Family Planning Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Males in Ilorin, Nigeria

Author(s): Gbolahan A. Oni and James McCarthy

Source: International Family Planning Perspectives, Vol. 17, No. 2 (Jun., 1991), pp. 50-54+64
Published by: Guttmacher Institute
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FamilyPlanningKnowledge,Attitudes
And Practices of Males in llorin,Nigeria
"Althoughthe use ofcontraceptivesamong [lilorin] meninour
studywas limited,favorableattitudestowardfamilyplanning
and a willingnessto use contraceptiveshave clearlyemerged,
probablyrecently,
amongsome ofthepopulation."

ByGbolahan
A. OniandJames
McCarthy

Summary aboutfertility regulation.2Althoughthis centresearchthroughout Africa,particu-

A householdsurveyconductedbetween beliefis widelysupportedbytheresearch larlyin Nigeria,has shownan increase
September1988 and January1989 in ofmanyscholars,therearerelatively few amongbothmen and womenin knowl-
Ilorin, Nigeria, yieldeddata on thecontra- empiricalstudiesof thefamilyplanning edgeabout,favorable attitudes
towardand
ceptiveknowledge, attitudes and practices knowledge, attitudes and practicesofAf- ever-useof contraceptives.5 Some attrib-
of1,022men.Although thesampleis not ricanmen. ute thesechangesto thesevereeconomic
representative ofthecity, thedata provide In contrast, as a resultof suchinterna- deterioration thathashitNigeriasincethe
comparative information bylevelofeduca- tionalefforts as theWorldFertility Sur- end oftheoil-fedboomofthe1970sand
tionand area of residence,whichserves veys (WFS) and the Demographicand early1980s.Althoughthereis some dis-
as a proxy forsocioeconomic status. Health Surveys(DHS), thereare a fair puteoverthelong-term effect
ofsuchcri-
Contraceptive knowledge isvirtually uni- numberof large,comparable,nationally sis-ledchangeson fertility and contracep-
versalamongthesemen,withthecondom representative surveyson thefertilityatti- tive use,6 public policy in Nigeria has
and oral contraceptives the most com- tudes and behaviorsof Africanwomen. clearlyaltereddramatically withregardto
monly known methods. Thecondomisalso Althoughwomenare thebestsourcesof fertility and contraceptive use duringthe
themostcommonly used method, yetless information onactualfertilityanditsproxi- current economiccrisis.Evidencecan be
thanhalfofmenfromthemosteducated mate determinants, a thoroughunder- foundin theveryexistenceofan explicit
and highestsocioeconomicgroupshave standingof thesocialand culturaldeter- populationpolicythathas specific targets
everused it. minantsof fertility, especiallyin patriar- forfertilityreduction, and in the recent
The majority ofmenat alleducationand chalsocieties, requiresthatstudiesofmen development of largepublicinformation
residencelevels have positiveattitudes also be undertaken. and servicedeliveryprogramsdesigned
towardfamily planning, and contraceptive Most recentstudiesof men's perspec- toincreasetheuse ofcontraceptives.7
use is associated withcommunicationtivesonfertility havebeenbasedon analy- In thisarticle,we examinethecontra-
aboutfamily planning betweenhusbands ses ofdata fromselectedpopulations, of- ceptiveknowledge, attitudesandpractices
andwives.Amongmenwhosaytheyhave tenthoseofsinglecities.Untilsuchproj- amonga sampleofmenin Ilorin,Nigeria,
had such discussions,22-60 percentre- ectsas theWFS and DHS includemales who are marriedto womenaged 15-49.
portthattheirwivesuse a method,com- in theircountrysurveys,resultsfrom We are interested specifically in finding
paredwith4-10 percentofthosewhosay the smallerstudieswill continueto pro- answerstothefollowing questions:
theyhave notdiscussedfamily planning videessentialinformation bothtoscholars * To whatextentare marriedmenaware
withtheirwives. interestedin thedeterminants of fertilityoffamily planning?
in Africaand to policymakers and pro- * Do theyknowofspecific methods?
Introduction gramofficialsinterested in effectivein- * Whatare theirsourcesof information
In research on thedeterminants offertilityterventions topromotecontraceptive use. and how long ago did theyfirstreceive
in sub-SaharanAfrica,and in programs The traditional Africanpatternofmale thisinformation?
designed to increasecontraceptive use involvement in fertilitydecision-making* Do menuse contraceptives? Ifso, what
among Africanpopulations,increasing is clearlyreflected in existingstudiesof methoddo theyuse andhowlongago did
attention isbeingpaidtothecontraceptivemen'sinfluence overthesematters in Ni- theystartusingit?
knowledge, attitudes and practicesofAf- geria.In a studycarriedout amongmar- * Do menhavepositiveattitudes towards
ricanmen.' This interest stemsfromthe riedNigerianstudents, one out of every contraception?
widelyheldbeliefthatin thepatriarchal, fivewomenwhowerenotusinga contra- * Do theygenerallydiscussfamilyplan-
traditional African family, theroleofhus- ceptivemethodgave husband'sobjection ning with theirwives? What are their
bandsis paramount in couples'decisions as thereasonfornonuse.3Anotherstudy wives' attitudestowardusingcontracep-
reportedthatmenfeartheirwives'use of tives?
contraceptives will undermine theirown * Do menthinktheyortheirwivesshould
Gbolahan A. Oni is senior lecturerin the Department authorityas headofhouseholdorencour- havetheprimary responsibility fordecid-
of Epidemiology and CommunityHealth, University
of Ilorin,Nigeria. JamesMcCarthyis directorof the
age their
wives tobe promiscuous.4 ing about contraceptive use? Which of
Center for Population and Family Health, Columbia However,mostof thesestudieswere themdo theythinkshouldbe responsible
University,New York. conductedsome timeago, and morere- forusingthecontraceptives?

