Socio-demographic Differentials and Determinants of Contraception Methods Choice among Currently Married Women in India

Contraception is considered as the direct method to regulate fertility. Hence, promoting contraception uses is government effort for most of the high fertility countries. India is the first nation of the world to formulate the National Family Welfare Programme in 1952 with the objective of reducing the birth rate for population stabilization. The programme has experienced a significant growth in terms of financial support, service delivery, and range of contraceptive methods offered, science from its inception. National Population Policy in India (2002) also emphasised on unmet need of contraception. It affirms the government’s commitment to the provision of quality services, information and counselling, and expanding contraceptive method choices in order to enable people to make voluntary and informed choices (Santhya 2003). Uses of contraception have been increased significantly in India due to government effort and program interventions. It has increased from 13 percent in 1970 to 40.7 percent in 1992-93(NFHS-1), 48.2 percent in 1998-99 (NFHS-2) and 56 percent in 2005-06 (NFHS-3) among currently married women by any methods. NFHS-3 shows that 48.5 percent of currently married women are using any modern method and 7.8 percent are using traditional method. Several studies have been done regarding the determinants of contraceptives use in all over the world. Most of the study shows that women education, media exposure, accessibility and source of contraception, child loss, place of residence etc are the significant predictors of contraceptive usage among currently married women (Okezie C.A et al. 2010; NPC & ORC Macro 2004; Koc 2000; Okezie C.A et al. 2010 ; Shreshtha 2000). Some of the study indicates that desired family size and son preference are also important to understand the contraceptive usages(Asari V.G. 1994).