Article

Information Development
1–10
Information literacy of women on ª The Author(s) 2016
Reprints and permission:
sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
family planning in rural communities DOI: 10.1177/0266666916661387
idv.sagepub.com
of Oyo State Nigeria

Janet O. Adekannbi
University of Ibadan

Olumide Morakinyo Adeniran

University of Ibadan

Abstract
This study explored the information literacy of women on family planning in rural communities of Akinyele
Local Government Area, Oyo state, Nigeria. Multistage sampling was adopted. Akinyele local government
was divided into 12 wards and from these, six rural communities were purposively selected. Convenience
sampling was used to select respondents, who were women within the reproductive age of 18–49 years.
Focus group discussion was used to collect data from 78 respondents and interview from five key informants.
The data collected in the Yoruba language were transcribed verbatim and translated to English. The collected
data were analysed thematically. Findings showed some basic level of knowledge about family planning among
the women, although the majority were yet to adopt family planning. Acquisition of family planning infor-
mation was mainly through the radio and health centres, where available. Reasons for non-adoption included
husbands’ disapproval and unavailability of health facilities as well as reported complications arising from use.
There were no reported cases of enlightenment programmes by the government except in one of the
communities, where such programmes were introduced but stopped. Provision of fully equipped and
functioning health centres with well-trained health professionals is recommended to improve information
literacy on family planning.

Keywords
information literacy, family planning information, rural women, Oyo State, Nigeria

Submitted: 27 April, 2016; Accepted: 6 July, 2016.

The level of family planning knowledge of rural women has a direct influence on their
ability to engage in knowledge sharing.

Background to the study
Information literacy is the ability to recognize and
transfer the skills, attitudes and behaviours needed
to find, retrieve, assess, manage and apply informa-
tion in any situation throughout life (Hare, 2014). It is
not restricted to a discipline, but common to all dis-
ciplines and areas of life, which establishes that it
forms the basis for lifelong learning (Garner, 2006).
Information literacy plays a vital role in understand-
ing fully the concept and content of information,
which will enhance the adequate use of information,
and one of the key areas where it has been shown to be
essential is in family planning.
Family planning is one of the most critical issues
which have always been under consideration
Corresponding author:
Dr. Janet O. Adekannbi, Africa Regional Centre for Information
Science, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Mailing address: PO Box
9936, U.I. Post Office, Ibadan, Nigeria. Telephone: þ234
8033610774.
Email: janet.adekannbi@gmail.com