50 International
FamilyPlanningPerspectives

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 Ilorin,the capitalof Nigeria'sKwara bandsandwives,sucha designcouldalso tionsherhusbandhadalreadybeenasked.
State,has a populationof approximately createproblemsin a settingas traditional Thus,thelocalinvestigator concludedthat
700,000. Itbecamethecapitalin1967,when as Ilorin.Kwara State,and Ilorin,are on the practicaldifficulties of interviewing
thefirst 12stateswereestablished inNige- theborderbetweenlargelyMuslimnorth- husbandsand wivesofthesamefamilies
ria (the numberof stateshas since in- ernNigeriaandlargelyChristian southern outweighed theanalyticalbenefits.
creasedto 21). Priorto 1967,Ilorincould Nigeria;many aspects of husband-wife BecausethelastreliablecensusinIlorin,
have been characterized as a traditional relationsin Ilorin,especiallyamongthe and in all of Nigeria,was conductedin
town,withindigenousoccupationsthat moretraditional segmentsofthepopula- 1963,when Ilorinwas a verydifferent
includedfarming, pottery-making, weav- tion,are similarto thosetypicalin north- place,no adequatedatato establisha rep-
ing,leatherworkand embroidery. Sub- ernNigeria.For example,theconsentof resentative sampleoftheIlorinpopulation
stantialpopulationgrowthaccompanied the husbandis oftenrequiredbeforea existed.Hence,thesamplingframeforthe
the city'sbecominga statecapital,and womancan participate in a studysuchas current studywas designedtocollectdata
additionalopportunities foremployment theone we conducted.In thiscontext, a fromgroupsofmenand womenthatrep-
haveopenedup infederaland stateagen- womanmight be reluctant toanswerques- resentedthe socioeconomic rangeof the
cies(including a university, a polytechnic population.
and botha generaland a teachinghospi- Ilorinadministrativewardswerestrati-
tal) as well as in manufacturing and con- Table 1. Percentageofmenwhohave knowl- fied into three groups, dependingon
struction. Manyof thepeople who have edge ofcontraceptivesand those who have whether theyrepresent a low,mediumor
practicedfamilyplanning,by selected so-
filledthesenew positionsin themodern cioeconomicand demographiccharacteris- highsocioeconomic area. The identifica-
sectorareeducatedmenandwomenfrom tics,llorin,Nigeria,1988 tionofeach wardwas carriedoutby the
otherpartsofNigeria,drawnto Ilorinby localinvestigator,inconsultation withcol-
job opportunities. Ilorincan now be de- Characteristic N Have Have leaguesfromtheUniversity ofIlorinwho
knowl- prac-
scribedas an emerging moderncity,with edge ticed have carriedout researchstudiesin the
a diversepopulation. cityand werefamiliar withthecharacter-
All 1,022 97 32
The availabilityof contraceptives in isticsofeachward.Oneortwowardswere
Ilorinhas also changedin recentyears. Education selectedfromeach stratum, and random
Moderncontraceptives canbe obtainedat None 259 89 6
samples of households were drawnfrom
Primary 194 96 21
threegovernment clinicsand in dozensof Secondary 173 98 33 the selectedwards. Trainedmale inter-
privatehospitals, chemist shopsanddrug- Postsecondary 395 99 53 viewersadministered questionnairesto
stores.Mostofthesesourceswereunavail- Socioeconomic residence men married to women aged 1549 who
able before1983,when therewere only Low 350 90 8 werenotincludedin thefemalesample.
twogovernment clinicsproviding anyex- Medium 438 98 40 Thisarticleconcentrates on thedata from
tensiveservice.In addition,in 1986 the High 234 99 50 a totalof1,022males.
KwaraStateMinistry ofHealth,incollabo- Occupation* We emphasizethattheresulting sample
rationwithColumbiaUniversity in New None 359 97 23 of menis notrepresentative of theIlorin
York,introduced community-based distri- Traditional 330 92 16 population. Thislimitation,however, does
97
bution of familyplanningmethodsin Modern 655 40 notinterfere withanalysisof thedata to
Ilorin;thismadeitpossibleforsomemar- Religion revealdifferentialsin knowledgeand be-
ketwomenandtraders tosellcertaintypes Muslim 482 92 17 haviorthatare likelyto characterize the
98
of contraceptives, includingthe pill and Christian 536 45
distinctsocioeconomicgroupslivingin
thecondom.KwaraStatealso sponsored Age-group Ilorin,and we confineour analysisand
one of Nigeria'sfirststate-widemedia 15-24 27 85 7 discussionto thosegroups.Table 1 pres-
27
campaignsto promotecontraceptive use 25-29
30-34
120
220
95
94 29
entsbasicinformation on knowledgeand
and theidea ofhavingsmallfamilies.8 35-39 217 98 36 use ofcontraceptives fortheentiresample
40-44 189 97 37 and withincategories ofa numberof so-
Data and Methods 45-49 125 97 37 cial and demographic variables;all other
Thedataanalyzedinthispaperarefroma ?50 122 93 25 resultsare
reportedwithincategoriesof
householdsurveyfieldedinIlorinbetween Typeofmarriage eitherarea of residence(thevariableon
September 1988and January 1989thatfo- Monogamous 801 96 33 whichthesamplewas stratified) or level
186 94 26
cused on fertility attitudesand behavior, Polygamous of educationof therespondent (whichis
knowledgeand use ofcontraceptives, and Children everborn highlycorrelated withresidence).If ade-
a numberof importantsocioeconomic 0-2 329 96 26 quatecensusfigures on thedistribution of
3-4 327 97 36
background characteristics.Separate 5-6 204 94 35
the population by residence should be-
samplesofmarried womenages15-49and ?7 158 94 32 come available,appropriate weightscan
men currently marriedto such women be appliedtoeachcase and overallpreva-
Additional childwanted
werecollected. In 1983,a similarsurveyof Yes 690 95 23 lence levels for the populationcan be
womenonlywas carriedoutwitha sample No 265 97 52 calculated.
ofwivesaged 15-35.9 *Traditionaloccupationsinclude variouscrafts
farming,
The decision to interviewseparate and pettytrading. Modern occupationsincludeprofes- Results
samplesofmenand womenwas basedon sional positionsas wellas manufacturingand service The
positions. sample of 1,022marriedmen was
practicalconsiderations. Althougha sur- Note:Numbersofcases incategoriesdo notalways fairlyevenlydivided among the three
veyofcoupleswould have alloweda di- add to 1,022 because of missingvalues forsome typesof residentialareas,and included
cases.
rectcomparisonof responsesfromhus- substantialnumbersofmenwitha secon-

