Predictors of Unmet Need for Family Planning among HIV Positive Women in Care in Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) requires adequate and continuous use of family planning commodities among women of reproductive age. This can be made possible by reducing the proportion of HIV positive women with unmet need for family planning. The study aims to determine the factors associated with having unmet need among women in HIV care. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted using an interviewer administered questionnaire to study 325 women on HIV care. Cluster sampling technique was used to select the study respondents from the clinic. Results: Less than half of the respondents (40%) were currently using family planning, 35% had unmet need for family planning with 53.6% having unmet need for spacing while 46.4% having unmet need for limiting. Women with no history of previous use of family planning were fifteen times more likely to have unmet need for family planning than those with history of previous use of family planning (p value <0.001, CI 2.511-15.770). Also women with more than five deliveries were eight times more likely to have unmet need for family planning (p value 0.004, CI 0.001-0.279) while women with 2-5 deliveries are four times likely to have unmet need for family planning (p value 0.035, CI 0.005-0.832). Conclusion: A high proportion of women receiving ART care still have unmet need for family planning despite incorporating this service in HIV care. It is therefore important to target high risk groups to reduce the proportion of women with unmet need for family planning which will invariable reduce mother to child transmission of HIV.