Knowledge and utilisation of family planning 6 to 14 weeks postpartum in the Metro West region of the Western Cape Province

Postpartum family planning (PPFP) is the initiation and use of contraception during the first year after delivery. Following delivery mothers are encouraged to attend local Baby Clinics where infant follow up and immunization services and contraceptive advice should be available. The general understanding and importance of contraceptive use of postpartum mothers in this period has not been fully explored within our services. The aim of this study was to assess the current knowledge and the utilisation of contraception at the primary level of care among women who delivered 6 to 14 weeks earlier. We also hoped to identify possible obstacles to accessing family planning services. Methods This was descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted between March and September 2014, in the Metro West of Cape Town. The study included five Baby Clinics in local health centres. Ethics committee approval was granted by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Health Sciences of UCT (HREC REF: 544/2013) and further permission was granted for study sites by the Provincial Health Research Council of the Western Cape Government (RP 004/2014). A total of 228 mothers, who were 6-14 weeks postpartum and attended a Baby Clinic during the study period were recruited. Questionnaire based interviews were conducted and data were entered using Microsoft Excel 2012 spreadsheets and were analysed using SPSS version 22