Coalition supports male involvement in family planning, enhanced child spacing in Adamawa

Family planning and child spacing, a practice where couples intentionally determine the number and timing of their children, is gaining ground in Adamawa State.

 Underpinned by cultural norms and religious beliefs, many communities hold that children are solely in God’s hands. Yet, emerging evidence shows that informed programmatic interventions are reshaping such perceptions.

Although it has been found that effective family planning ensures healthier outcomes by reducing maternal and infant mortality, and by improving a family’s economic wellbeing, its acceptance has been dampened by myths and misconceptions over time due to low level of knowledge on science, methodology and outcomes.

To bridge this knowledge gap, in Adamawa State, a coalition of journalists and media professionals, supported by The Challenge Initiative, Nigeria Hub (TCI Nigeria) has championed culturally sensitive messages on childbirth spacing.

These campaigns, culminating in community dialogues and stakeholder engagement are capturing the attention and participation of men across the state, where men’s engagement has emerged as a critical factor in successful adoption and sustained use of contraceptive methods.

 Support from male partners by accompanying women to clinics has been found to encourage uptake and drastically reduces discontinuation rates.

At the Primary Healthcare Centre in Gurin, a community situated on the Cameroon border, male involvement has surged. It was revealed that as of now six out of every 10 women accessing family planning services are accompanied by their partners, marking a noticeable shift from earlier patterns.

This reflects the larger picture as revealed by Hajiya Aisha Garba, Family Planning Focal Person at the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (ADSPHCDA).

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 According to her, out of 199,840 women of childbearing age, 194,155 are using modern contraceptive methods. Moreover, within just one month, 149 new acceptors were recorded —a testament to the combined effect of awareness and male involvement.

TCI’s state Programme Manager, Godiya Yusuf, credited these gains to the successful collaboration between TCI and the state government, noting a 40 percent increase in new users of family planning since the intervention began.

Leading up to June 2024, new acceptors rose from 47,980 in 2022 to 104,486, indicating a substantial surge in modern contraceptive uptake.