MEN’S ROLE IN FAMILY PLANNING DECISION–MAKING IN ZARIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA.

Abubakar, M.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the role of men in family planning in Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State. A total of 408 copies of questionnaires were administered using purposive sampling technique, of which 354 were found useful for analysis. Data were analyzed through percentages and Chi square tests. Among the findings is that inspite of high knowledge of FP at 97.7%, only 34.2% of the respondents are currently practicing FP. The study shows that 61.2% of men participate as joint decision makers in the practice of FP. More so, the Chi square analysis (X²) revealed a significant association between Ethnicity and marital status with P values of 0.000 each; religion and income with P values of 0.020 and 0.022 respectively, have statistically significant association with who makes the decision to practice family planning. Family planning programmes in northern Nigeria should focus on Muslim men. Religious leaders should be involved in clarifying misconceptions on issues regarding family planning.

Key words: Family Planning, Men, Reproductive Health, Role, Zaria.