Contraceptive use before first pregnancy by women in India (2005–2006): determinants and differentials

Abstract

BackgroundThere exist ample of research literature investigating the various facet of contraceptive use behaviors in India but the use of contraception by married Indian women, prior to having their first pregnancy has been neglected so far. This study attempts to identify the socio demographic determinants and differentials of contraceptive use or non use by a woman in India, before she proceeds to have her first child. The analysis was done using data from the third National Family Health Survey (2005–2006), India.MethodsThis study utilized information from 54,918 women who ever have been married and whose current age at the time of NFHS-3 survey was 15–34 years. To identify the crucial socio-demographic determinants governing this pioneering behavior, logistic regression technique has been used. Hosmer Lemeshow test and ROC curve analysis was also performed in order to check the fitting of logistic regression model to the data under consideration.ResultsOf all the considered explanatory variables religion, caste, education, current age, age at marriage, media exposure and zonal classifications were found to be significantly affecting the study behavior. Place of residence i.e. urban - rural locality came to be insignificant in multivariable logistic regression.ConclusionsIn the light of sufficient evidences confirming the presence of early marriages and child bearing practices in India, conjunct efforts are required to address the socio demographic differentials in contraceptive use by the young married women prior to their first pregnancy. Encouraging women to opt for higher education, ensuring marriages only after legal minimum age at marriage and promoting the family planning programs via print and electronic media may address the existing socio economic barriers. Also, the family planning programs should be oriented to take care of the geographical variations in the study behavior.

Health risks among women desiring pregnancy within one year: a cross-sectional study in Maharashtra India

“…The current study reported that 15.9% of married women below 19 years of age and a higher proportion of tribal women were desirous to become pregnant more than non-tribal women (p < 0.001). This age distribution was similar to population-based studies done in other parts of India and South Asia [9][10][11][12][13]. The educational opportunities and better socioeconomic status in non-tribal areas might be a reason for this difference.…”

Desire to delay the first childbirth among young, married women in India: a cross-sectional study based on national survey data

“…Our results also highlight not only the importance of women's education with regard to their fertility preferences, but also the education level of their partners. Studies conducted in India have found that the woman's education level is associated with delaying the first pregnancy, but also with actual contraceptive use to delay it [23,24]. A multi-country study on partner's education did not specifically find associations with delaying the first pregnancy; however, associations with increased contraceptive use as well as other healthy reproductive behaviours were found [31].…”

“…Previous studies have assessed the methodological limitations of intimate partner violence studies. Asserting control over their wives is common for aggressors, and thus a large proportion of abused women might be excluded from surveys such as the DHS, which leads to underestimation of the true problem [23]. While the response rate for the IPV module was 95%, we lack data on the characteristics of those who refused to participate.…”

“…Then, a step-wise multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (OR adjusted ) between the same variables used for the bivariate logistic regression analysis. The variables selected for the multivariable logistic regression analysis were based on a review of the current literature and all measures were adjusted for simultaneously [23,24]. Before performing the multivariable logistic regression analyses, a matrix of correlations of estimates was generated and we used a threshold of 0.8 to rule out multicollinearity among our independent variables; none of them were excluded from the model.…”

“…Despite increasing evidence implicating the partner's influence on the reproductive autonomy of women, as well as the influence of IPV on women's reproductive health and choices [19][20][21][22], there is little evidence in India on how these factors affect reproductive choices in married women who have never been pregnant. One population-based study explored the determinants of contraceptive use before the first pregnancy among women age 15-34, and found that religion, caste, education, age, age at marriage, media exposure and geographical region played a role in contraceptive use [23]. Another population-based study conducted in six Indian states found that age, education, caste, living in urban areas, and awareness of family planning methods among others were significantly associated with wanting to delay the first pregnancy [24].…”