SEARCHCROSS-SECTIONALpublic health, obstetrics and gynecology

cross-sectional·public health, obstetrics and gynecology, epidemiology, family medicine, observational study·PMC10021173

To use or not to use : Exploring factors influencing the uptake of modern contraceptives in urban informal settlements of Mumbai

PLOS Global Public Health · 7 authors, 2 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 100%

POPULATIONmarried women of reproductive age (15–49 years) living in Malvani, an informal settlement in Mumbai

INTERVENTIONnot applicable (observational study examining factors associated with modern contraceptive uptake)

COMPARISONusers versus non-users of modern contraceptives

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

TRACE TO SOURCE

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TL;DR

Logistic regression analysis identified women's age, education, parity, socioeconomic status, and exposure to family planning interventions as the main determinants of contraceptive use.

Full summary

288 CHARS

Logistic regression analysis identified women's age, education, parity, socioeconomic status, and exposure to family planning interventions as the main determinants of contraceptive use. The decision to use modern contraceptives was typically made after achieving the desired family size.

PICO

PPOPULATION

married women of reproductive age (15–49 years) living in Malvani, an informal settlement in Mumbai

IINTERVENTION

not applicable (observational study examining factors associated with modern contraceptive uptake)

OOUTCOME

modern contraceptive use and its determinants

STUDY TYPE

cross-sectional

SPECIALTY

public health

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10021173

To use or not to use : Exploring factors influencing the uptake of modern contraceptives in urban informal settlements of Mumbai

PLOS Global Public Health

READ THE FULL PAPER

ABSTRACT

Rapid urbanization and a high unmet need for family planning in urban informal settlements point to the significance of identifying gaps that exist in the path of voluntary uptake of contraceptives. We undertook this study to better understand the perspectives related to family planning among women living in informal settlements of Mumbai. We used a mixed-methods approach, including a cross-sectional survey with 1407 married women of reproductive age and face-to-face in-depth interviews with 22 women, both users and non-users of modern contraceptives. 1070 (76%) of the participants were using modern contraceptives and women’s age, education, parity, socioeconomic status and exposure to family planning interventions were the main determinants of contraceptive use. Poor contraceptive awareness before marriage coupled with social norms of early childbearing and completing family resulted in unplanned and less spaced pregnancies even among current users. In such cases, women either continued with the pregnancy or opted for abortion which sometimes could be unsafe. The decision to use contraceptives was taken in most cases after achieving the desired family size and was also influenced by belief in traditional methods, fear of side effects, spousal/family awareness and counselling by frontline workers. We recommend strengthening of sexual and reproductive health component of adolescent health programs. It is pertinent to inform women about their reproductive rights and most importantly empower them to practice these rights. This can be achieved by increasing women’s age at marriage and continued promotion of formal education. Widespread misconceptions related to the side effects of modern methods need to be mitigated via counselling. Referral, follow-up, and suggestions on available choices of contraceptives should be given in case women face any side effects from the use of contraceptives. At the same time, improving spousal awareness and communication regarding family planning will allow couples to make informed decisions. Finally, roping in role models in the community will create an environment conducive to operationalizing rights-based family planning.

CITATION EXPORT

Manjula Bahuguna, Sushmita Das, Sushma Shende et al.. To use or not to use: Exploring factors influencing the uptake of modern contraceptives in urban informal settlements of Mumbai. PLOS Global Public Health. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0000634

AUTHORS

7 · 2 CENTRES

Manjula Bahuguna, Sushmita Das, Sushma Shende, Shreya Manjrekar, Shanti Pantvaidya, Armida Fernandez, Anuja Jayaraman

SNEHA (Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action), Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
University at Buffalo, UNITED STATES

EDITOR / REVIEWER

Tia M. Palermo