Fertility and Family Planning in Accra

Abstract

Summary: Data from a sample interview survey conducted in Accra in 1982 show that there is a very high level of knowledge of contraceptive methods among mothers aged 25–39 years (92%). However, only about 41% of the women had ever used any form of contraception, and only 18% were using modern methods at the time of the study. This is low for a city where an official family planning programme has been in operation for 15 years, even when the confounding effects of availability and accessibility of services have been controlled for. Suggestions are made for increasing the effectiveness of such programmes.