The role of men in family planning in Imo State of Nigeria.

This study was designed to determine the participation of men in family planning. Respondents comprised married men aged 15-88 years and their spouses aged 15-49 years drawn from both rural and urban areas of Imo State Nigeria. Information was collected through questionnaires in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Overall findings revealed that in the majority of households couples make joint decisions on four identified fertility regulation issues: when a woman should have an additional child; the number of children to have; when a woman should stop childbearing; and what a woman should do to stop childbearing. 89.7% of the men reported to know any method of contraception and 85.4% claimed to know a modern method. The major obstacles to the use of contraception are the desire for more children religious opposition and lack of knowledge of contraceptive methods. It is noted that knowledge and use of modern methods are positively associated with education.