Downloaded from idv.sagepub.com at CORNELL UNIV on August 31, 2016

2 Information Development
throughout the world, especially in the developing
countries, because of its vital role in the health and
economic sectors. It is the use of modern contracep-
tion and other methods of birth control to regulate the
number, timing, and spacing of human births (Seltzer,
2002). It allows parents, particularly mothers, to plan
their lives without being overly subjected to sexual
and social imperatives (Russell and Rubardt, 2010).
Although, family planning basically plays a signifi-
cant role in the health improvement of women and
families by improving maternal health, reducing
maternal death and teenage pregnancy, evidence has
also shown that it has enhanced sustainable economic
development and alleviates poverty in different
nations (World Health Organisation, 2013a).
Nigeria – the most populous country in Africa and
ninth in the world, with a population figure of 166.2
million as at 2012, high annual rate of population
growth of 3.5% and a total fertility rate of 6.0 life time
births per woman – is currently battling with the chal-
lenges of maintaining sustainable economic develop-
ment and standard of living of citizens. This population
increase has become a great concern to demographers,
economic planners and even government agencies, as a
result of people’s apathy to family planning (Ndubisi,
2014). Nigeria is one of the countries with the highest
fertility, maternal mortality and morbidity rates in the
world, with higher proportions being recorded in the
rural areas (National Demographic Health Survey,
2013). Opara (2010) pointed out that high fertility in
rural areas could be a result of giving birth to many
children so as to use of them for farming activities, but
the introduction of mechanized farming has negated
this practice, allowing family planning, which cut
across the objectives of the Millennium Development
Goals, to serve as a major tool for controlling high
fertility (World Health Organisation, 2013b).
Knowledge of family planning in Nigeria is cur-
rently put at 85% while actual use of family planning
methods is only 10% (National Demographic Health
Survey, 2013). This shows a great disparity between
knowledge of family planning techniques and actual
usage, indicating that the rate of use of modern con-
traception is low. Previous studies on information lit-
eracy on family planning have shown that inadequate
and incomplete knowledge about the programs and
procedures of family planning are the major hin-
drances in its adoption, especially in rural areas
(Dhingra, Manhas, Kohli and Mushta, 2010; Mahad-
een et al., 2012). Other studies have also noted con-
cerns about side effects, religious/cultural reasons,
Downloaded from idv.sagepub.com at CORNELL UNIV on August 31, 2016
negative attitude of husbands and desire for many
children as factors limiting the adoption of family
planning procedures (Olugbenga-Bello, Abiodun and
Adeomi, 2011; Lwelamira, Mnyamagola and Msaki,
2012; Pemberton, 2012).
Despite the efforts of international agencies and
other stakeholders, including governments, to encour-
age the use of family planning methods among
women in both rural and urban areas of developing
countries, including Nigeria, there still exists a great
challenge of unmet needs regarding family planning,
mostly in the rural communities, as the desired attitu-
dinal and behavioural changes towards family plan-
ning are yet to be achieved (Taiwo, 2012: Odularu and
Odularu, 2013). In Oyo State, Nigeria, Odularu and
Odularu (2013) analysed the levels of fertility and
contraceptive methods in Ibadan North East local
government area. The study examined the issues asso-
ciated with the adoption of contraceptive methods and
its impact on fertility levels in Ibadan, one of the most
densely populated sub-Saharan African cities. The
study reported high fertility levels but low levels of
family planning adoption in the study area. Akintunde,
Lawal and Simeon (2013) also investigated the reli-
gious roles in fertility behaviour among the residents
of Akinyele local government area. It was reported that
though religion allows individuals to decide how to
plan their families, high fertility in this area was largely
due to the limited use of contraceptives (only 25% of
married women currently used contraceptives). A
major limitation of this study is that all women in
Akinyele local government were considered, without
any emphasis on rural women, neglecting their impor-
tant role in nation building. Hence, the present study
specifically investigated information literacy on family
planning among rural women in Akinyele local gov-
ernment area of Oyo state.
Research questions
This study seeks to provide answers to the following
questions:
 What is the level of family planning awareness
of rural women in Akinyele local government
area?
 How do they source family planning informa-
tion and what are the facilities available?
 Are there existing family planning enlighten-
ment programs available for rural women in
Akinyele local government area?
Adekannbi and Adeniran: Information literacy of women on family planning in rural communities of Oyo State Nigeria
 How do the rural women in the selected com-
munities evaluate the sourced family planning
information with their spouses?
 How have women in the selected rural commu-
nities applied and shared their knowledge of
family planning?
Research methodology
Qualitative methods were adopted for the study. The
location of the study is Akinyele local government area
of Oyo State, and this local government was purposively
selected based on the report of high fertility in the area
by Akintunde et al. (2013). Akinyele local government
area was created in 1976 with the administrative head-
quarters in Moniya. The local government shares
boundaries with Afijio local government to the north,
Lagelu local government to the east, Ido local govern-
ment to the west and Ibadan North local government to
the south. It occupies a land area of 464,892 square
kilometres with a population density of 516 persons per
square kilometre. Using the 3.2% growth rate from 2006
census figures, the 2010 estimated population for the
Akinyele local government area is 239,745. The area
is dominated by the Yoruba people and is endowed with
fertile agricultural land suitable for the cultivation of
fruits like orange, mango, banana, pineapple, etc. The
area is also notable for palm oil production.
The study population comprises women within the
reproductive age of 18–49 years, residing in rural
communities. This study adopted the reproductive age
of 18-49 years in contrast to the 15–49 years stipu-
lated by the World Health Organisation and UNICEF
(1996), because according to Article 1 of the United
Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989),
every human being below the age of 18 is considered
to be a child.
The study location was divided into 12 wards from
which six rural communities were purposively selected,
namely, Olanla, Olode, Isabiyi, Mele, Labode and Ire-
podun communities. Convenience sampling was
employed in selecting 83 respondents for the study.
Data collection and analysis
Focus group discussion was used to collect data from
78 respondents, while 5 key informant interviews
were also conducted. These data collection methods
were used because the majority of the rural women
could not read very well despite having some basic
level of education. Moreover, these methods enabled
the researcher to collect much data spontaneously and
Downloaded from idv.sagepub.com at CORNELL UNIV on August 31, 2016
3
afforded an opportunity to probe deeply into the issue
and observe, record and interpret non-verbal commu-
nication. One focus group discussion was held in each
of the communities and between 10 and 15 respon-
dents participated in each of the discussions.
The focus group discussion guide was translated
into the Yoruba language. Section A contained 6
questions designed to collect the demographic data
of the respondents, while Section B (see Appendix
A) contained 12 questions centred on the knowledge,
need, source, access, evaluation, sharing, challenges
and use of family planning information.
Data collected were analysed thematically. The
data collected in the Yoruba language were tran-
scribed into text and translated to English. Texts were
searched to identify recurrent themes conveying sim-
ilar meanings. These themes were illustrated with
some quotations from the original texts.
Results
A total of 83 women participated in the study
(78 women for focal group discussion (FGD) and 5
key informants). Table 1 shows the distribution of the
demographic characteristics of the respondents.
Over 60% of the respondents were between the
ages of 18–33 years. Many of the respondents were
educated at the secondary level (43.6%), followed by
primary education with 39.5%, 21.8% with no educa-
tion and 5.1% with tertiary education. Of the total of
78 respondents, 67 (85.9%) were married, 7 (9%)
were single, while 4 (5.1%) were divorced. The larger
percentage of the respondents were traders with
56.4%, followed by farmers with 34.6% and those that
engaged in handwork with just 9%.
All five key informants were married. Two had
tertiary education, while the remaining three had sec-
ondary education. One of them was no longer work-
ing, while the others were traders.
Level of family planning awareness
Generally, the respondents were all aware of family
planning. All of them had heard of family planning
before, but the level of their awareness varied and this
was evident in the different definitions of family plan-
ning the respondents gave:
‘‘Yes, we know about family planning, it gives women the
opportunity to regain their lost strength during child
birth’’(FGD respondent Isabiyi community, 26–33 years).
4 Information Development

