Abstract

Family Planning services are preventive health services that provide quality, low cost and
easily accessible reproductive health care to women and men during their reproductive
years. Family planning is often limited to the use of contraception. However, family planning
provides a holistic service that aims to promote a positive view of sexuality and enable
people to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health and well-being.
It also ensures that resources are available for raising a child in significant amounts, which
include time, finance and social environment at intervals mutually determined by both
partners to have their desired number of children. Studies indicates that the utilization of
family planning services in Uganda is low when compared to high population growth rate in
Africa, high fertility that translates into high population growth. Many scholars reported that
it is likely that the utilization of family planning services can alter the population growth
rate. Studies have also shown that contraceptive knowledge and usage is very low in Uganda,
hence the reason for the high fertility and increase population. The study aimed at
determining the awareness and utilization of family planning among mothers attending
antenatal care at Kampala international university Ishaka Bushenyi district western Uganda.
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. 349 questionnaires were distributed to
349 women of reproductive age of which all of them were retrieved. Data were analyzed
using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics were used to
summarize and organize the data. Pearson’s Chi-square test was used to test for association
between variables and the level of significant was set at 5% (0.05) Results from this study
show that (84.4%) respondent’s utilization of family planning services depends on husband’s
acceptance of the family planning method. The study also found that the mothers’ attitudes
towards contraception and their beliefs all influence the utilization of family planning.
Academic attainment and knowledge of family planning methods were significant and
influenced family planning use. The study showed that family planning used depends on the
husband’s acceptance of the family planning method. This study also recommends that
spouses be continuously involved in family planning education as their approval influences
family planning. It is hoped that the knowledge of this research will help health care givers
to provide adequate health education to clients and family in the community to expand their
knowledge of family planning services to ensure adequate child spacing and reproductive
health. Thus, preventing unintended pregnancies, reduce maternal and child morbidity and
mortality rate.