Unmet need for contraception among married women in an urban area of Puducherry, India
Study showed a high unmet need for contraception indicating the need to address user perspectives
Abstract
Background & objectives
Umet need for contraception remains a national problem. The study was conducted in an urban area of Puducherry, India, among the eligible couples to assess the unmet need for contraception and to determine the awareness and pattern of use of contraceptives along with the socio-demographic factors associated with the unmet needs for contraception.
Methods
This cross-sectional study included eligible couples with married women in age group of 15-45 years as the study population (n=267). Probability proportional to size sampling followed by systematic random sampling was used. A pre-tested questionnaire was administered to collect data from the respondents. Double data entry and validation of data was done.
Results
Unmet need for contraception was 27.3 per cent (95% CI: 22.3-33); unmet need for spacing and limiting was 4.9 and 22.5 per cent, respectively. Among those with unmet need (n=73), 50 per cent reported client related factors (lack of knowledge, shyness, etc.); and 37 per cent reported contraception related factors (availability, accessibility, affordability, side effects) as a cause for unmet need.
Interpretation & conclusions
Our study showed a high unmet need for contraception in the study area indicating towards a necessity to address user perspective to meet the contraception needs.
This research was supported by the UK Department for International Development’s Operational Research Capacity Building Programme led by the International Union Against TB and Lung Disease (The Union)
Citation
Bahiya Sulthana, Hemant Deepak Shewade, Bhuvaneswary Sunderamurthy, Keerthana Manoharan, Manimozhi Subramanian, (2015) Unmet need for contraception among married women in an urban area of Puducherry, India. Indian Journal of Medical Research. 2015 Jan; 141(1): 115–118.
Links
Unmet need for contraception among married women in an urban area of Puducherry, India