Volume 17, Number 2, June1991 51

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FamilyPlanningKnowledge, and Practices
Attitudes

As is evidentfromthedata in Table3,
Table 2. Among men with knowledge about familyplanning, percentage who have heard of
ever-useofmostmethodsis low.Themost
specific methods, by education and residence
commonlyused methodis the condom,
Method Education Socioeconomicresidence withonlyfourpercentof thosewithno
None Primary Secondary Post- Low Medium High educationand 43 percent ofthosewitha
secondary postsecondary educationreportingthat
Pill 43 71 78 84 51 79 82 theyhad ever used thatmethod.Even
IUD 24 48 41 54 31 48 53 amongthemosteducatedmen,ever-use
Injectables 46 66 74 76 52 73 76 ofall othermethodswas verylow: Four-
Femalesterilization 19 43 49 58 26 50 60 teenpercent ofthesemenhad used with-
Condom 46 73 82 88 55 83 83 drawal,and sevenpercentreported that
Withdrawal 31 55 55 73 36 65 70 theirwives had used the pill, the IUD,
Diaphragm 23 36 32 60 26 46 70 injectablesor sterilization; 10 percentsaid
Spermicides 21 39 46 66 26 51 66 theyhad used some other method. Again,
Malesterilization 17 41 45 57 24 46 60 thepattern by residence is similar to that
byeducation.
Althougha thorough analysisofmale-
daryor postsecondary education(Table had heardof,and to reportwhichmeth- femaledifferences incontraceptive knowl-
1-page 51).We arecertainthatthedistri- ods theyhad used. As Table 2 shows, edge,attitudes and practices is beyondthe
butionof thepopulationof marriedmen knowledgeof specificmethodsis much scopeofthisarticle, we comparedreports
in Ilorindiffers fromthe distribution in loweramongmenwithlittleorno educa- ofuse obtainedseparately frommenand
oursampleinthatthereareproportionallytionthanamongthosewitha postsecon- womenand foundthattheoveralllevels
fewerwell-educated menin thecityand daryeducation. Forexample,43percent of ofever-usedo notdiffer muchbygender.
morelivingin poor areas. Table 1 also menwithno educationsaid theyknewof However,reportsof the use of specific
presentsthe distribution of the sample thepill,comparedwith84percent ofthose methodsdiffer dramatically betweenmen
amongcategories ofseveralothervariables witha postsecondary education. Similarly, and women.Ofthewomensampled,very
thatare usuallyof interestin studiesof 24 percentofmenwithno educationsaid few reporteduse of condomsor with-
African fertility. theyknewoftheIUD, comparedwith54 drawal,and themethodsmostcommonly
* Knowledge and UseofContraceptives. The percentof those with a postsecondary everused werethepilland theIUD. Since
datapresented inTable1 revealthatsome education. Acrossalleducation groups,the thispatterndiffers fromthatof themale
knowledgeof contraceptive methodsis condomwas the methodmostlikelyto respondents, it is unclearwhichreportis
virtuallyuniversalamongmen in Ilorin havebeenheardof;yetless thanhalf(46 moreaccurate,or whethera completeac-
(97percent overall).Evenamongmenwith percent) ofrespondents withnoeducation countofcontraceptive use in Ilorinmight
no formaleducationand amongthoseliv- knewaboutit,comparedwith88 percent requireanalysisofreports frombothmen
ing in the poorestareas of the city,ap- of thosein thehighesteducationgroup. and women.
proximately 90 percentreported thatthey Sterilization, thediaphragmand spermi- * Attitudes TowardFamilyPlanning.Regard-
knew of some familyplanningmethod. cideswereknownby thelowestpropor- less of theireducationor residencecate-
Levels of ever-useof contraceptives are 'tionsofmenofall levelsofeducation.The gory,thevastmajority ofthemalerespon-
considerably lower,and varymuchmore patternof knowledgeaccordingto resi- dentswhohaveknowledge offamily plan-
by residenceand education.Ever-use denceis verysimilarto thataccordingto ning said theyhave a positiveattitude
rangesfromsix percentamongmenwith education. towardit (Table4). However,menliving
no educationto 53 percentamongthose Most of the respondents(60 percent) in thepoorestareasand havingno formal
witha postsecondary education, andfrom reported thattheyhad learnedaboutfam- educationareconsiderably lesslikelythan
eightpercentamongthoselivingin the ily planningthroughradio,televisionor theotherrespondents toapprove.
poorestareas to 50 percentamongthose newspapers(notshown).In addition,ex- Largeproportions of menin thehigh-
residingin themostaffluent areas. ceptforthosemenwitha postsecondary est socioeconomic and educationcatego-
Respondents who said theyhad some education, a majority ofmenreported first rieshad discussedfamilyplanningwith
knowledgeof contraceptives were asked learningaboutfamily planningwithinthe theirwives(71 percentand 77 percent, re-
toindicatewhichofa listofmethodsthey lastfiveyears. Incontrast,
spectively). verysmallpropor-
tionsinthelowestsocioeconomic andedu-
cationgroupshad doneso (16percent and
Table 3. Percentage of men reporting that they or their wives have ever used specific 13 percent,respectively). Thosemenwho
methods, by education and residence
had discussed contraception with their
Method Education Socioeconomic residence wiveswereaskedabouttheirwives'atti-
None Primary Secondary Post- Low Medium High tudetowardit;thevastmajority ofthem
secondary reportedthattheirwives had a positive
Effective attitude,regardless ofresidentce oreduca-
femalemethods* 0 3 4 7 2 6 6 tion.
Condom 4 14 26 43 6 30 43 Themenwerealso askediftheywould
Withdrawal 0 4 9 14 2 10 13 supporttheirwives'use ofcontraceptives
Others 1 3 6 10 1 8 8 and whether theythemselves wouldcon-
and sterilization.
*Thepill,theIUD,injectables sider using a method in the future.Sup-
portfortheirwives'use ofcontraceptives

