The Prevalence, Determinants of Contraceptive Use, and Unmet Need for Family Planning among Married Women of Reproductive Age in a Rural Tertiary Care Field Practice Area of Tamil Nadu

Background: In India, most women know about contraception, but many still do not use it. This results in a large unmet need for family planning. Knowing the local reasons helps plan better interventions. Objectives: 1. To assess the prevalence of contraceptive use among married women of reproductive age. 2.To identify determinants and barriers contributing to unmet contraceptive need. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was done for six months in the field practice area of a tertiary care teaching hospital in Tamil Nadu. Using systematic random sampling, 360 married women aged 15–49 years were included. Information was collected using a pretested structured proforma. Results: The mean age of participants was 24.34 ± 3.69 years. Most women were aware of contraception (78.1%), but only a smaller proportion were currently using it (28.3%). The main reasons for use were financial reasons (98.0%) and spacing between pregnancies (98.0%). The common barriers were feeling that contraception was “not important” (50.4%) and family influence (44.2%). Socioeconomic status was significantly related to contraceptive use (p=0.007). After adjustment, women from the upper middle class were less likely to use contraception (AOR 0.26; 95% CI: 0.08–0.81), while graduates were more likely to use contraception (AOR 3.64; 95% CI: 1.53–8.68). Conclusion: There is a clear difference between knowing about contraception and actually using it. Education and socioeconomic status strongly affect contraceptive use. Family-based counseling and locally suitable behavior-change interventions are needed to reduce unmet need.