ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT OF BIRTH CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES AMONG WOMEN IN OMOKU, RIVERS STATE

by
DIRISU, CHIMEZIE G., BRUNO. A.I
; IKENYIRI, NGOZI, P & DIENYE, RUTH

Abstract
Birth Control Technologies [BCT] otherwise referred to as Family Planning (FP) are
strategies adopted to control growth of human population. In this study, the level of participation of civil servants in BCT and its impact on physical environment and human ecology was ascertained. Data for the study consisted of a 4-point structured questionnaires containing thirty-three items. This was used to elicit responses from the respondents, which comprised of ninety civil servants randomly selected from various ministries in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government area of Rivers State. Percentage distributions of responses were computed and mean calculated. Results indicate low level of BCT adoption.
Surgery method had the lowest mean response (1.67) and child spacing, the highest (2.84), implying a large extent of BCT usage. Among perceived factors for the observed level of adopting BCT were poor/lack of knowledge on the subject, poverty, fear of side effect, socio-cultural beliefs and religion (mean>2.5). BCTs have high levels of direct and indirect impacts on the environment, family and society.

Introduction
Many estimates exist concerning the population of Nigeria today, depending on the benchmark data used and the rate of growth. For example, Impact (1990) projected a population of 160 million for Nigeria in the year 2000 with a growth rate of 2.9 % – a rate, which the World Bank confirmed. The issue of population control has been on the limelight considering the effect of overpopulation on any country’s social, economic and environmental
wellbeing (Aina and Salau, 1995). It is in realization of these linkages that the Federal Government formulated the National Policy on Population [NPP] (NPC, 1988), and instituted as a strategy, to address the issue of population and family life Education at its post-primary school curriculum (Nwosu, 1999). As one of its objective, the NPP stands to achieve population control through the wilful participation of married women and men in birth control or otherwise known as family planning [FP]
Birth control technologies [BCT] have given millions of people the ability to decide
whether and when to have children, and its arrival on the scene in 1960 coincided with
increasing concern about population growth. Though, it was thought to be a force of liberation for women, it wasseen as a tool forstemming the tide of the world’s growing population. As the rate of natural increases, so the population explodes. With availability of food, and adequate health care, there isthe tendency for women to continue to give birth, except there issome kind of control. FP allows couples to determine the number and spacing of their children. BCT means any method used to reduce birth and these include natural family planning/rhythm
methods, barrier methods, hormonal methods, implantable device control methods, permanent method. Information on the principles, advantages/disadvantages of different BCTs are available from http://www.accessesexcellence.org/AE/AEPC/WWC/1992/RU

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