Predictors of Modern Contraceptive Usage among Women in Rural Pakistan: Physical Access to Services Stills a Major Barrier

Authors

Sumera Aziz Ali, Aga Khan UniversityFollow
Zafar Fatmi, Aga Khan UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Department

Community Health Sciences

Abstract

Background: The predictors of contraceptive use may vary in urban and rural areas. Studies have largely focused on the factors predicting contraceptive usage in urban areas. We studied the predictors of contraceptives in one of the rural districts of Pakistan.
Methods: A nested case-control design was used on The Global Network’s Maternal Newborn Health Registry (MNHR) in district Thatta Pakistan between June 2011 to July 2012. Pregnant women before their index pregnancy, who did not use (n = 200 cases) and those used any modern contraceptive method (n = 600 controls), were compared. Logistic regression was used to as certain independent factors associated with non-use of modern contraceptives.
Results: Increasing maternal age (AOR = 1.1, 95 % CI = 1.03 - 1.11 per year increase in age), women’s educational level (AOR for secondary education = 2.8, 95 % CI = 1.58 - 5.01 and AOR for higher education = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.04 - 3.95), high socioeconomic status (AOR = 1.9, 95 % CI = 1.05 - 3.56) and unintended pregnancy (AOR   1.9, 95 % CI = 1.29 - 3.02) were significantly associated with the utilization of modern contraceptive methods. While distance from the family planning centers was inversely related (AOR = 0.9, 95% CI = 0.87 - 0.98 per kilometers).
Conclusion: Maternal age, women’s education, socioeconomic status, the intention of a woman for pregnancy and distance were independent predictors for contraceptive use in district Thatta. Besides addressing known socio-demographic differential, access to family planning services to the women of reproductive age, particularly for younger age, poor and less educated women is essential to improve contraceptive prevalence. Furthermore, intention of pregnancy affect the use of contraceptive which has not been studied previously.

Publication (Name of Journal)

EC Gynaecology

Recommended Citation

Ali, S. A., Fatmi, Z. (2017). Predictors of Modern Contraceptive Usage among Women in Rural Pakistan: Physical Access to Services Stills a Major Barrier. EC Gynaecology, 4(1), 24-33.
Available at: https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_chs_chs/376

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.