COVID-19 pandemic and unmet need for family planning in Nigeria

Introduction: the unmet need for family planning is a global health burden. The lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced access to contraceptives, especially in the developing countries. This study examined the predictors of the unmet need for family planning during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Nigeria.

Methods: the study adopted a cross-sectional analytical survey design. A self-designed questionnaire was administered to 1,404 adult respondents aged 18 years and above. The data was generated through the use of online Google survey and analyzed with SPSS version 25. The results were presented using descriptive and logistic regression at p≤0.05.

Results: fourty-seven percent of the respondents were females and 58.8% were married. The four major reasons for non-access to contraceptive methods during the lockdown were: fear of visiting health facility (77.9%), locked drug/chemist stores (51.2%), the restriction of movement (47.6%) and a lack of access to health care providers (42.9%). Predictors of unmet need for family planning were: aged 26-33 (OR = 1.912, 95% CI: 1.02-3.55), married/cohabiters (OR = 3.693, 95% CI: 2.44-5.58), tertiary education (OR = 0.272, 95% CI: 0.13-0.54), Yoruba ethnicity (OR=1.642, 95% CI: 1.02-2.62), rural residence (OR = 0.554, 95% CI: 0.36-0.85) and 2-4 children born (OR = 3.873, 95% CI: 2.32-6.45).

Conclusion: a significant proportion of Nigerians experienced an unmet need for family planning during the COVID-19 lockdown. Prioritizing the access to contraceptives during the pandemic would not only allow women and men to correctly plan childbirth, it also reduces maternal risks, poverty and undesirable fertility rates.