Attitudes and behaviors of women in the postpartum period to family planning in Şanliurfa

The research was conducted in a descriptive type in order to determine the attitudes and behaviors of postpartum women towards family planning in Sanlıurfa. The population of the research consisted of women who received health services from Family Health Centers in the central districts of Şanlıurfa and gave birth within the last 6 months. Cluster sampling method was used for sample selection and the study was completed with a total of 330 women. Data were collected by face-to-face interview technique between February and May 2022 through the Data Collection Form and the Family Planning Attitude Scale of Postpartum Women. Written permission was obtained from the Şanlıurfa Provincial Health Directorate and Harran University Ethics Committee for the study, and informed consent was obtained from the women who agreed to participate in the study. In the evaluation of the data; percent, mean, standard deviation from descriptive statistics, Chi-square from univariate analysis and Man Whithney-U test were used. In the study, it was determined that 71.5% of the women used any family planning method, 39.0% of them were modern methods and 32.5% of them were traditional methods. While condom is the most used (20.9%) of the modern methods, it is the most used withdrawal (32.1%) from the traditional methods. The mean score of the Family Planning Attitude Scale of Women in the Postpartum Period is 90.4 (±6.7) and this value shows that their attitudes are positive. It was determined that the postpartum family planning method usage level was higher among the women who spoke Turkish at home, whose spouse and wife had a high education level, whose spouse was employed, who had a health insurance, who had a nuclear family, whose spouse had a higher median age, who had a lower ideal number of children, who gave birth less than two years apart, and who had a higher mean ix score on the Postpartum Women's Family Planning Attitude Scale (p<0.05). According to the results of the study; It has been determined that the attitudes of women in the postpartum period towards family planning are positive, but the use of family planning methods is not at the desired level, and socio-demographic and fertility characteristics and the attitude towards family planning affect the use of family planning methods in the postpartum period. In line with these results, it is recommended to plan and implement family planning counseling and training programs, taking into account the socio-demographic and fertility characteristics of women, in order to transform the positive attitude towards family planning in the postpartum period.