Factors affecting source of family planning services in India

For more about the East-West Center, see http://www.eastwestcenter.org/About four-fifths of all couples who use modern family planning methods in India obtain contraception from government sources. The proportion of couples using private-sector sources appears to be increasing, although levels vary considerably by socioeconomic status and by state. Women who live in urban areas and who have relatively high levels of education are more likely than other women to use private-sector sources of family planning. Contrary to expectations, there is little relationship between the proportion of women using private-sector family planning services in a state and state-level fertility rates. The NFHS Subject Reports is a series summarizing secondary analysis of data from the 1992-93 National Family Health Survey (NFHS) in India. The NFHS collected information from nearly 90,000 Indian women on a range of demographic and health topics. Conducted under the auspices of the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the survey provides national and state-level estimates of fertility, infant and child mortality, family planning practice, maternal and child health, and the utilization of services available to mothers and children. IIPS conducted the survey in cooperation with consulting organizations and 18 population research centers throughout India. The East-West Center and a U.S.-based consulting firm, Macro International, provided technical assistance, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided financial support. Printed copies are available from the East-West Center Research Program, Population and Health Studies. Single copies are available free by airmail and may be reproduced for educational use