Empirical investigation of the relationship between the education status and adoption of reproductive health services among married women in Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: The reproductive and sexual health of woman is a primary determinant of women’s well-being. The women’s reproductive and sexual health is largely influenced by their education status. Objective: Therefore, this study was initiated with aim to investigate the relationship between the education status and adoption of reproductive health services among married women in Punjab. Methods: Nationally representative household sample data of women aged 15-49 years from Punjab collected by PDHS in 2012-13 and 2017-18 was used in the present research. The sample was 3800 married women in PDHS 2012-13 and 10825 in PDHS 2017-18. The participants of the present study were ever married women age 15-49 years living in Punjab, Pakistan. Simple frequencies against each question were used for descriptive purpose to find out the basic patterns in the data. To estimate the net effect of education status on adoption of reproductive health services, binary logistic regression was employed. Results: The analysis provides a strong relationship between educational status of the respondent and adoption of contraceptives in 2012-13 (p<0.007) and in 2017-2018 (p<0.007). The findings figured out that women with higher education had higher adoption of reproductive health services in Punjab, Pakistan.