Assessing the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Lactational Amenorrhea Method among Women of Reproductive Age in Ibadan South West L.G.A, Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria like other parts of Africa is experiencing increasing population growth stemming from very high fertility rate of 5.1. To deal with the challenge family planning options were deployed as strategies including Lactational Amenorrhea method (LAM) which uses exclusive breastfeeding to bring about infertility during the first six months of after a woman gives birth. The objective of this study was to ascertain the knowledge, attitude and practice of LAM in Women of Reproductive Age in Ibadan South West Local Government Area, Oyo State Nigeria. The study was a cross-sectional study that used copies of questionnaire to gather information based on relevant variables in the study. The results from the study indicate that while knowledge of LAM is relatively high (68.8%), attitudes are mixed which seemed to have affected the level of usage of the method. Hence, the study recommended more awareness about the study to improve not only knowledge but to improve attitude, thus promoting usability of LAM. Also, there is need to provide more information on the method through deployment of mass media, as this will also enhance knowledge, improve attitude and subsequent usage of LAM.