52 InternationalFamilyPlanningPerspectives

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rangedfrom46 percentamongmeninthe
poorestareasto78percent amongthosein Table 4. Among men with knowledge of contraceptives, percentage reportingvarious atti-
tudes toward them, by residence and education
the most affluent areas. The patternof
supportforwives' use is similaracross Education N Have Discuss Wiveshave Supports Willuse
categories ofeducation.Menwereslightly and residence positive with positive wives' them-
attitudes wives attitudes* use selves
less likelyto be willingto use contracep-
tivesthemselves inthefuture. Willingness Education
to be the user variedby residenceand None 231 51 13 90 39 32
educationin thesame way thatsupport Primary 186 70 42 83 60 51
forwives'use varied.Approximately one- Secondary 169 80 54 81 73 64
thirdofmeninthepoorestareasand with Postsecondary 390 87 77 89 84 70
no educationreported a willingnesstouse Socioeconomicresidence
contraceptives in the future,compared Low 315 52 16 82 46 38
withroughly two-thirds ofmeninthemost Medium 430 84 66 84 75 66
affluent areasand withthehighestlevels High 232 85 71 93 78 65
ofeducation. *Onlythosewhohaddiscussedfamily withtheir
planning wiveswereaskedaboutwives'attitudes.
To furtherunderstandthe process
through whichmen,womenand couples
makedecisionsaboutfamily planning, we residenceand education.Forexample,60 onlyfourpercentof thosewho had not
askedmenwhoshouldmakethedecision percentofmenwitha postsecondary edu- discussedfamily planning.Thepattern of
aboutusingcontraceptives andwhether it cationwhohad discussedfamily planning resultsis virtually thesamewhenuse and
shouldbe thehusband'sor thewife'sre- withtheirwivesreported thattheirwives discussionareexaminedacrosscategories
sponsibility to use them(Table 5). Very wereusingcontraceptives. Bycontrast, in of residence.
fewmen,regardless ofareaofresidence or thesameeducationcategory, only10 per- One possibleinterpretation ofthesere-
levelofeducation, feltthathusbandsalone centofhusbandswho had notdiscussed sultsis thatdifferences in use bywhether
shouldbe the ones to actuallyuse birth family planningwiththeirwivesreported ornotfamily planningis discussedcanbe
control,and between40 percentand 59 thattheirwiveswereusingcontraceptives.explainedsimplyby the factthatthose
percent ofmen,acrossallcategories ofedu- Althoughuse is muchloweramongthe menwho talkwiththeirwives are more
cationand residence, feltthatwivesalone wives of menwithno formaleducation, likelythanthosewho do notto knowif
shouldbe theones to use contraceptives.therelativedifference betweenthosewho theirwivesareusinga method.We exam-
Thegreatest variation inresponses appears talkwiththeirwives aboutfamilyplan- ined method-specific patternsof use to
whenwe considerthosemenwhothought ning and those who do not is similar: determine ifmethodsused bywomenare
thatboththehusbandandthewifeshould Twenty-seven percentof thosewho had reported proportionally moreoftenamong
use orthatneither shoulduse.Thepropor- discussedfamilyplanningreportedthat coupleswhodiscussfamily planning.Men
tionsfavoring jointuse weremuchhigher theirwivesuse a method,comparedwith who had discussedfamilyplanningwith
amongmen livingin the most affluent
areasandthosewitha postsecondary edu-
cation(49 percentand 47 percent, respec- Table 5. Percentage distributionof men with knowledge about contraceptives, by who they
tively).Veryfewmenin any categoryof believe should use them and who should make the decision to use them, according to
residenceor educationfeltthatthewife residence and education
shouldbe thesole decision-maker. Most Education N Husband Wife Both Neither Total
menlivingin thepoorestareas,as wellas and residence
mostof thosewithno formaleducation, WHOSHOULDUSE
thoughtthe husbandshould decide (61 Education
percentand 60 percent,respectively). None 231 5 59 10 2 100
Amongmeninthemostaffluent areasand Primary 186 6 53 26 15 100
withthe highestlevel of education,the Secondary 169 8 47 34 11 100
majority believedthatthedecisionshould Postsecondary 390 4 44 47 5 100
be a jointone (57 percentofeach).How- Socioeconomicresidence
ever,evenin thesegroups,approximately Low 315 6 58 12 24 100
one-third said thedecisionshouldbe the Medium 430 7 49 37 9 100
husband'salone. High 232 4 40 49 6 100
* Communication and Contraceptive Use. WHOSHOULDDECIDE
One of themoreinteresting setsof find- Education
ingsin our analysisconcernstheassocia- None 231 60 4 10 27 100
tionbetweendiscussionof familyplan- Primary 186 60 4 23 13 100
ningwithone's spouseand actualuse of Secondary 169 46 7 41 6 100
contraceptives. Postsecondary 390 36 6 57 2 100
Thedatapresented in Table6 (page 54) Socioeconomicresidence
show thatcommunication about family Low 315 61 4 12 21 100
planningbetweenhusbandsand wivesis Medium 430 46 6 43 5 100
associatedwithconsiderably greateruse High 232 33 7 57 3 100
of contraceptives, withinall categoriesof