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of FGD ‘‘Family planning is to be able to give birth to small
respondents number of children so as to be able to cater for them.’’
(FGD respondent Olode community, 34–41 years).
Demographic characteristics Frequency Percentage (%)

Age Range
Some of the respondents also see family planning
18-25 27 34.6 as a tool that will enable them to sexually satisfy their
26-33 23 29.5 husbands:
34-41 19 24.4
42-49 9 11.5 ‘‘Family planning will not allow our husbands to have
Education extra marital affairs, because if having sex always
No school 17 21.8 results to pregnancy, they will just be going outside to
Primary 23 29.5 look for other women.’’ (FGD respondent Irepodun
Secondary 34 43.6 community, 26–33).
Tertiary 4 5.1
Religion Despite the variations in their knowledge of family
Christian 42 53.8 planning, a majority of these women believe that fam-
Muslim 33 42.3 ily planning is a necessity for all women:
Traditional 3 3.8
Marital Status ‘‘It is not a matter of whether we think it is important,
Single 7 9.0 family planning is important so that mothers won’t die
Married 67 85.9 of child upbringing.’’(FGD respondent Mele commu-
Divorced 4 5.1 nity, 34–31 years).
Occupation ‘‘Family planning is a need so that husband and wife
Farmer 27 34.6 will be rest assured that there won’t be mistake in having
Handwork 7 9.0 an unwanted pregnancy.’’(FGD respondent Isabiyi com-
Trader 44 56.4 munity, 26–33 years).
Number of Children
1 2 2.6 ‘‘It is a need for all women so as to have healthy chil-
2 12 15.4 dren. (FGD respondent Olode community, 33–41 years).
3 18 23.1
4 20 25.6 The majority of these women had heard of family
5 12 15.4 planning before and possessed at least some basic
6 6 7.7 knowledge about it. Ndubisi (2014) emphasized the
7 2 2.6 need for rural women to be more equipped with fam-
8 4 5.1 ily planning information, thereby suggesting that rural
9 1 1.3 communities should not be neglected in family plan-
12 1 1.3 ning campaigns. Similarly, Doctor et al. (2013)
assessed the awareness, use, and unmet need for fam-
‘‘Mothers will be healthier because the more we give
birth; the more our wombs get weakened.’’ (FGD
ily planning in rural northern Nigeria and emphasized
respondent Isabiyi Community, 34-–41 years). the need to increase family planning awareness
among rural dwellers.
‘‘What we know about family planning is that it reduces
the stress of parents especially the mothers and it is also
for the good health of the children.’’ (FGD respondent Family planning information sources
Labode community, 18–25 years).
Findings revealed that the women sourced family
Some of the respondents identified the economic planning information through the radio and through
importance of family planning by explaining that it health centres:
will enable parents give birth to children they are
‘‘I knew about family planning when I went to the hos-
capable of taking good care of:
pital during ante-natal.’’ (Key informant Olanla commu-
nity, 26_33 years).
‘‘Family planning is to be able to give children sound
education.’’ (FGD respondent Olode community, 34–41 ‘‘We heard it at the hospital and on radio.’’ (FGD
years). respondent Isabiyi community, 34–41 years).

