Attitude To And Practice Of Modern Family Planning Among Widows Of Reproductive Age

Background to the Study

Adewale, Umoh, Iwere and Gbadegesin, (2005) opined that attitude and practice towards modern family planning have attracted much attention in recent times. This is due to increase in unwanted or unplanned pregnancies, induced or criminal abortion, maternal mortality, sexually transmitted diseases, human immune-deficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) prevalence among women of child- bearing age.

There is no one universally acceptable definition of attitude. However, Anderson (1981) opined that attitude is a moderately intense emotion that prepares or predisposes individuals to respond consistently in a favourable manner, when confronted with a particular  object.  Okafor  (1991)  stated  that  attitude  is  concerned  with  one‟s  feeling towards an object, person or thing. Cornachia, Station and Irwin (1999) asserted that an attitude refers to mind-set to action, an internal readiness to behave or act. Simpson and Weiner (2000) defined attitude as a way of feeling, thinking or behaving. Aitken (2000) argued that there is no standard definition of attitude, but in general terms, he perceived the term to imply a learned predisposition or tendency on the part of the individual to respond positively or negatively to some objects or situation. According to Mann (2002), attitude implies a relatively enduring organization to internalized belief that describes, evaluates and advances actions with respect to an object or situation with each belief having cognitive, affective and behavioural components. He further stated that each one of these beliefs is a predisposition that suitably activates results in some preferential response towards the attitude-object or situation or toward the maintenance or preservation of the attitude itself.

Attitude in the context of the present study is belief, feeling, thinking, ideas or emotion that predisposes an individual to respond when faced with a particular object. For instance, what a widow believes, feels or thinks about modern family planning becomes her attitude towards modern family planning.

Practice, on the other hand, is something done habitually or customarily (Webster, 1980). According to Simpson and Weiner (1991), practice is a habitual action-custom. Hornby  (2001)  opined  that  practice  means  to  do  something  regularly  as  part  of  one‟s normal behaviour. With regard to the present study therefore, it means using modern family planning methods regularly, as part of ones normal sexual behaviour. Practice of modern family planning may not only be beneficial to women whose husbands are living alone but also to widows of reproductive age.

A widow is defined as a woman whose husband has died and who has not married again (Hornby, 2001). Okafor (2004) viewed a widow as a woman who is married to a man and loses him to death. According to Igbudu and Okoro (2010), a widow of reproductive age is a woman in the age bracket of 15-49 years, whose husband has died and who has not married again. A young widow of reproductive age is a woman aged between 15 and 32 years, whose husband has died and who has not married again. An old widow of reproductive age is a woman aged between 33 and 49 years, whose husband  has died and who has not married again.

The Logo widow of reproductive age in the context of the present study, is a woman whose husband has died and who has not married again or inherited by the late husband‟s relation. Widows of reproductive age are chosen for the present study because, they are thought to be sexually active and are more likely to be prone to unwanted pregnancy, illegitimate children, abortion, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), human immune-deficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) than their married counterparts whose husbands are alive. In addition, widows are usually subsumed within the general categorization of women or ever married women in most studies in family planning, hence the need to study them specially, in the present study.

Furthermore,   the   researcher‟s   personal   observation   of   the   death   of   three young widows due to criminal or induced abortion in Logo Local Government Area (LGA), also informed the present study. Besides, a widow was hospitalized for having abortion complications. In addition, five widows who were not even inherited by their late  husband‟s  relation  gave  birth  to  children,  two   years  after  the  death  of  their husbands. The situation created a serious social problem as for the paternity of those children in such families. The children were termed illegitimate children in such families,

even  though  they  were  answering  the  names  of  their  mother‟s  late  husbands.  Oye- Adeniran, Adewole, Umoh, Iwere and Gbadegesin (2006) noted that such children were said to be vulnerable to abuse, neglect and discrimination, especially those with doubtful paternity, who would be regarded as bastards. There seems to be need for modern family planning among widows of reproductive age.

Modern family planning refers to modern contraceptives method other than traditional or natural family planning methods (NSO, 2004). Park (2007) defined modern family planning, as preventive methods that help the woman avoid unwanted pregnancies. They include all temporary and permanent measures to prevent pregnancies resulting from coitus. Modern family planning methods may be broadly grouped into two classes, namely: spacing methods and terminal methods. These methods are further categorized into three sub-categories namely, non-appliance, appliance, and surgical methods.

Oreachata (2007) referred to non-appliance methods as non-manipulative methods of family planning such as pills which are taken orally to prevent pregnancy. Non- appliance methods include hormonal methods (oral pills). Okoye and Okoye (2007) noted that oral pills which are hormone-based contraceptives are the most popular and also the most effective non-appliance methods of family planning in the World. They further observed that the first time to start taking your first package of birth-control pill is the day your period begins.

According to Park (2007), appliance methods refer to any contraceptive instrument, drug, preparation or thing designed to, prepared or intended to prevent pregnancy. Spermicides are surface active-agents which attach themselves to spermatozoa and inhibit oxygen uptake and kill sperms. They include among others: foams, creams, suppositories, and soluble films.

Okoye and Okoye viewed male condom as a rubber or processed collagenous tissue sheath that fits over the erect penis and acts as a barrier to the transmission of semen into the vagina and also prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

They described female condom as a soft plastic that resembles a diaphragm and condom combination. It consists of a soft, loose-fitting sheath with two flexible rings