Unmet Need for Family Planning among Women of Reproductive Age Group in a Rural Area of Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Background: Population of the world is in an increasing trend and India accounts for 17.5% of the global population. As Indian women have different levels of awareness and acceptance of family planning, it may lead to their unmet need for family planning. Objective: To assess the unmet need for family planning and its determinants among women of reproductive age group in a rural area of Kanchipuram District, Tamil Nadu. Materials and Method: A cross sectional study was conducted among 140 women of reproductive age group 15- 45 years in Pulipakkam village of Kanchipuram District over a period of three months (April - June 2019). Data collection was done using a pretested semi- structured questionnaire by personal interview method. The households were selected by simple random sampling. Data analysis was done using SPSS 16V. Association between variables were computed by chi-square test with 5% level of significance. Results: Of the 140 study participants, 132(94.3%) of them were married and 133(95%) of the women were homemakers. The overall prevalence of unmet need for family planning was 16.42%. 69.56% women mentioned fear of side effects as the commonest reason followed by husband’s disapproval(13.04%) and cultural/ religious beliefs (8.69%). Conclusion: The prevalence of unmet need for family planning is high among the women of Pulipakkam village, which may lead to unwanted pregnancies and pose a serious threat to the mother, family and society.