Knowledge and associated factors for use of contraceptives among married women of West Bengal, India

 

Moumita Mondal ¹

 

¹ Assistant Professor, Jagannath Gupta Institute of Nursing Sciences, Buita, Budge Budge, Kolkata -700137, India

 

 

 

1. INTRODUCTION

In population history India has taken no 1 in the world. This continuing expanding population is the obstacle of the growth of the country. India was the first country embark on population control program.

Spacing of birth not only reduce fertility but also improve health status of the mother. The main causes of death among women in reproductive age group are due to difficulties arising during antenatal period and intra-natal period. Every year approximately 55,000 women die in India due to antenatal period and intra- natal period-related complications. Paudel & Budhathoki (1970)

Worldwide, almost two in five pregnancies   have ended either an abortion or an unplanned birth. More than 40% of pregnancies are unexpected in the world. An estimated 222 million women in emergent nations want to delay or stop child bearing but are not accepting any contraceptive method.  Reproductive right is one of safe maternity and basic right of family planning. Arora et al. (2011)

In the poor countries the most common important factors that are affecting maternal deaths are low social economic condition of some women and some families at the community level, lack of access to modern contraception which results    in high fertility rate with unplanned pregnancies. Park (2021)

Access to safe and voluntary family planning counselling and services is essential to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and short birth intervals. Many demographic factors (age of the mother at the time of delivery, order of birth and birth interval) and socio demographic characteristics (maternal education, standard of living of family) influence the child survival during infancy. Thapa et al. (2018)

 

2. MATERIALS AND METHODS

Criteria for considering studies for this review

Type of participants:  included married women between 18 To 45 years of age with those are using temporary contraceptives (Condoms, OCP, ECP, Cu-T, DMPA)

Research approach

Nonexperimental quantitative approach

Research design

Research design for present study is descriptive survey design.

Sample selection

criteria Inclusion

criteria

The study includes the married women

•            Who are married women in the age group of 18-45 years of age.

•            Who have currently used only temporary contraceptives methods.

•            Married women who currently using temporary contraceptive methods (OCP, Condom, CU-T, Injection DMPA (ANTARA)

•            Married women who can speak Bengali.

 

Exclusion criteria-

The study excludes married women

•            Those married women who are using permanent contraceptive method

•            Who are unmarried, divorced, widow, pregnant women.

 

Sample size

In this study sample size consist of 162 married women for assessment of knowledge of contraceptives and associated factors for use of contraceptives.

 

Study duration

The study was conducted over a 2-year period from December 2020 to December 2022.Data collection period was 28 days.

Sample size duration:

Current use of modern contraceptives methods is 61% among married women age group 15-49 years in the Hooghly district, West Bengal.

Source-NFHS-5, District fact sheet – Hooghly, West Bengal.

•         N= Z² P (1-P)  d²

      = (1.96)² 0.61 (1-0.61)             Z= level of significance

         ( 0.05 )²                                      P= prevalence rate

     = 3.84 * 0.61*0.39                       d= level of error 0.05

              0.0025                                   N= no of sample

    = 0.9135

       0.0025

    = 365

 

My data collection period was 28 days that’s why I collect 162 samples as my research sample.

 

Sampling technique:

Non-probability purposive sampling

Operational definition of variables

Knowledge: In this study, knowledge is a familiarity, awareness or understanding of something such as facts, skills or objects, measured by self-structured knowledge interview schedule.

Contraceptives: In the present study Contraceptives refers to the only temporary method such as Oral Contraceptives Pills, Condom, Injectables (Antara) DMPA, and Cu-T which are mostly supplied by government that are the preventive methods to help women to avoid unwanted pregnancies and unplanned birth.

Use of contraceptives-In the present study use of contraceptives refers to temporary contraceptive methods adopted by married women as measured by self-structured interview schedule.

Associated Factors: In the present study associated factors refers to those factors which are thought to influence the use of contraceptives among married women, such factors are the duration of marriage, decision making power, and inter spousal communication, easy availability, cost effectiveness, less side effect, interfere with sexual activity, as measured by self -structured interview schedule.

Married women: In the present study, married women refer to women who are married in the age between 18-45 years of age.