Downloaded from idv.sagepub.com at CORNELL UNIV on August 31, 2016

Adekannbi and Adeniran: Information literacy of women on family planning in rural communities of Oyo State Nigeria
‘‘It was our nurse that told me about family planning
when I gave birth to my last born.’’ (FGD respondent
Mele community, 34–41 years).
‘‘We got to know about it through the health workers
that brought family planning campaign to our commu-
nity some five years ago.’’ (FGD respondent Irepodun
community, 34–41 years).
However, respondents who heard about family
planning on the radio only got to know accidentally,
as all of them did not know the exact times and sta-
tions where the programs were aired. Others got to
know about family planning at the health centres
when they went for either ante-natal care or other
health issues:
‘‘We hear it on radio and that’s if we are fortunate to
meet them talking about it.’’ (FGD respondent Irepodun
community, 26–33 years).
‘‘I heard about it when I took my baby to the hospital for
immunization.’’(FGD respondent Irepodun community,
26–33 years).
‘‘We were told when we gave birth at the hospital.’’
(FGD respondent Mele community, 34–41 years).
It was observed, however, that in some commu-
nities there were no health centres and where they
existed they lacked medical personnel. The respon-
dents believed that if they had health centres in their
communities with adequate medical personnel, the
dissemination of family planning information would
be easy and make family planning information more
accessible to them:
‘‘You too can see how this place is, we are in the
village.’’ (FGD respondent Olode community,
42–49 years).
‘‘We don’t have a health centre and that is our major
need because it will enable us to know more about fam-
ily planning.’’ (FGD respondent Isabiyi community,
42–41 years).
‘‘There is no health centre here unless we go to Moniya
or Adeoyo’’ (FGD respondent Olanla community, 34–
41 years).
‘‘We need nurses in our health centre, it is not function-
ing because nurses are not available.’’ (FGD respondent
Olode community, 26–33 years).
The introduction of mobile health services was
suggested by a key informant at Olanla community
Downloaded from idv.sagepub.com at CORNELL UNIV on August 31, 2016
5
as a temporary solution to the health centre needs of
these women, pending the time a permanent health
centre will be put in place:
‘‘If they cannot build a health centre for us, they should
make available nurses in a bus and come down here.’’
(Key informant Olanla community, 26–33 years).
Omolase, Faturoti and Omolase (2010) and Ogo-
chukwu (2012) also identified health centres and
radio as the major sources of family planning infor-
mation, with Ogochukwu (2012) laying emphasis on
the radio by appraising its role in the adoption of
family planning. Clearly, the inability of the respon-
dents to source for family planning information on
their own could be as a result of unavailability of
relevant facilities. The importance of the availability
of health centres and health workers to promote the
adoption of family planning was acknowledged by
Doctor et al. (2012). The study focused on using
community-based research to shape the design and
delivery of maternal health services in northern
Nigeria, and emphasized that access to health centre
will make family planning information easily acces-
sible for women. For rural women in Akinyele, access
to health centres will make it easy for them to seek
family planning information without the stress of tra-
velling to the city, incurring additional expense that
could be used for other purposes. Moreover, Omogor
(2013) proposed the use of other channels of informa-
tion dissemination such as town criers, community
meetings and traditional festivals to disseminate
information on family planning among rural dwellers.
Availability of family planning enlightenment
programs
Generally, there are no family planning enlighten-
ment programs available for these women in their
communities.
‘‘There is nothing like that at all.’’ (FGD respondent
Mele community, 34-41 years).
‘‘You people are the first persons to come and talk to us
about family planning.’’ (FGD respondent Olanla com-
munity, 42-49 years)
‘‘You too can see how the community is, government
does not remember rural communities, they only come
here during elections.’’ (FGD respondent Isabiyi com-
munity, 34-41 years).
6 Information Development
Some 5 years ago, a family planning enlightenment
program was made available at Irepodun community,
but young females were reported to have taken advan-
tage of it to indulge in prostitution. Hence, the com-
munity head decided to stop the health workers from
coming:
‘‘The female youths did family planning to prevent
pregnancy and this promoted prostitution among them
so the community head told the health workers not to
come again.’’ (Key informant Irepodun community, 34–
41 years).
Mafiayai et al. (2014) pointed out that family
planning enlightenment programs are essential
