Abstract
Abstract
Family planning refers to the practices that help individuals or couples avoid unwanted births, regulate the intervals between pregnancies, and determine the number of children in the family. The present study was undertaken to know the extent of knowledge, attitude, and adoption of family planning methods among the married women of Jowai town, West Jaintia Hills District, Meghalaya. An attempt has also been made to find out the sociodemographic factors influencing the use of contraceptive methods among the studied population. The information on awareness as well as the use of contraceptives was collected from 719 married women of the reproductive age group 15–49 years using a structured scheduled. Among the women in Jowai town, the knowledge of family planning methods is widespread. In addition, a majority of the women have a favorable attitude towards family planning. However, there exists a gap between the knowledge and the practice of contraceptive methods among the women of Jowai town. Ingesting an oral contraceptive pill is the most preferred contraceptive method among the women. Contraceptive use among women is seen to be positively correlated with educational level and income (significant at p < 0.01), and negatively correlated with current age, age at marriage, number of live births, and family type (significant at p < 0.01). Bivariate analysis substantiates the role of women’s education, household income, current age, age at marriage, number of live births, and family type in influencing the utilization of contraceptive methods.
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