These findings underscore the need for targeted, multi-level interventions that address side-effect misconceptions through evidence-based counselling, actively engage male partners in reproductive health education, and strengthen community mobilisation strategies. Health policymakers and primary healthcare providers in Taraba State and similar contexts should prioritise interventions that tackle sociocultural determinants of contraceptive discontinuation and promote equitable, informed reproductive decision-making among couples.