Volume 17, Number 2, June1991 53

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FamilyPlanningKnowledge,
Attitudes
and Practices

theirwivesweremuchmorelikelyto re- men.A particularly important groupthat

Table 6. Percentage of men whose wives use
porthavingused bothmale-specific and might benefitfrom such information
contraceptives, by whetheror not they have
methodsthan men who
female-specific discussed familyplanning with their wives,
would be thosemen who have already
had not discussedfamilyplanningwith according to residence and education decidedthattheydo notwantanymore
theirwives.Thisleadsus toconcludethat children butwhohavenotyetused contra-
inlevelofuse betweenthe
thedifferences Education Have Havenot ceptives.
and residence discussed discussed
twogroupsareaccurateand notsimplya Additionally, futureefforts to promote
N % using N % using
reflection
ofwhether menareawareofuse fertilityregulation needto considerways
bytheirwives. Education to encourage communicationbetween
None 30 27 195 4
Primary 75 33 106 5
husbandsand wives.Such efforts, espe-
Summaryand Conclusions Secondary 86 43 71 6 cially among the more traditional seg-
Theresultsofourstudyprovidea greater Postsecondary 289 60 84 10 ments ofIlorin, willnotbe easyorstraight-
understanding ofthedeterminants ofre- Socioeconomic forward; itis likelythatwomenare often
productivebehaviorin Ilorin,and illus- residence not includedin manyfamilydecisions.
trateboth the accomplishments of and Low 49 22 258 4 Nevertheless, encouraging open commu-
challengesto a recentlyenactedNiger- Medium 275 56 138 7 nicationbetweenhusbands and wives
49 61 7
ianpopulationpolicy.Manyofthesefind- High 156
oughttobe seriously considered as a focus
ingsare contrary to whatone would ex- offuture populationeducationprograms.
pectbased on thetraditional viewsofthe Attitudes towardtheuse ofcontracep- Findingsfromthisstudyalso have im-
attitudesof Africanmen towardschild- tivesaregenerally positive,
although there plicationsforour understanding of the
bearing. is considerable variation bysocioeconomic determinants of fertility in Ilorinand of
First,our data revealthatthevastma- status.One interesting aspectis thatmen theprospectsforfertility declinesin the
jorityof men in Ilorinare aware of the are somewhatmore willingto support future. Although theuse ofcontraceptives
conceptof fertility regulation, but thata theirwives in usingcontraceptives than amongmenin our studywas limited, fa-
smallerproportion have detailedknowl- theyare to considerusing themthem- vorableattitudes towardfamilyplanning
edgeofspecific methodsofcontraception.selves.Differences in therelativeauthor- and a willingnessto use contraceptives
Theirknowledgehas beenacquiredfairly ityand responsibility ofmenand women have clearlyemerged,probablyrecently,
recently, usuallythroughradioor televi- are also revealedbythefinding thatmen among some of the population.These
sion shows. The extensivemedia cam- feeltheyshouldhave a majorrolein the changesin attitudestowardthe use of
paignsin Ilorinand KwaraStatein recent decisionto limitfertility but thatthere- contraceptives areimportant indicators of
yearshave clearlyreacheda largepartof sponsibility foractualuse of contracep- potentialchangesin fertility, evenifthey
theurbanaudience.However,mostofthe tives lies predominantly with women. are stillconfined to thosesegments ofthe
