Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Women of Childbearing Age towards the Acceptance of Contraceptive Implants in Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State

Contraceptive implants are progesterone-only contraception that is inserted subdermally. They are readily reversible with a return to fertility within days of removal. NDHS, (2019) recorded that the unmet need for family planning was higher among sexually active unmarried women (48%) than among currently married women (19%). The contraceptive prevalence in Nigeria was 16.6% as against 27% national target and implants accounts for 3.4%. The aim of the study is to investigate into the knowledge, attitude and practice of women of childbearing age towards the acceptance of contraceptive implants in Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State. A descriptive study was conducted on women of childbearing age (15-49 years) in Akungba-Akoko. Simple random technique was used in selecting the 423 respondents. The consent of the respondents were sought before administering the questionnaires. The data was analysed, using the IBM SPSS Statistics version 27.0.1.0. The study showed that 40.67% and 55.32% had secondary and tertiary education respectively. The age of the respondents at first birth was between 15 and 34 years, with the highest between 20-24 years (44.21%), followed by 15-19 years (21.28%). 20.33% were aware of the minimal side effects of contraceptive implants while 79.67% were not. 46.57% knew that contraceptive implants are highly effective while 53.19% did not. 7.57% knew that fertility would be returned immediately after the removal of contraceptive implants whereas 92.43% did not know. The study showed that most of the women who are currently using contraceptive implants did not know much about it Akungba-Akoko. The survey also revealed factors influencing the acceptance of contraceptive implants among women. Recommendations were made to improve the knowledge, attitude and practice of women of childbearing age towards the acceptance of contraceptive implants.