Unmet Need for Contraceptive among Tribal Married Women of Rangamati District, Bangladesh

Abstract

Background: The unmet need for contraceptives refers to the discrepancy between some women's objectives towards conception and their use of contraception, which has been a central indicator for monitoring the progress of family planning programs. Objective: This study set out to identify and evaluate the unmet need for contraceptives among married tribal women between the ages of 15 to 49. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out between January 2022 to December 2022 in Belaichari Upazilla of the Rangamati district. Two hundred and six married indigenous women (15–49 years old) were surveyed house–to–house. Data on the characteristics of contraceptive uses, unmet needs, and correlations were collected by interviewing the participants using a pre-designed, semi-structured questionnaire. Results: The mean age of the participants was 28.07 ± 6.09 years, and most were Buddhist (63.6%). The contraceptive prevalence rate was found to be 41.3%. Overall, unmet need for family planning was 16.5%, and the age of the woman, religion, and profession of the husband were found to be significantly associated with the unmet need for contraceptive. Apprehension of side effects and difficulty in using were reported as two common reasons for unmet needs. Conclusion: Contraceptive services should place priority on improving the information and counseling they provide and the range of methods they offer. All sexually active women need information about their risk of becoming pregnant and about the choices of methods that could meet their needs.