DETERMINANTS OF UNMET NEED FOR FAMILY PLANNING METHODS AMONG MARRIED WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE IN OMBADA LOCALITY, KHARTOUM STATE, SUDAN. 2019

Introduction:The unmet need for family planning reflects the gap between womens reproductive intentions and their contraceptive behavior. Its a useful indicator for tracking progress towards the target of achieving universal access to reproductive health. Aim:This study aimsat measuringthe level of unmet need for family planning in Ombada locality to identify the determinants that affectutilization of FP methodsand to assessthe readiness of the public health facilities to the provision of FP services. Methods:The study was a descriptive cross-sectional health facility and community-based studyusinga multistage sampling technique.The study collected data from married women of reproductive age (15-49 years)and from the public health facilities providingfamily planning services in the study area using structured questionnaire and checklist respectively. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version20. Results:Currently users for family planning methods were (21.55%). The total unmet need for family planning was high and measured as (39.26%), while the total demand for family planning was (60.8%). Factors such as age, age at marriage, living children, knowledge about family planning methods and discussion with husband were found to be significantly related to the high total unmet need. Major reasons for the non-use of family planning methods were husband/family objection, fear of side effects and a lack of knowledge about family planning methods. Assessment of health facilities revealed poor infrastructure readiness. Conclusion: Women in the surveyed locality are still not empowered regarding their reproductive health choices, as they are still under the control of husbands and families concerning the use of contraceptive methods. In addition, the lack of counsellingcomponent, which was the weakest link in the provision of family planning services, lead to voluntary or un-voluntary avoid of using FP methods, or adopting unprofessional sources or methods as alternatives. Thus, policymakers and directorates managers have to carefully consider such findings when planning for FP interventions.