Family Planning Knowledge, Attitude and Practices in Zarqa al-Jadedah – Jordan
This study was conducted to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, practices and beliefs among married men and women of reproductive age (between the ages of 15-49) in the Zarqa Al-Jadedah community on the topic of family planning.   The evaluation was carried out by the Zarqa Al-Jadedah Community Health Committee in collaboration with the Zarqa Al-Jadedah Health Center, under the umbrella of Zarqa Health Directorate. The USAID-funded Health Systems Strengthening Project (HSS)/ Community Health team provided technical assistance throughout the various stages of this study.   The study sample was comprised of 210 married men and women of reproductive age. A questionnaire was designed to capture information about current family planning knowledge, attitudes, and practices among the sample population. The key variables measured include household characteristics, current contraceptive use, knowledge of family planning methods, intention to use family planning methods, desired family size, beliefs about the consonance of religious practices and family planning use, perceptions of social support for family planning practices, and utilization of family planning services.   The study was carried out in three stages. The first stage was for study design and preparation, which involved listing of selected blocks1, design and implementation planning of the sampling procedures, and development, pre-testing, and finalization of the study questionnaire and instruction manual. The second stage involved interviews and data collection. The third and final stage involved data entry, evaluation, and analysis. Key findings of the study include:   - Major difficulties that respondents reported experiencing at the health center were prolonged waiting time and clinic crowding (around 40% of respondents receiving family planning services at the health center encountered these two difficulties). - Weakness in postnatal services at the health center (7.6% received the service). - Lack of available information about permanent family planning methods at the health center (6.7% received information about tubal ligation; 1% received information about vasectomy). - Weak overall health information/education about family planning at the health center (only 39% received information about family planning options from the health center). The study also revealed that more than one third of respondents (37.2 %) desire to have more than 4 children. Based on the results of this study; the Zarqa Al- Jadedah Community Health Committee recommended the following actions and activities to improve family planning knowledge, attitudes, practices and beliefs among married men and women between the ages of 15-49 years in the Zarqa Al-Jadedah community: - Implement a sustainable and efficient appointment system at the health center to improve current crowding and patient waiting times. - Improve access to postnatal services at Zarqa Al€“Jadedah Health Center by increasing patient awareness of available services. - Strengthen the informed decision process with regard to family planning services by implementing a family planning awareness program. - Strengthen the role of the health center in designing and offering suitable family planning interventions, with an emphasis on the aspects and impact of family planning on women, men, and families. Aspects include family relationships, economic status, and health status.