Physician Attitudes and Family Planning in Nigeria

This study examines family planning attitudes and practices of 681 Nigerian physicians selected from cities in which large university teaching hospitals are located. About half of the physicians were practicing family planning; the method of choice was the IUD. Obstetrician/gynecologists and general...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Studies in family planning 1986-07, Vol.17 (4), p.172-180
Main Authors: Covington, Deborah L., Otolorin, E. O., Janowitz, Barbara, Gates, Deborah S., Lamptey, Peter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Attitude of Health Personnel
Birth control
Children
Contraception Behavior
Contraceptives, Oral - administration & dosage
Family planning
Family Planning Services
Female
General practice
Humans
Intrauterine Devices
Male
Medical specialties
Nigeria
Physicians
Population
Reproductive sterilization
Sterilization, Tubal
Teaching hospitals
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This study examines family planning attitudes and practices of 681 Nigerian physicians selected from cities in which large university teaching hospitals are located. About half of the physicians were practicing family planning; the method of choice was the IUD. Obstetrician/gynecologists and general practitioners were more likely to provide methods to their patients than were other types of physicians. The physicians were concerned about population growth and favored family planning, yet a substantial minority believed that family planning is foreign to the culture and that it promotes promiscuity. Physicians were reluctant to promote family planning on a wide scale; many disapproved of non-physicians providing oral contraceptives or IUDs.
ISSN:0039-3665
1728-4465
DOI:10.2307/1966934