Study of Contraceptive Usage among Women of Reproductive Age in a Rural Area – A cross sectional study

BackgroundContraception nowadays is almost universal in urban areas. In rural areas, contraception is still limited due to various factors. In this study an attempt is made to assess contraceptive prevalence as well as to know the causes for not practicing contraception.MethodA community based cross sectional study was done in 16 villages which were selected randomly. 826 ever married women were selected randomly from these villages. Socio-demographic profile, contraceptive prevalence, reasons for not using contraception was assessed. The data was fed and analysed using SPSS 15.ResultsContraceptive prevalence was found to be 49.86% in the rural area of Nagamangala Taluk. The commonly used method was Tubectomy (92.59%). Among the spacing methods, condoms, oral Contraceptive Pills (OCPs) and Intra Uterine Contraceptive Devices (IUDs) were used by 0.51%, 2.58% and 3.95% of the couples respectively. Younger age of the women, illiteracy, and low socioeconomic status were found to be associated with low use of contraception.ConclusionTemporary methods of contraception like barrier contraceptives and OCPs were found to be less preferred over terminal sterilisation and suggest lesser male participation in practicing contraception.Word count: [1900]Figures and Tables: [3]Key WordsContraceptive, Rural area, Sterilisatio