material presented intheseradioand tele- Amongmenfromtheless traditional sec- populationthatare morecloselylinked
visionspotsis general.Moredetailedin- torsofIlorin,thereis a tendency tobelieve withthemodernsectors.
formation is typically providedat health insharing boththeauthority tomakedeci- Importantquestionsremain.Can we
centers andclinics, thatfocustheir sionsandtheresponsibility
facilities forimplement- expectto see signsof fertility reduction,
serviceson womenand children, and that ingthem. especially amongthemosthighly educated
arerarelyvisitedbymen. A particularly important setoffindings andotherwise advantagedsegments ofthe
Although actualuse ofcontraceptives is relatesto thelevelof communication be- populationofIlorin?How longwillittake
stillnotwidespreadamongmenin Ilorin, tweenhusbandand wifeand theassocia- forpositiveattitudesto becomediffused
some men have used certainmethods, tionbetweencommunication and use of throughout all segments ofthepopulation
particularly the condom.However,it is familyplanning. Use is dramatically of Ilorin?An essentialfactorin the an-
difficult to interpretthedemographic sig- higheramongcoupleswhohavediscussed swerstoeachofthesequestionsis therole
nificance ofreported contraceptive use by familyplanningwitheach other,and it of continuedefforts on the partof both
men,forseveralreasons.First,we do not maybe thatcoupleswho do discussfam- stateand federalgovernments in Nigeria
knowtheextentto whichmen are fully ily planningfind,to theirsurprise,that to achievetheambitiouspopulationgoals
informed abouttheirwives'use ofcontra- bothofthemsupporttheuse ofcontracep- thatthecountry hasset.SinceNigeriacon-
ceptives.Reportson husband-wife com- tivesbut thatneitherwas aware of the tainsone-fifth of thepopulationof all of
munication suggestthathusbandsmaynot other'spositiveview.As anotherstudyin sub-SaharanAfrica,close monitoring of
be aware of theirwives' contraceptiveurbanAfricarecentlyfound:"The men fertility trendsin thatcountryshouldin-
practice.Furthermore, approximately 18 thought thatwomenwerelargelyignorant terestresearchers and programofficials
percentof the men interviewedreport offamily planning, generallyopposedtoit alike.
havingmorethanone wife.Questionson and in needofeducation.... The women
men'suse ofcontraceptives do notask if said thesamethingaboutmen."'0
patterns ofuse are similarwithall wives. Thesefindingshave severalimportant References
In all likelihood, contraceptive use is not implications forpopulationpolicyin Ni- 1. T. McGinn,A. Bamba and M. Balma, "Male Knowl-
Use and AttitudesRegardingFamilyPlanningin
similaramongall wives. Finally,we do geria.First, itis clearthatmeninIlorinare edge,
Burkina Faso," International Family Planning
notknowtheextenttowhichmethodsare nowwellawareoftheissueoffamily plan- Perspectives,
15:84,1989;and M. A. B. Mustafaand S. 0.
usedbymarried menas partofnonmarital ningand thatongoingefforts by thefed- Mumford,"Male AttitudesTowards FamilyPlanning
sexual activity.Since the condomis the eralgovernment ofNigeriaandtheKwara in Khartoum,Sudan," JournalofBiosocialScience,16:437,
methodmostcommonly reportedbymen, Stategovernment shouldexplorewaysin 1984.
it is possiblethatmuchofthisuse is out- which more detailedinformation about 2. M. M. Kritzand D. T. Gurak,"Women'sStatus,Edu-
Side marriage. specificmethodscould be conveyedto (Continued onpage64)

