Abstract
Background: Knowledge of family planning plays a significant role in public health to control birth and maintain the health of women. The Chepang, a backward and deprived indigenous group of Nepal, heavily experiences teenage pregnancies, high fertility and high mortality of infants and mothers, which are largely due to lack of knowledge on family planning. So, the objective of this study was to find knowledge and practice regarding family planning among married women of reproductive age.
 Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among married women of the Chepang community, Benighat, Dhadnig, Nepal from September 2016 to November 2016. A simple random probability sampling technique was used to collect 80 respondents.
 Results: The mean age of the respondents was (30.7 ± 7) years, ranging from 17 to 47, with majority being 25-29 years.. The average marital age, and average age at first pregnancy were (16.7 ± 2) years and (17.7 ± 2.33) years respectively. Ninety-two percent of the respondents were aware of family planning. The major sources of information were health workers (79.2%) and radio/television (57.1%). The most known methods of contraception were Depo- provera (87.3%) and pills (85.7%), whereas least known methods were copper T (31%) and Norplant (31%). The contraceptive prevalence was 49.9%, among which pills and Depo provera were used maximum by the respondents (41.1%). One third (33.8%) of the respondents had the adequate knowledge. Education, spousal communication, current contraceptive users, married age, number of children, and age at first pregnancy were the significant factors affecting the knowledge and practice of family planning (P < 0.05). 
 Conclusion: Literacy status, spousal communication, marital age, size of children, and age at first pregnancy are the associated factors of knowledge. Whereas, practicing of family planning was associated to cultural taboos, self-decision, literacy status, and spousal communication.
Highlights
Planning is a smart, sensible, and a vital component of global health and development
Another study done in Western Nepal to find the knowledge and prevalence of family planning measures, supports the findings of this study showed 95.85% of respondents had heard about family planning.[17]
Similar results were seen in other studies. 14,16,22 this study found the higher knowledge about family planning, they could not respond properly about the advantages and benefit of family planning, in contrast to this it was higher in another study
Summary
Planning is a smart, sensible, and a vital component of global health and development. It can bring a wide range of benefit to women, their families and the societies as a whole.[1] An International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Cairo, 1994 and the fourth world conference on women Beijing, 1995 emphasized women empowerment including reproductive and sexual rights as the basic tool for development.[2] Knowledge of contraceptive methods has good impact on reproductive health. The Family Planning Association of Nepal (FPAN), in 1959, first introduced family planning program in Nepal. Since 1968 government of Nepal has been actively involved in providing family planning services with the establishment of Nepal Family Planning Association.[3]
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