Attitude Of Couple Toward Modern Family Planning Practice

In the opinion of Ademuwagun, Ajala, Oke,Moronkola and Jegede (2002), attitude is best viewed as a set of affective reactions toward an object that predisposed the individual to behave in a certain manner toward the object. It then follows that the quality of one's attitude is judged from the observable evaluative responses one tends to make, in this case toward modem family planning methods. Attitudes have the tendency to determine practices in some cases ( Opara ,1993). He further stated that attitudes that are positive are usually encouraged to continue and are reinforced while negative ones are usually discouraged. Attitude as used in this study means belief, feeling, thinking, ideas or emotion that predisposed an individual to respond either positively or negatively when faced with a particular object, in this case modem family planning methods.                     

When attitude are related to modem family planning, they are termed modem family planning attitudes. Such attitudes could be attitudes related to non-appliance, appliance and surgical methods of family. The type of attitude widow have to modem family planning positively or negatively influence their practice of these family planning methods .Liverton (1990) defined attitude to modem contraception, as the sum total of our habits and ideas, our likes dislikes and our practices of choosing and using modem contraceptive methods. He observed that attitude to modem contraceptive is positive when we have liking and are willing to use one or more modem methods of contraception, Karavas-Donkase (1996) noted that positive attitude leads to greater interest and performance. Negative attitude to modem contraceptive mean we use the natural family planning methods (NFPM) or, no method at all. Dada [2002) commented that if positive attitude to modem contraception  are adopted and put to practice, morbidity and mortality associated with pregnancy and sexual transmitted infection (STIs) including human immune-deficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDs) will be greatly minimized. In the context of this study, attitudes are conceptualized as habits, behaviour, feelings, the likes and dislikes of a particular method of family planning in this case modem family planning it is generally assumed that attitude influences behaviour or practice.

Practices of a group mean their ways of life. Wbster (1980) defined practice as something done habitually or customarily. According to Rundell (1990). Practice is a repeated, habitual or standard act or course of action. Lau, Quadrel and Hartman (1990) stated that practice endures as long as the social influences remain the same over a period of time. Gove (1993) considered practice as the actual performance or application of knowledge; it is a repeated customary action. Brown (1993) documented that some socio-cultural practices can ill-health. Conversely, in the context of health and disease, many practices are beneficial (Ejifugha, 1999). 

Robinson and Davsidson (1998) observed that practice is a habit, activity, procedure, or custom. Simpson and Weiner (2002) posited that practice is a habitual action-custom. Hornby (2001) conceptualized practice as doing something regularly as part of one's normal behaviour. Ademuwagun etal. (2002) stated that the ultimate goal of health education is practice or action. To reinforce the above statement, they further stated that the goal of health education is positive health-practice and not mere health-knowledge. Positive health practices are usually encouraged to continue and reinforced while negative ones are discouraged.

Attitudes have the tendency to determine practice in some case (Opara, 1993). When practices are related to modem family planning, they are termed modem family planning practices. Such practices could be related to non-appliance, appliance and surgical methods of family planning, Dada (2002) defined modem family planning practice as a habit of using modem family planning methods regularly. Okoye and Okoye (2007) refer to modem family planning practice as a habitual way of applying modem contraceptives consistently. They further observed that practice may be influenced by knowledge and attitude, although the possession of the accurate health knowledge and attitude does not guarantee the right behaviour, knowing the right thing to do may lead to positive attitude and appropriate behaviour .One fact remains that since the positive attitude is three, three are chances that one day the correct health behaviour will be put to practice.

It is generally assumed that practice may either positive or negative. Positive practice of modem family planning could lead to improved health, low maternal morbidity and mortality as well as low transmission of SITs and HIV. Conversely, negative practice of modem family planning many lead to poor health, high transmission of STIs and HIV. Practice, as used in this study means behaviour or habits that are carried out consistently by widows in relation to modem family planning.