An Assessment of the Perception of Christian Women of Family Planning Methods in Benue State

Abstract

The unsustainable population growth in the country has necessitated the adoption of some measures aimed at achieving a lower population growth rate via voluntary fertility regulation methods. This study was therefore, undertaken to examine the perception of family planning methods by Christian women in Benue state. The methods employed in the collection of data were survey and documents. This work covered fifteen churches in Benue State, consisting of five churches each from the three senatorial zones. The fifteen churches comprise three thousand, one hundred and eighty registered women. However, three hundred and eighty women were selected as samples. Copies of questionnaire were administered randomly on the respondents. The data were subjected to statistical analysis using t-test. The study revealed that both the Protestant Christian women and the Catholic women agreed that the natural methods of family planning free them from the use of chemicals and help them space their children but with high failure rates. It was also revealed that the artificial methods of family planning reduce the fear of unplanned pregnancies while it was unanimously agreed that weight gain and high blood pressure are some of the major side-effects of the methods. The study therefore, recommended that women should be professionally counselled on their menstrual cycles before using the natural methods of family planning to reduce failure rates. There should also be regular workshops and seminars on the benefits and the side-effects of the natural and the artificial methods for enlightenment.