tools for changing the negative perceptions of rural
women about family planning. Utoo and Araoye
(2013) also emphasized that enlightenment pro-
grams should include elements that would sensitize
and promote men’s involvement and participation
in family planning services as well as enlighten-
ment campaigns that would allay the people’s fears
regarding its side effects.
Evaluation of family planning information with
spouses
Some respondents saw the need to discuss family
planning issues with their husbands. Others, however,
hesitated to discuss with their husbands because they
believed that their husbands would misjudge their
intentions to apply family planning information.
‘‘There is no way one would not discuss family planning
with our daddy o, because that’s a big issue on its own.’’
(FGD respondent Mele community, 26–33 years).
‘‘I am begging God that my children will not suffer just
as I had suffered, so it is a must to discuss it.’’ (FGD
respondent Mele community, 34–41 years).
‘‘What happened is that those men will not want to
accept because they will think one will be promiscu-
ous.’’ (Key informant Labode community, 34–41 years).
Some of the respondents were able to discuss and
share their family planning knowledge with their
spouses with the aim of getting approval. Some of the
husbands of the respondents approved of them apply-
ing family planning information, while others did not:
‘‘I told my husband about it and he accepted, in fact he
was the one that took me to the hospital.’’ (FGD respon-
dent Mele community, 34–41 years).
Downloaded from idv.sagepub.com at CORNELL UNIV on August 31, 2016
‘‘My husband was happy about it when I told him.’’
(FGD respondent Irepodun community, 34–41 years).
‘‘I tried to talk about it with my husband, but he did not
want to listen.’’ (FGD respondent at Olanla community,
34–41 years).
‘‘I told my husband about it and it eventually led to a
fight between us.’’ (FGD respondent Olode community,
26–33 years).
Some of the respondents also want to wait for their
spouse to initiate a conversation on family planning,
with the assumption that their husbands are more civi-
lized than them:
‘‘You see those our daddies, they know what is going on
in town better than we do, so they will be the ones that
will come to tell us the new thing in town.’’ (FGD
respondent Isabiyi community, 26–33 years).
It is not surprising that women in these rural com-
munities sought approval from their husbands before
applying their knowledge of family planning. This is
most likely due to the family structure in Nigeria and
most other African countries, where the husband is
considered not just as the head of the family, but also
has control of personal decisions of his wife. Rehema
(2013) advocated for spousal communication in order
to enhance the evaluation of family planning informa-
tion among couples.
Application and sharing of acquired family planning
information
It was surprising to observe that despite possessing
some considerable knowledge about family planning,
many of the respondents were yet to apply family
planning information:
‘‘We have not done family planning oooooo!’’ (FGD
respondent Irepodun community, 26–33 years).
‘‘I only heard about it, I have not done it.’’ (FGD respon-
dent Mele community, 26–33 years).
‘‘In this community o, we are yet to do family plan-
ning.’’ (FGD respondent Olode community, 34–41
years).
‘‘No one has done family planning here.’’ (FGD respon-
dent Labode community, 34–41 years).
Various reasons why the respondents were yet to
apply family planning information were revealed. The
Adekannbi and Adeniran: Information literacy of women on family planning in rural communities of Oyo State Nigeria
first reason mentioned is the issue of husband’s
rejection:
‘‘I have not done family planning because my husband
did not agree.’’ (FGD respondent Irepodun community,
26–33 years).
‘‘I told him but he said no.’’ (FGD respondent Olode
community, 34–41 years).
‘‘I so much desire to do it but I can’t go against my
husband’s command.’’ (Key informant Olode commu-
nity, 26–33 years).
‘‘He said never!’’ (FGD respondent Olanla community,
26–33 years).
Another reason is the unavailability of family plan-
ning facilities and resources in these communities:
‘‘Where are we going to do family planning, is it in this
village?’’ (FGD respondent Labode community, 34–41
years).
‘‘I am yet to do family planning because I am yet to see
where I can do it.’’ (Key informant Labode community,
34–41 years).
The respondents also reported the side effects and
complications of adopting family planning as another
reason why they have not applied family planning
information:
‘‘For me o, I knew someone who did family planning
that resulted to some complications, so I was not encour-
aged to do it.’’ (FGD respondent Isabiyi community, 34–
41 years).
‘‘I personally did it, I took one of the injections but it
didn’t go well with me at all.’’(FGD respondent Isabiyi
community, 42–49 years).
