Perceived acceptance of vasectomy among married men in the Offinso Municipality
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Date
September, 2014
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Abstract
Introduction
Vasectomy has been accepted as an important alternative to female sterilization for couples
who want a permanent method of contraception. However its utilization remains low in
Africa and Ghana is typical in this respect. This study assessed the perceived acceptance of
vasectomy among married men in the Offinso Municipality in the Ashanti region of Ghana.
Methods
The study was descriptive cross-sectional and employed both qualitative and quantitative
methods. The study population consisted of married men aged between 17-56 years who had
at least two children. The study involved randomly selected 390 married men. Quantitative
data was conducted through interviewing with structured questionnaires. Data was analysed
with STATA 11.
Results
Awareness of vasectomy was good among men in the Offinso Municipality and the media
was the most cited source information on vasectomy. Acceptance of vasectomy among the
married men was influenced by the level of education and occupation. Respondents who were
self-employed had increased odds of accepting vasectomy as compared to those who were
public servants (OR =7.7 and 8.2). The perceived reactions from family members upon
accepting vasectomy also influenced the men‘s decision to accept vasectomy as compared to
those who believed their family members will support them (OR=0.1; p<0.05).
iv
Conclusion
The hope for increasing acceptance of long lasting family planning methods, especially,
vasectomy is not lost after all. Most considered that it would be difficult to persuade a man to
undergo vasectomy even if offered financial reimbursement, however when given more
information some men are willing to opt for the method particularly if those who had
experienced a successful sterilisation operation spoke with them and if health workers
provided such men with accurate information about the procedure.
Thus. improved understanding and awareness of vasectomy at the individual and community
level is important to improve utilization of vasectomy services
Description
Thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies,
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology,
Kumasi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
award of MPh degree in health services, Planning and Management,