Unmet need for family planning among married women of reproductive age group in rural and urban area of Shimla, India

Abstract

Background: The concept of unmet need points to the gap between some women’s reproductive intentions and their contraceptive behavior. Unmet need for family planning (FP) is a concept that has influenced the development of FP programs for the past few decades. Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of “unmet need for FP” and its sociodemographic determinants among married women of reproductive age group. Materials and Methods: The study was a community-based, cross-sectional design among married women of the reproductive age group in Shimla. A sample of 1600 women in urban and rural settings has been studied using systematic random sampling. Results: The prevalence of unmet need for FP was found 10.3% (11.50% in rural area and 8.75% in urban area). Unmet need for spacing and limiting family was found 6.9% and 3.13%, respectively. Family opposition and fertility concern were the major reasons for unmet need for FP. Age, type of family, and higher education were found to be associated with high unmet need for FP. Conclusion: Unmet need for FP in the current study has been found better than national averages. Still considering better acceptance for health and family welfare services in this particular state of India, there are a lot of scopes for improvements.