This study of family planning is based on a sample survey of 900 married white women under 50 years of age resident at the time of the survey (June 20th - August 31st, 1964) in the municipalities of Port Elizabeth and Walmer. The present chapter outlines briefly the setting, aims and scope of the study. In South Africa very little has been attempted in the line of the study of human reproductive behaviour, fertility control and the associated norms and values. Indeed, in South Africa there are serious gaps in our demographic knowledge and until fairly recently (1960) even the official census left much to be desired. It is hoped that the data gathered in this study will fill some of the gaps in our demographic knowledge about one particular urban area of South Africa as far as its white population is concerned. The present study is the first of its kind to be conducted in Port Elizabeth although a somewhat similar study was conducted in Johannesburg during 1957-58. As far as Port Elizabeth is concerned, this study breaks new ground, demographically speaking. Chapter 1, p. 1.

The purpose of this study is to identify, observe and record the attitudes and use to of contraceptives by black males in Umtata and to investigate the effect of education, urbanisation and age on fertility control. Data was gathered from a sample of adult males who were past the school going age and were employed or working in Umtata and its surburbs, which are Ngangelizwe, Ikwezi, Southernwood, Northcrest, Norwood, Ncambedlana, Nduli Crescent, Fortgale and Hill Crest. Information was also gathered from Nursing officers in charge of family planning service centres in the areas mentioned above. Findings reveal that, although black urbanised educated males in Umtata seem to have accepted the use of contraceptives by themselves and their sexual partners, their patterns of behaviour in relation to fertility control and the value of children to families remains traditional. This contributes to the relatively high fertility rate in the country. Children are an investment for old age. They are also regarded as a security factor against divorce. It is the duty of legally married couples to raise a family with children who will continue to bear the family name. It appears that men are either suspicious of modern contraception if not totally opposed to it. Many still prefer the use of natural methods of contraception. There is thus need for social workers and health planners to recognise and educate males on the use and benefits of modern contraceptives to limit the number of children borne and control periods when they would like to have children. This study will be of value to social welfare services and to family planning nurses who are in direct contact with clients in hospitals and clinics, in their family planning campaigns, when they motivate couples and individuals on the importance of family planning, and also in mother-and-child health services. Educationists, sociologists, psychologists and persons in other fields of study will also benefit from information attained in this survey.