Few of the respondents reported that they have
applied family planning information. Some of them
did so with the consent of their husbands, while others
did so without their husbands’ approval:
‘‘It is our joint agreement that I should do family plan-
ning.’’ (FGD respondent Irepodun community, 34–41
years).
‘‘He was the one that took me to the hospital.’’ (FGD
respondent Mele community, 34–41 years).
‘‘I can’t allow any man to ruin my life; I did it without
his consent.’’ (FGD respondent Irepodun community,
34–41 years).
Downloaded from idv.sagepub.com at CORNELL UNIV on August 31, 2016
7
‘‘I called my husband and I told him, but he said no way,
so I did it without letting him know.’’ (FGD respondent
Mele community, 26–33 years).
Majority of the respondents in these rural commu-
nities were yet to apply family planning information.
Findings from this study thus agree with Akinwalere,
Owolabi and Adesida (2015) which also reported
that rural dwellers in Ondo state, Nigeria were yet
to adopt family planning. Anyanwu, Ezegbe and
Eskay (2013) also recommended that rural areas
should be enlightened on the efficiency of the mod-
ern family planning methods.
Most of the respondents’ husbands did not approve
of family planning for their wives. This was earlier
reported by Olugbenga-Bello et al. (2011). This study,
however, revealed that most husbands in the study
area rejected the use of family planning procedures
because of their belief that their wives would use it as
an excuse to engage in extra-marital affairs.
Complications arising from the use of family
planning procedures are not uncommon. No wonder
the World Health Organization (2013b) has empha-
sized the need to be equipped with adequate infor-
mation on the available methods, as this will help in
the choice of the most suitable method and help to
reduce the risk of complications. Sitruk-Ware, Nath
and Mishell (2013) also recommended that, in order
to avoid complications, the nearest health centres
should be visited for proper counselling and gui-
dance so as to know the family planning method that
best suits each individual.
Despite the non-adoption of family planning meth-
ods by most of the women that participated in this
study, it was interesting to observe that many of them
reported sharing their knowledge of family planning:
‘‘We talk about family planning among ourselves.’’
(FGD respondent Irepodun community, 26–33 years).
‘‘I had a friend that has ten children, I called her and told
her about family planning but she refused to listen. She
later gave birth to twins again but unfortunately, she
couldn’t live to take care of those twins.’’ (FGD respon-
dent Mele community, 34–41 years).
‘‘I discussed it with my brother’s wife.’’ (FGD respon-
dent Isabiyi, 26–33 years).
However, some respondents that did share family
planning knowledge no longer do so because it
resulted to misunderstanding between them and the
person they shared the knowledge with:
8 Information Development
‘‘I have spoken with two people about family planning
but they turned it to a fight. In fact, they abused me very
well and till today we are yet to settle it.’’ (FGD respon-
dent Isabiyi community, 34–41 years).
‘‘I told someone about family planning too and she
asked if I have been the one buying her baby things all
this while.’’ (FGD respondent Isabiyi community, 26–
33 years).
‘‘If someone should approach me to discuss family plan-
ning, I will ask her if she has ever lent me any baby kit
before.’’ (FGD respondent Isabiyi community, 34–41
years).
Some of the respondents believed that they
could only share family planning information with
those that are ready to stop childbirth, because for
them, family planning is not for those that are still
giving birth:
‘‘I can only tell someone who is no longer giving birth to
adopt family planning because for me, it is not meant for
people who still want more children.’’ (FGD respondent
Isabiyi community, 42–49 years).
‘‘There is someone that did family planning after her
first child and could not have another pregnancy ever
since then.’’ (FGD respondent Isabiyi community,
26–33 years).
It appeared that the level of family planning knowl-
edge of respondents has a direct influence on ability to
engage in knowledge sharing, as shown by the accu-
racy of information provide by such respondents dur-
ing the focus group discussions. As shown by
DaCosta (2011), the ability to share and tell others
about an acquired knowledge is an indication that
knowledge acquired is not a waste.
Conclusion and recommendation
The study has shown that women in rural commu-
nities of Akinyele local government area possess
some basic knowledge about family planning. A few
of them acquired their family planning information
through the radio and from health workers at health
centres. Findings showed, however, that acquisition
of information on family planning was accidental, as
the majority of the respondents did not have access to
health centres and were unfamiliar with specific radio