54 InternationalFamilyPlanningPerspectives

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 AboutCondoms
ImpactofAIDS on Knowledge
planningand protectionfrominfection.
Our results generallyagree with find-
ings fromtwo otherresearchprojectsre-
centlyundertakenin Jamaicaby the Min-
istryofHealth ofJamaicaand The Futures
Group. A baseline surveyof AIDS knowl-
edge and attitudes in Jamaica indicated
thatthe image of the condom as a family
planningmethodwas enhancedby itsrole
in AIDS prevention.4 Focus-groupresearch
conducted at the same time found that
most participantsregarded AIDS protec-
tionas a "bonus" when using the condom
as a contraceptive.5 There is evidence,
however,thatpeople who already held a
negativeimage ofcondoms may have had
theseopinions reinforced.
The results fromboth Mexico and Ja-
maica indicate that AIDS information
campaigns are likelyto lead to an increase
in knowledge of the condom as a method
of AIDS preventionand a method of fam-
ily planning. It appears unlikelythat the
introductionof AIDS-specific brands of
condoms would hurt the image of other
Knowledge...
FamilyPlanning
page54)
from
(Continued
cation and Family Formation in Sub-Saharan Afri-
ca," International 15:100,
FamilyPlanningPerspectives,
1989.
3. J.0. Ojeifoand B. Singh, "PaternalHealth Services:
A Missing Link in FamilyHealth Services,"presented
at the 11th Annual InternationalHealth Conference,
National Council forInternationalHealth, Arlington,
Va., June10-13, 1984.
4. P. 0. Awsanya, "Nigeria: Cultural Barriersto Fam-
ily Planning Among the Yorubas," Studiesin Family
Planning,1:13, 1969.
5. G. A. Oni and J.McCarthy,"ContraceptiveKnowl-
edge and Practicesin Ilorin,Nigeria: 1983-1988,"Stud-
ies in FamilyPlanning,21:104, 1990; A. A. Olukoya,
"The Changing Attitudeand Practiceof Men Regard-
ing FamilyPlanningin Lagos, Nigeria," PublicHealth,
99:349, 1985; and D. Lauro, "Modern Contraceptive
Use As a Determinantof Fertilityin Africa,"paper
presented at a meeting of the National Academy of
Sciences,Committeeon Population,Washington,D.C.,
Apr. 1989.
6. R. J. Lesthaeghe, "Social Organization, Economic
Crises,and theFutureofFertility Controlin Africa,"in
R. J.Lesthaeghe,ed., Reproductionand Social Organiza-
tion in Sub-SaharanAfrica,Universityof California
Press,Berkeley,1989.
7. Federal RepublicofNigeria,NationalPolicyon Popu-
lationforDevelopment,Unity,Progressand Self-Reliance,
Federal Ministryof Health, Lagos, 1988.
8. P. T. Piotrow et al., "Mass Media Family Planning
Promotionin Three Nigerian Cities," Studiesin Family
Planning,21:265,1990.
9. G. A. Oni, "Effects of Women's Education on
64
This content downloaded from 80.248.0.226 on Thu, 02 Apr 2015 15:24:45 UTC
condom brands for familyplanning, al- Resumen
though we did not specificallyresearch Investigaciones realizadasenzonasurbanasde
this question. Whether AIDS-specific Mexicoindicanque losprogramas de informa-
brands are needed in order to increase cio'nsobreel SIDA noperjudicanla imagendel
condom use for AIDS prevention,how- preservativocomo metodode planificacion
ever,is unclear. familiar.Graciasa una campania informativa y
a la publicidadque se le dio,aumento' el cono-
cimientoesponta'neodel preservativocomo
References me'todo anticonceptivo y de prevencio'ncontra
1. I. M. Reider,Resultadosdel Estudiode Opini6nReali- el SIDA. Ambostiposde conocimientos esta-
zado a Travesdel SistemaOmnibus-Tema: Sfndrome de banestrechamente relacionados.
Inmunodeficiencia-Adquirida, Estudios Continuos de
Consumidores Omnibus (ECCO), Mexico City, July
1987. Resume
Les rechercheseffectuesdans les zones
2. Resultadosdel EstudioRealizadoen su PrimeraEtapa