Emphasis in the study is on the prevalence of poverty especially in the so called third world developing countries. Poverty as a social problem is caused by a number of factors, viz: Over population, unemployment, illiteracy, etc. In the case of the study the focus is the rapid population growth or "population explosion" as it is commonly known. Family planning is sen as important, but not the only strategy in combatting the interrelated problem of population growth and development. The relevance and importance of social workers, as members of a multidisciplinary team in the delivery of family planning programmes is emphasised. There is evidence in the study to support the observation that Black African people in particular are reluctant to use family planning methods. Based on this evidence, the basic assumption arrived at is that there is a general unfavourable attitude to family planning in the Taung area. The research design used is exploratory-descriptive. Of the 75 areas in the district, 10 areas were included In the investigation. A stratified random sample was used, with a sample size of 200 respondents. The interview schedule was used to collect data. It was structured and consisted primarily of close-ended questions, and was analysed using the Biomedical Data Programme (B.M.D.P.). The problem is formulated from literature concerned with population growth in the Republic of South Africa as well as Bophuthatswana. The following sub-problems were described: illegitimacy; health and economic problems associated with large families; abortion; malnutrition and malnourishment; and the absence of services of the National Family Planning Programme In the Taung area. Compatibility between social work and family planning is a central concern, with community development as a significant method of intervention. The three important concepts in the study were broadly defined, viz: Overpopulation, family planning and attitude. It was established that: -the use of family planning follows rather than precedes the process of modernisation and rising economic standards; -no family planning programme can be practised universally - because of factors such as culture, need and habit. Attitudinal change is considered based on the basic assumption arrived at. Little has been done on the subject of family planning in south Africa. With regard to the role of social work in family planning, there have been impediments along the following lines: lack of firm tradition; emphasis on treatment rather than on preventive work; a view of family planning asa health measure and to be offered solely in the medical and health services. To be active in this field social workers need formal education and training. Taung: - the area of study is predominantly rural with almost all characteristics of rural areas, those of: Irregular transport services to and from remote areas; corrugated roads; primitive sanitary conditions; poor communication system; absence of electricity in villages; illiteracy and unemployment. On the other hand, development is evident especially in the health, education and welfare fields. The central findings in the study are those arising from resistances to family planning usage - politically; culturally; morally and psychologically. The general conclusions are: The high rate of unemployment is present in the sample and there is financial dependence on partners (men); the importance of social workers in family planning is emphasised; there is a desire to have large numbers of children (children feature prominently in the area and are regarded as an asset in various ways); and lastly, improved education does lead to an increase in motivation to adopt family planning practices. Against the highlighted findings, recommendations were made, viz that: Community development be used as a strategy for change; social workers be involved as team members in family planning - in policy formulation and planning of population programmes at various levels, using different methods of intervention; paramedical aides beused - because of inter alia shortage of qualified manpower and lastly formal education and training to be granted to prospective change agents in family planning delivery programmes. / KMBT_363 / Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of Master of Arts in Demography and Population Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, 2017 / BACKGROUND: Nigeria has a very low level of modern contraceptive use; with resultant effects of high fertility, and maternal and child mortality. It is Africa’s most populated country, and with a rapid growth rate. Modern methods of contraception is a crucial strategy to reduce the high fertility rate, halt population growth, lessen child mortality, and enhance maternal health. This study aims to assess partner’s economic and demographic asymmetries as barriers contributing to the uptake of modern contraceptives among young married and cohabiting women aged 15-24 years in Nigeria. METHOD: This study used data from the Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey 2013, with a sample of 4,981 young (15 – 24 years) married and cohabiting women. The Health Belief Model was used to explain partner’s socio-economic and demographic differences as barriers to the utilisation of modern contraceptives. Frequency distributions and binomial logistic regression were carried out using STATA v12 to answer the research questions. RESULTS: Only 6% of young married and cohabiting women use modern contraceptives. In the unadjusted analyses, women who were in less homogamous unions were less likely to practise modern method contraception. Respondents younger than their partners by 6-10 years and respondents younger by 11 or more years were less likely to use modern contraceptives (UOR= 0.357, CI 0.135-0.943; UOR= 0.223, CI 0.084-0.595). Respondents whose partners want more children were less likely to use modern contraceptives while respondents whose partners want fewer number of children compared to them were more likely to use modern contraceptives (UOR= 0.325, CI 0.240-0.439; UOR= 1.812 CI 1.1082.963 respectively). However, these associations were no longer significant after adjusting for women’s age, highest level of education, place of residence, religion, and region of residence and other differences. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that socio-economic and demographic differences between married partners are not associated with young women's contraceptive use in Nigeria, after adjusting for women’s characteristics. Further studies, especially qualitative studies, are needed to understand this finding. Keywords: Modern contraceptives, young married women, partner asymmetries, Health Belief Model, Nigeria / GR2018

