Abstract
Background This thesis explores the use of contraceptives in the Foni Region. There are different types of contraceptives that should be available; implants, injections, pills, male/female condom, IUD, and male/female sterilization. The most used contraceptive differs between the unmarried and married women, but the two most common types used are implants and injections. Method This is a qualitative study with face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The interviewees were health care workers from the five districts of Foni, recruited from different health centers and the hospital. They were both provided with an information sheet (appendix 1) and consent form to sign (appendix 2) in advance of the interview. The sample size depended on when we reached data saturation, where we ended up with a total of 17 participants. Results According to the interviews, most of the women seeking family planning are married. Their ages are mostly between 20-35 years. Our study revealed that the husband's role in the decision-making process is important, which affects the choice of use. The use of contraceptives can also benefit the maternal and child health care, and they mainly use it to space their births. The knowledge regarding contraceptives in the rural parts of the Gambia is of varying quality, but the health care workers are improving on that area, to reach a larger portion of the population with information. When asking if they thought of the access of contraceptives as sufficient most of the staff (92%) at Bwiam General Hospital answered “yes”, while only 40% of the staff at the health centers agreed. Everyone at the health centers agreed that the use was insufficient, while BGH were more divided, with only 50% agreeing. Conclusion In this project thesis we have seen some positive aspects of the family planning service in The Foni Region. However, we have also revealed some areas in need of improvement, such as the attitude towards unmarried women, knowledge in the society, the religious beliefs, and the cultural norms. In addition, the interviews also issued the use of contraceptives as a bigger problem than the access. Even though, there are regional differences, with a significant poorer supply of contraceptives to the health centers compared with BGH.