Access to Family Planning Information and Contraception Methods Use among Tanzanian Men: A Cross-Sectional Study in Kibaha District

Continued evaluation of current health education and sensitization programs could help to inform and enhance men’s awareness and use of family planning services. This paper reports from a study undertaken to identify sources through which family planning (FP) information was obtained and their implications for FP practices among men in Kibaha District, Tanzania. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in April 2014, involving interviews with a random sample of 365 married men, using a structured questionnaire. Men reported to obtain FP information from their spouses (45.7%), mass media (27.6%), health facilities (18.1%), community health meetings (12.6%), and 26.8% received information from neighbours, friends, FP campaigns and billboards. Soga ward (rural) showed a larger proportion of men receiving FP information from health facilities than their counterparts in urban Mlandizi ward (χ2 = 8.8923, p= 0.003). Men who were exposed to family planning messages from different mass media at least once per week reported to use the methods with their spouses than those who were not exposed to such messages. Majority of men receive family planning information through their spouses. These findings suggest need for more reliable sources of health information and methodologies for enforcing the messages.