This study adopted a case study design to understand women and contraceptive use in the Diepsloot community, an impoverished urban informal settlement, north of Johannesburg. It was guided by feminist and critical theory, and made use of the qualitative research paradigm. The history of the provision of reproductive health services in South Africa has been discussed as a process that has both marginalised the participation of previously disadvantaged communities and also limited the opportunities for effective contraceptive use in the post-apartheid era. The main objectives were to understand reproductive health experiences of women and their knowledge of modern contraception in relation to the ecological environment in which they are embedded. I used the non-probability purposive and theoretical sampling methods. The sample size was theory driven and largely determined by the type of data acquired after a series of interviews with twenty women over a five month period. Data collection ceased when data saturation was reached. Individual interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with twenty primary respondents. For triangulation purposes, primary health care service providers from the two local clinics were interviewed. Also one focus group discussion was done with a group of eight men; two traditional healers and the manager at the local Marie Stopes clinic were also interviewed for the same purpose. I used thematic analysis as the method of analysing the data. Thematic analysis moves beyond merely describing the data but identifies both the unspoken and obvious ideas within data. It was the intersectionality of contraceptive use and the unique lived experiences of disadvantaged women that had inspired the study and all methods employed were aimed at a deeper understanding of the effects of the cultural, social and economic environment on the reproductive health choices of the women. The data were analysed according to the seven themes that emerged from the study and these were: empowerment and reproductive health decision making, level of education as a determining factor in contraceptive use, contraceptive knowledge, contraceptive dialogue as a contributing factor to contraceptive use and choice, opinions on the prevention of pregnancy, spacing versus limiting the number of births and the availability and accessibility of modern contraceptive methods. The inextricable link between education, poverty and gender inequality highlighted the need to empower women in marginalised communities. Due to poverty and lack of education, most women were powerless and not independent to make favourable reproductive health decisions. Knowledge of modern contraceptive methods was limited and the most popularly used method was the contraceptive injection. The circumstances of the women in this study and those of the Diepsloot community speak to the broader economic issues of the country and reflect the need to prioritise women’s education; to create economic opportunities for women and to enhance the participation of the poor and marginalised communities. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

D.Phil. / Despite a sharp decline in the birthrate, recent projections show that the population groups in the RSA are still expected to grow rapidly in the future. Since its inception in 1974, the National Family Planning Programme has been very successful, and by 1980 more than a million women from all population groups were practising contraception. Although the programme planners set as their goal an annual increase in this figure, it was not clear what the effect of a given increase would be on population growth in the RSA. In this study recent population projections for the RSA were used as the point of departure, and it was established what the increased family planning input would have to be if the prospect of reduced population sizes were held out. Furthermore, it was assumed in the models used that changes would take place over a period of time in respect of the average period of use of contraceptives, and that there would be a shift to more effective methods. The TABRAP and PROJTARG models used for these analyses were extremely suitable for experimentation so that an in-depth study of the family planning situation of Asians, Coloureds and Blacks could be made. There are certain shortcomings in these models, however, and a new model incorporating characteristics from both models was developed to conduct projections up to the year 2010.

This research report is submitted to the School of Social Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the field of Demography and Population Studies for the year 2016, September 2017 / Background: South Africa has some of the most progressive legislation when it comes to sexual and reproductive health rights. However, contraceptive use amongst this segment of the population group remains distorted. From a public health perspective, investing in the sexual and reproductive health needs of young people translates into an improvement in the sexual health status of the population at large. As such this paper makes use of the Health Belief Model to investigate the factors associated with the choice of type of contraceptive methods used by sexually active young women to prevent a pregnancy. Methodology: Data for this study was obtained from Wave 2 of the Transitions to Adulthood survey. The weighted sample size is 464. Analysis on the weighted data was conducted in STATA 13.1 in survey mode in order to achieve the objectives of this study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data at the univariate level. The Chi-squared test was conducted to examine the relationship between the variables under investigation and the outcome, contraceptive use. The multinomial logistic regression model was used to analyse the data at the multivariate level. The results of which were provided in terms of relative risk ratios. Findings: Approximately 41% of sexually active young women in KwaZulu Natal did not use contraception to prevent a pregnancy with their most recent sexual partner. Results from the multinomial logistic regression model revealed that sexually active young women who were single were 77% less likely to make use of hormonal and other contraceptive methods to prevent a pregnancy compared to their who were counterparts in a relationship (p-value= 0.00001). Young women who have been pregnant at least once were approximately 60% less likely to utilise hormonal and other contraceptive methods to prevent a pregnancy with their most recent sexual partner. Conclusion: By using the Health Belief Model as a theoretical basis this study highlighted the complex non-linear relationships between the variables selected to constitute the health beliefs as well as the health-related behaviour of contraceptive use. The findings of this study demonstrate two key realities related to contraceptive use of sexually active young women in KwaZulu Natal. Firstly, relatively low rates of contraceptive uptake. Secondly, amongst sexually active young women who utilised contraception, there are even lower usage rates of long-acting reversible contraceptive methods. As such, it is important for healthcare facilities in KwaZulu Natal and South Africa at large to support young women in their decision to protect themselves from unintended pregnancies and from infections of HIV and others STIs. / XL2018

