Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Family Planning among Mothers attending Antenatal Care in Rural Uganda: Implications for Maternal Health and Population Growth
Family planning remains a critical aspect of maternal health and population management in Uganda, particularly inrural areas. Despite concerted efforts to increase awareness and accessibility, utilization rates remain suboptimal.This descriptive cross-sectional study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of family planningamong mothers attending antenatal care in Kyotera district, Uganda. A sample of 138 participants completedquestionnaires, revealing a nuanced landscape: while overall knowledge of family planning was high (73.9%), asignificant minority demonstrated poor understanding (26.1%). Similarly, though the majority exhibited positiveattitudes towards family planning (71.0%), a substantial proportion held negative views (29.0%). Notably, 62.3% ofmothers were not utilizing any family planning methods, despite 37.7% reporting usage, with injectablecontraceptives being the most common (42.3%). These findings underscore the need for targeted educationcampaigns, enhanced service accessibility, and dispelling misconceptions to promote informed decision-making anduptake of family planning methods. Addressing these challenges is vital for improving maternal health outcomesand managing population growth in rural Uganda.