Knowledge and Use of Contraception among Currently Married Adolescent Women in India

Abstract

This paper tries to examine the knowledge and practice of family planning methods among the currently married adolescent women (CMAW) in India. National Family Health Survey 1998-99 data have been used for the study. Even today 12 percent of CMAW do not have knowledge of any modern methods of contraception in the country. Age, education, place of residence, standard of living and husband’s education plays a significant role in women having knowledge of all the modern methods of contraception. About 10 percent of CMAW are currently using contraception and there is constant increase in contraceptive use with the increase in number of living children, but its increase is much faster when women know all the modern methods of contraception. Living children and knowledge of contraception plays significant role in its use, besides that, exposure to mass media and husband wife communication plays significant role. There is a need to impart knowledge about all the family planning methods among the CMAW, so that it will help women to choose suitable and affordable method, enable couples to decide when to and whether to have child, and thereby facilitate fertility decline in the country.