programmes on family planning. There were also no
reported cases of enlightenment programmes by the
government except in one of the communities, where
such programmes were introduced but stopped 5 years
Downloaded from idv.sagepub.com at CORNELL UNIV on August 31, 2016
ago due to reported abuse by some young participants.
The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Fed-
eral Ministry of Health, should consider as very
important the provision of fully equipped and func-
tioning health centres with well-trained health profes-
sionals in rural communities for quick and easy access
to family planning information and other health
issues. Consideration can also be given to provision
of temporary and mobile clinics where the construc-
tion of permanent structures is not yet feasible.
The majority of the women in rural communities of
Akinyele local government area were yet to adopt
family planning. Reasons given for non-adoption
included husbands’ disapproval and unavailability of
health facilities and resources, as well as reported side
effects and complications arising from the use of fam-
ily planning procedures. Governments at the local
level, in partnership with non-governmental agencies,
should consider health literacy programmes specifi-
cally on family planning. Such programmes should be
aimed at educating, not just the women, but also their
spouses, on the need to adopt family planning. Inter-
estingly, despite the low level of adoption of family
planning, most rural women of Akinyele local gov-
ernment area still see the need to share their knowl-
edge of family planning.
Appendix A: Focus Group Discussion
Guide
Information Literacy on Family Planning
1. Do you know about family planning? What is
family planning?
2. How did you get to know about it?
3. Do you see family planning as a necessity and
why do you think it is necessary/not
necessary?
4. What are your family planning needs?
5. How have you tried to source for your family
planning information needs?
6. Are there existing family planning informa-
tion enlightenment programs available?
7. How do you apply the family planning infor-
mation you source for?
8. Do you share your sourced family planning
information with others?
9. Do you discuss your view and choice of fam-
ily planning method with your husband?
10. Do you decide the choice of family planning
together with your husband?
Adekannbi and Adeniran: Information literacy of women on family planning in rural communities of Oyo State Nigeria
11. What are the major challenges faced in the
process of sourcing and using family plan-
ning information?
12. How can government and non-governmental
agencies help in meeting your family plan-
ning needs?
References
Akintunde MO, Lawal MO and Simeon O (2013) Religious
roles in fertility behaviour among the residents of
Akinyele Local Government, Oyo State, Nigeria. Inter-
national Journal of Economics, Management and Social
Sciences, 2(6): 455–462.
Akinwalere BO, Owolabi KE and Adesida MA (2015) Per-
ception and utilization of family planning among rural
farmers in Ondo State, Nigeria. Asian Journal of Agri-
cultural Extension, Economics & Sociology 6(2): 85–93.
Anyanwu JI, Ezegbe B and Eskay M (2013) Family plan-
ning in Nigeria: a myth or reality? Implications for Edu-
cation. Journal of Education and Practice 4(15):
108–113.
DaCosta JW (2010) Is there an information literacy skills
gap to be bridged? An examination of faculty percep-
tions and activities relating to information literacy in the
United States and England. College & Research
Libraries 71(3): 203–22.
Dhingra R, Manhas S, Kohli N and Mushtaq A (2010)
Attitude of couples towards family planning. Journal
of Human Ecology 30(1): 63–70.
Doctor HV, Findley SE, Ager A, Cometto G, Afenyadu
GY, Adamu F and Green C (2012) Using community-
based research to shape the design and delivery of
maternal health services in Northern Nigeria. Reproduc-
tive Health Matters 20(39): 104–112.
Doctor HV, Findley SE, Afenyadu GY, Uzondu C and
Ashir GM (2013) Awareness, use, and unmet need for
family planning in rural Northern Nigeria. African Jour-
nal of Reproductive Health 17(4): 107–117.
Garner SD (2006) High-level Colloquium on Information
Literacy and Lifelong Learning. Report. Bibliotheca
Alexandrina Alexandria, Egypt, 6-9 November.
Hare R (2014) Report from LILAC 2014. ARLG North
East blog. Available at: http//arlgnortheast.blogspot.co.
uk/2014/05/report-from-lilac-2014-by-rosie-hare.html
(accessed 15 March 2016).
Lwelamira J, Mnyamagola G and Msaki MM (2012)
Knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) towards mod-
ern contraceptives among married women of reproduc-
tive age in Mpwapwa District, Central Tanzania.
Current Research Journal of Social Sciences 4(3):
235–245.
Mafiayai MJ, Emmanuel A, Gimba SM, Barry AB and
Obadiah A (2014) Perception and practice of family
Downloaded from idv.sagepub.com at CORNELL UNIV on August 31, 2016
9
planning among rural women in North Central Nigeria.
