Existing Knowledge Assessment on Family Planning Methods of Road Sweeper's
Date
2017
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Faculty of Health Education
Abstract
This study entitled "Existing Knowledge Assesment on Family Planning Methods of
Road Sweeper's in Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City" was carried out to examine the knowledge
of road sweepers of childbearing age. A descriptive research design has been applied to the data
where 60 currently married road sweepers aged 15to 49 years were purposively sampled and
interviewed mainly through structured questionnaire from different wards of the city.
Almost all the respondents (88%) were illiterate from the lower caste group like
Dum/Mote etc. that indicates their traditional occupational role as not involving in other income
generating activities. The demographic characteristic of the respondents regarding family
planning was not encouraging. Majority of the respondents had adopted early marriage. (Median
age at marriage: 16.05 years; premature pregnancy, and median age at first birth 18.2 years).
94% had knowledge about any one modern family planning methods, but few of them
(6%) were familiar about traditional mode of family planning methods. More than two-thirds
respondents were found conducting inter-spousal discussion about RH (reproductive health)
matters especially about family planning but few of their husbands had negative attitude about
the use of contraceptives as they thought contraception was not their responsibility. The
contraceptive prevalence rate of the respondents was found very high (74%), but comparatively
male participation was about three times lesser (19%) than that of their female counterparts
(55%) and among them, temporary device (condom) users were negligible (3%). Respondents
who practiced contraceptives were found having low fertility and child loss experiences with
small-sized family in contrast to that of who never used contraceptives, who had all the three
aspects high. It showed negative relationship between contraceptive use, fertility and child loss
experiences.
Role of electronic media like television and radio for communicating family planning
messages was found vital and almost all the respondents were found having easy access to the
sources of contraception. (80% respondents were at the periphery of ≤ 30 minutes from the
sources of contraception) mostly benefitted as being city dwellers. Although the government
sector remains the major source of contraception, non-government sector is another remarkable source. Nearly Ten respondents have faced any form of side effect while using contraceptives
and the major reason for discontinuity of the present methods as well as never use of
contraceptives was the matter of side effects.
By the end of this study, it is concluded that the currently married road sweepers (who
adopted early marriage and premature pregnancy) in Dharan Sub-metropolitan city were found to
be highly knowledge family planning methods and had high contraceptive prevalence rate despite
their low literacy rate, self-dependency of the respondents of the respondents, in terms of the
income, high accessibility to the family planning services and adequate exposure to the family
planning messages through electronic media were found supporting factors for the high use of
family planning methods to the respondents. It is requested to conduct similar type of studies in
other urban areas with larger sample size and different methodology.
Description
Keywords
Family planning methods, Contraception methods, Marriage fertility