Contributing Factors to Low Uptake of Female Condoms among Child- Bearing Age Woman using Family Planning at Engela State Hospital, Namibia

The advent of the female condom was hailed as an appropriate intervention measure against the spread of sexually transmitted infections and HIV. The female condom is an effective dual protective method viewed as a tool for woman’s empowerment, though the supply and uptake of this device are limited. This study determined and described the factors that have resulted in the low uptake of female condoms at Engela State Hospital among child- bearing age woman. A quantitative-descriptive research was used on the population of mothers utilizing health services at Engela clinic. Convenience sampling was used to select 52 respondents that participated in the study. Data was collected by means of questions and analysed by using Microsoft Excel 2016. The results showed that the factor leading to the low rate of female condom use was the absence of female condoms in hospitals and the community, rather than male condoms (80.8%) They are difficult to use (88.5%), married women are often powerless to request their partner to wear a condom (84.6%), women prefer the use of male condom than the female condom (88.5%), people are used to using male condom than the female condom (88.5%) and female condoms increase sexual pleasure (88.5%). It was concluded that in Engela State Hospital, a variety of factors influence the use of the Female Condom by women of reproductive age. Therefore, the Namibian government, through the Ministry of Health and Social Services, should implement intensive interventions such as the provision of Information Education and Communication materials and broad peer education. Moreover, The Namibian government, through the Ministry of Health, should study the findings of global research on the use of FCs and use these findings to build a strategic plan to guarantee that FCs are used effectively.