para Evaluar la Categorfade Anticonceptivos,ECCO,
urbainesdu Mexique rve'vlent que les pro-
Mexico City,July1986. grammesd'informations sur le SIDA ne ter-
nissent pas l'image du preservatifcomme
3. Resultadosdel EstudioRealizadoen su TerceraEtapa
para Evaluar la Categorfade Anticonceptivos,ECCO, me'thode familiale.La connais-
de planification
Mexico City,Oct. 1987. sance spontaneedu preservatif, commeme-
thodede pre'vention du SIDA aussi bienque
4. A BaselineSurveyon AIDS and SexuallyTransmitted
Diseases,MarketResearchServices Limited,Kingston, commemethodecontraceptive, a augmente
Jamaica,Aug. 1988. sous l'effetd'une campagned'information
5. M. Wedderburn,An EvaluationofAIDS Messagesin
publiqueet de la publicite'qui l'a entouree.
Jamaica:A ReportofFocus GroupFindings,Hope Enter- Les deux typesde connaissancesetaienten
prises,Kingston,Jamaica,Sept. 1988. etroitecorrelation.
PostpartumPracticesand Fertilityin Urban Nigeria," quemanifestaron
nohaberlohecho,encambio,
Studiesin FamilyPlanning,16:349,1985. la proporcio'n
variabadel cuatroal 10 por
10. T. McGinn,A. Bamba and M. Balma, "Male Knowl- ciento.
edge, Use and AttitudesRegarding Family Planning
in Burkina Faso," International Family Planning
15:84,1989.
Perspectives, Resume
entre 1988et
Uneenquete effectuee septembre
Resumen janvier1989aupresde me'nages d'Ilorin, au
En una encuestade hogaresrealizadaentre Nigeria, a rendudesdonne'es surlesconnais-
septiembrede 1988 y enerode 1989 en Ilorin, sances,lesattitudes et lespratiques de 1.022
Nigeria,1.022 hombresinformaron sobresus hommes enmatiere decontraception. Bienque
conocimientos,actitudesy prdcticasen mate- l'echantillon nesoitpasreprisentatif delaville,
riade anticoncepci6n.Si bienla muestrano es lesdonnees offrentdesinformations comparees
representativade la ciudad,los datos sirven parniveaud'instruction et rangsocio-econo-
para compararinformacion seguinel nivelde mique(telquemesure parzonederesidence).
instrucciony el lugarde residenciapor nivel La connaissance des contraceptifs estpra-
socioecon6mico. tiquement universelle chezces hommes, le
Losconocimientos sobreanticonceptivos son preservatif et la piluleetantles methodes les
prdcticamenteuniversales entreestoshombres, mieux connues. Lepreservatif constitueegale-
siendoel preservativoy la pfldoralos metodos ment lamethode leplussouvent;
utilise'e cepen-
mdsconocidos.El preservativo es tambie'n el dant,moinsde la moitie deshommes prove-
metodomdsgeneralizadoen esta muestrade nantdesgroupesles mieuxinstruits et des
hombres casadosconmujeresde entre15 y 49 classessocio-economiques les pluseleveesen
arios,aunquemenosde la mitadde loshombres ontjamaisfaitusage.
y nivel La plupart deshommes a tousles niveaux
de los gruposde mayorinstruccio'n
socioeconomicolo hanutilizadoalgunavez. d'instructionetderesidence ontdesattitudes
La mayorfade los hombresde todoslos ni- positives a'l'egard dela planification familiale,
velesdeinstrucciony dreasde residenciatienen etl'utilisation descontraceptifs estli'e a' une
una actitudpositivafrentea la planificacion communication entre maris etfemmes au sujet
familiar.El uso de anticonceptivos, ademds, dela planification familiale. Parmileshommes
estdasociadocon la comunicacion al respecto declarantavoireu ces discussions, 22 a 60
entremaridoy mujer.De los hombresque pourcentsignalent queleursepouses utilisent
dijeronhaberhabladodel temacon su mujer, unemethode, parrapport a'4-10pourcentde
entreel 22 y el 60 por cientoinformaron de ceuxquiaffirment n'avoir pasdiscute deptani-
que estausabaalgu'nmetodo.En el caso de los fication familiale avecleursepouses.
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