spousal communication on family planning and perceived social support for contraceptive practices in a sample of malaysian women

abstract background: in malaysia, contraceptive prevalence rate (cpr) during past three decades has been steady, with only 34% of women practicing modern contraception. the aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with modern contraceptive practices with a focus on spousal communication and perceived social support among married women working in the university. materials and methods: a cross-sectional study was carried out using self-administered structured questionnaire. the association between variables were assessed using chi-square test, independent sample t-test, and logistic regression. results: overall, 36.8% of women used modern contraceptive methods. signifi cant association was found between contraceptive practice and ethnicity (p = 0.003), number of pregnancies (p < 0.001), having child (p = 0.003), number of children (p < 0.001), positive history of mistimed pregnancy (p = 0.006), and experience of unwanted pregnancy (p = 0.003). the fi nal model showed malay women were 92% less likely to use modern contraception as compared to non-malay women. women who discussed about family planning with their spouses were more likely to practice modern contraception than the women who did not [odds ratio (or): 2.2, confi dence interval (ci): 1.3–3.7]. those women with moderate (or: 4.9, ci: 1.6–10.8) and strong (or: 14, ci: 4.5–26.4) perception of social support for contraceptive usage were more likely to use modern contraception than the women with poor perception of social support. conclusion: spousal communication regarding family planning would be an effective way to motivate men for supporting and using contraceptives. family planning education initiatives should target both men and women, particularly high-risk cases, for promoting healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies. ethnic disparities need to be considered in planning reproductive health programs.