Thesis (M.Sc. (Public Health)) --University of Limpopo, 2005 / In rural areas, most women carry the burden of preventing unwanted pregnancies alone. Most of the men are not aware of the benefits of contraceptives. They mostly complain that the contraceptives their partners use make them sick. Men have a negative attitude towards the use of contraceptives and do not share the responsibility of contraceptive use with their partners. Aim: Aim of this study was to determine men’s knowledge, practices, and attitudes on the use of contraceptives in a village of Limpopo province, South Africa. Methods: Five focus group discussions were held with groups of men between the ages of 20 and 50 in the five villages of Ga-Sekororo. The researcher used an audio tape to record what participants said during group sessions and made some observational notes to supplement the tape recordings. The researcher used a topic guide to direct and guide sessions with each of the group meetings in order to understand their knowledge, practices, and attitudes towards the use of contraceptives. Results: Some of the men were able to list the various methods of contraceptives available, the benefits of contraception, and the negative consequences of unprotected sex. Only 32% indicated a willing ness to use a male contraceptive pill when available which indicated unwillingness in most men to share the responsibility of contraception with their partners in spied of their knowledge of the benefits of contraception. Ninety two percent of men prefer the first-born child to be a male and if it happens to be a female, will continue to have children until a male is born. Programmes to address the reproductive health needs of men are needed and when implemented will benefit women as well. The government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should work together to fulfil this need. / The Ford Foundation International Fellowship Programme

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2014 / Background The use of contraceptives among sexually-active teenagers in South Africa is known to be very poor and is currently estimated to be at a rate of 25% (DoH 2002). Teenagers who have unprotected sex are at a high risk of reproductive Health problems, such as Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS, and unsafe abortion, amongst others (DoH 2002). Contraceptive use progressively declined between 2002 and 2004 among girls under 18 years in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Province as a whole (Health Statistical Bulletin, 2004). Aim The aim was to determine knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of pregnant teenagers with regard to usage of contraceptives at the Pietersburg Hospital, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Method of data collection and analysis A cross-sectional descriptive survey was used in this study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from pregnant clients aged 13-19 years of age. Data analysis was carried out by using the computer software called Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings revealed that lack of knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of pregnant teenagers was a problem. Findings The findings of this study indicated that culture and attitude of nursing personnel were not the barriers. Barriers were “not having enough time to choose the method and just not being serious about contraception”. Thirty-six ix per cent (36%) of the participants said they had enough time to choose the method, but they did not choose. Sixty per cent (60%) said they were not serious about contraception, 40% said they were serious but did not use contraception. Married participants who did not hear about emergency contraception, the percentage was small, 6%, while the percentage of single women was higher (94%). Conclusion The study revealed that the participants had knowledge of contraceptives, both single and married; however, married women seemed to have negative attitudes towards contraceptives, based on the culture and the believe that, once married, the usage of contraception was not necessary. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that there should be effective ways of information giving to the public regarding family planning.

The attitude of the African male to contraception and the role he plays in the acceptance of contraceptives by his racial group is presented. Over a period of one month the researcher interviewed 220 African males at a primary care private practice. In this study 186 (85%) were aware of contraceptives and 34 (15%) had no knowledge of contraception; 111 (60%) were married and 75 (40%) were unmarried. The 26 - 35 year age group were the most familiar with contraception (57%). The unemployed were the least users of contraceptives (8%), whereas 69% of the professional group were using contraceptives. The average ideal family size of the group was 4 children. No significant cultural barriers to contraception were found. Religion was found to have little effect on contraceptive practice by the African male. Fifty-three percent of the Urban dwellers were using contraceptives compared with only 30% of the Rural inhabitants. Modern methods of contraception are not yet sufficiently known by the African male to be useful to him. Health workers should educate the African male in matters of contraception to achieve the desired objectives of family planning campaigns among this racial group. / Thesis (M.Prax.Med.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1986.