Evaluating Approval, Access, and Husband-Wife Communication, in Resolving Unmet Need for Family Planning: A Study of a Peri-Urban South-West Nigerian Community

Abimbola S. Phillips, Obafemi Awolowo University
Adesegun O. Fatusi, Obafemi Awolowo University

This study examined the role of approval of family planning (FP) by women of reproductive age in union on unmet needs for FP, as well as its interactions with access to FP services and husband-wife communication. Data were from the Nigeria-Ife 2010 baseline of the Family Health and Wealth Study (FHWS)of 784 couples.Each of three outcomes - unmet needs for spacing (UmNS), limiting (UmNL) and combined was regressed on variables of interest. The odds of UmNL was reduced by 40% by approving of FP compared to those who disapproved(AOR:0.60,p-value:0.035). The average predicted probability for UmNL was 0.16 if all the women approved of FP, compared to 0.21 if they all disapproved. The predicted marginal probability for UmNL was reduced to 0.10 if the women both discussed with their spouses and approved of FP, and further reduced to 0.04 if they also had good access to FP services.