Adolescent contraceptive use and its determinants in Bangladesh: Evidence from Bangladesh Fertility Survey 1989
Mahmud, M.; Islam, M.M.
Contraception 52(3): 181-186
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0010-7824 PMID: 7587190 DOI: 10.1016/0010-7824(95)00149-5Document Number: 207068
The 1989 Bangladesh Fertility Survey recorded a contraceptive prevalence rate of only 15.3% for married women under 20 years of age compared to 34.4% for respondents 20 years of age and older. 10.7% of married adolescents were using a modern method, primarily the pill, compared to 25.7% of adult women. A lack of knowledge does not appear to play a role in this pattern, since awareness of contraceptive methods is only slightly lower among adolescents. Rather, the low contraceptive prevalence rate for married adolescent women seems to reflect socioeconomic factors. The contraceptive use rate was 29% among adolescents with a higher secondary and above level of education compared to 10.3% among those with less education. This rate ranged from a low of 9.4% in the conservative Chittagong administrative division to a high of 17.2% in the more developed Khulna division. Logistic regression analysis identified education, participation in family planning decisions, visits from family planning workers, administrative division, husband's occupation, and electricity in the household as significant predictors of adolescent contraceptive usage. Place of residence, husband's education, and religion were not significant. These results suggest that use of modern contraceptive methods by young married women in Bangladesh will be increased through measures to improve women's status and bring them into contact with family planning outreach workers.