Continental Journal of Medical Research 8(1): 14–19
Mahadeen AI, Khalil AO, Mansour AM, Sato T and Imoto
A (2012) Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards
family planning among women in the rural Southern
region of Jordan. Eastern Mediterranean Health Jour-
nal 18(6): 567–572.
National Demographic Health Survey (2013) National Pop-
ulation Commission, [Data file]. Nigeria: Abuja.
Ndubisi NC (2014) Awareness and attitude of family plan-
ning among rural women of Nsukka Local Government
Area: implications for social work intervention. Medi-
terranean Journal of Social Sciences 5(27): 1404–1410.
Odularu FO and Odularu GO (2013) An analysis of contra-
ceptive methods and fertility levels in Ibadan North East
LGA, Nigeria. Learning Publics Journal of Agriculture
and Environmental Studies 3(1): 1–13.
Ogochukwu FO (2012) An appraisal of awareness creation
on family planning and media communication in Awgu
Local Government Area of Enugu State. PhD thesis,
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria.
Olugbenga-Bello AI, Abodunrin OL and Adeomi AA
(2011) Contraceptive practices among women in rural
communities in South-Western Nigeria. Global Journal
of Medical Research 11(2): 1–8.
Omogor M (2013) Channels of information acquisition
and dissemination among rural dwellers. Interna-
tional Journal of Library and Information Science
5(10): 306–312.
Omolase CO, Faturoti SO and Omolase BO (2008) Pat-
tern of family planning methods used by antenatal
patients in Owo, Nigeria. Nigerian Hospital Practice
2(2): 33–36.
Opara UN (2010) Personal and socio-economic determi-
nants of agricultural information use by farmers in the
Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) Zones of
Imo State, Nigeria. Library Philosophy and Practice
434. Available at: http://unllib.unl.edu/LPP/opara.htm
(accessed 10 January 2016).
Pemberton KS (2012) Knowledge, attitudes and practices
of family planning methods among women attending
Axim Government Hospital in Axim, Ghana (Internet),
Available at: http://www.nmfonline.org/wp-content/
uploads/2016/02/2012-Ghana-Pemberton-K.pdf
(accessed 17 January 2016).
Rehema OB (2013) The role of interpersonal communica-
tion in the use of family planning methods among
women. A study of Kajiado County. PhD thesis, Univer-
sity of Nairobi, Kenya.
Russell N and Rubardt M (2010) Voice from the villages:
health improvement and women owned transformation.
Atlanta: CARE/Ethiopia.
Seltzer J (2002) The origins and evolution of family plan-
ning programs in developing countries. Santa Monica,
CA. Rand Corporation.
10
Sitruk-Ware R, Nath A and Mishell DR (2013) Contracep-
tion technology: past, present and future. Contraception
87(3): 319–330.
Taiwo PAJ (2012) Attitude of women towards family plan-
ning in selected rural communities of Ibadan. African
Journal for the Psychological Study of Social Issues
15(1): 185–208.
Utoo PM and Araoye MO (2013) Awareness and utilization
of family planning methods among mothers of
under-fives in Gindiri, North-Central Nigeria. Journal
of Community Medicine and Primary Health Care
24(1-2): 61–68.
World Health Organization (2013a) Women’s and Chil-
dren’s Health: evidence of impact of Human Right
(Internet), Geneva. Available at: http://www.apps.who.
int/iris/bitstream/10665/84203/1/978924105420_eng.
pdf?ua¼1 (accessed 10 January 2016)
World Health Organization (2013b) Programming strate-
gies for postpartum family planning. Geneva. Available
at: http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/
family_planning/ppfp_strategies/en/ (accessed 10 Janu-
ary 2016)
World Health Organization and UNICEF (1996) Revised
1990 estimates of maternal mortality: a new approach
by WHO and UNICEF. Geneva. Available at: http://
www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script¼sci_arttext
Downloaded from idv.sagepub.com at CORNELL UNIV on August 31, 2016
Information Development
&pid¼1020-49891997000600018 (accessed 10 January
2016)
About the authors
Janet Adekannbi lectures at the Africa Regional Centre
for Information Science, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. She
obtained master and doctorate degrees in Information Sci-
ence from the same institution. Her research interests are
Knowledge Management, Indigenous Knowledge and
Social Informatics. Contact: Africa Regional Centre for
Information Science, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Mail-
ing address: PO. Box 9936, UI Post Office, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Email: janet.adekannbi@gmail.com Telephone: þ234
8033610774.
Adeniran Olumide Morakinyo holds a Bachelor of
Arts degree in Linguistics and a Master degree in
Information Science both from University of Ibadan.
His research interests include: Knowledge Manage-
ment and Social Informatics. Contact: Africa Regional
Centre for Information Science, University of Ibadan.
Email: hollumide06@gmail.com Mailing address: PO
Box 9936, U.I. Post Office, Ibadan, Nigeria. Tele-
phone: þ234 8052202783.