 

3. DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE

•            Subjects were selected through non probability purposive sampling technique

•            Sample size is162

•            Informed consent taken from participant.

•            Participant was informed that their participation is entirely voluntary and they could quit anytime during study.

•            Code number was used on questionnaires for interview instead of respondents’ names.

•            Data has collected with interviewing techniques by semi structured questionnaire and structured interview schedule.

•            Maintained confidentiality and anonymity of the information of the subject.

•            One Semi structured interview schedule (Tool-1) was administered to collect demographic data and Tool-II (structured interview schedule) and Tool-III (semi structured interview schedule) were administered during interview with the subject to collect data regarding contraceptives and its associated factors.

•            Average time taken by each respondent for completion of their response against the tool was 40 minutes.

 

4. Findings

Findings related to socio demographic characteristics of the married women

•            Most of the women (75%) were in age group 18-26 years of age

•            Maximum number of women (87%) were Hindu.

•            Most of the women (44%) had up to secondary education and (40%) were up to graduate

•            Majority women (94%) were housewife.

•            Most of the women (67%) having monthly family income Rs-5000- 10,000/

•            Majority (59%) women had married at the age of 18 years or more.

•            Most of the women (54%) had one child.

•            Most of the women (64%) were getting information from health worker

 

Findings related to knowledge score of married women

•            In the study knowledge score SD was 3.12

•            Majority 70.98 % women had average level of knowledge and only 16.67% women had poor level of knowledge,12.34% women had good level of knowledge.

•            The highest to lowest rise of knowledge mean percentage score in the area of knowledge as follows concept of contraceptives (90.67%), knowledge about oral contraceptive pill (40.62%), knowledge about condom (75.33 %), knowledge about CU-T (35.18%), knowledge about ANTARA (25.70 %)

 

Findings related to associated factors for the use of contraceptives

•            It observed that 48.76 % married women belonged to the duration of married life 5-10 years.

•            72.22 % married women belonged to source of getting contraceptives from sub centre.

•            38.89 % married women used Oral contraceptives pill, , 16.67 % married women used condom, 19.75 % married women used Injectables (ANTARA), 24.69 % married women used CU-T.

•            83.34 % married women’s method of using contraceptives was decided by both couples.

•            74.70 % married women’s advice was taken from Health worker.

•            42.85 % married women used Oral contraceptives pill because of Decision of couple.

•            92.60 % women used Condoms because of because of Decision of couple

•            65.62 % married women used Injectables (ANTARA) because of easily available.

•            52.5 % married women used CU-T because of easy availability.

•            it observed that 59.15% married women whose married life less than 5 years are using oral contraceptive pill as contraceptive method.

•            30.98 % married women whose married life in less than 5 years are using condom as contraceptive method

•            34.17 % married women whose married life in between 5-10 years are using injectables as contraceptive method,

•            75 % married women whose married life in 11-15 years are using CU-T as contraceptive method

 

4.1. FINDING ASSOCIATION KNOWLEDGE WITH SELECTED DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES

The result of computed Chi-square indicated that there was statistically significant association between knowledge of contraceptives and their demographic variables like, the religion (χ2 = 5.82), marital age (χ2 = 5.083), at 0.05 level of significance.

 

5. Conclusion

From the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that women did not have adequate knowledge about the contraceptive methods though they have used different temporary methods. Oral contraceptive pills were most used by women. There was a significant association between religion of the women with the knowledge of contraceptive methods. There was a significant association between marital age of the women with the knowledge of contraceptive methods It is also evident from the study that there are many associated factors regarding use of contraceptive methods. Inter spousal communication, easy availability, cost effectiveness was one of the dominant reasons for the use of contraceptives. ASHAs are taking great role in spreading the knowledge among rural people.

 

CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

India is the 1st most populous country of the world with till high fertility rate which hamper socioeconomic development of the country. This rise in population has effect on socio-economic development. It not only reduces the quality of life, but also it puts further strain on our already overloaded resources. The prevalence of contraceptive use and the unmet need for birth control are the key indicators for estimating the improvement in the access to reproductive health as asserted in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development goal. 

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

None.

 

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Letter for seeking permission from the Chairperson, Institutional Ethics Committee to conduct the research study