Trends and differentials in knowledge, ever use, current use, and future intended use of contraceptives in rural Bangladesh: evidence from three surveys
Amin, R.; Mariam, A.G.; Faruqee, R.
Pakistan Development Review 26(2): 201-214
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0030-9729 PMID: 12315187 DOI: 10.2307/41258889Document Number: 353224
Data were drawn from 3 major surveys conducted between 1968-77 in Bangladesh to examine the trends and differentials in knowledge, ever and current use of contraception, and future intended use of contraception among the rural population. Logit analysis was used to estimate net effects of socioeconomic and demographic factors. Data utilized covered "currently married" women from the Impact of Family Planning Survey (IFPS) (n = 2522), the World Fertility Survey (WFS) (n = 4117), and the Rural Fertility and Poverty Survey of 1975 (RFPS) (n = 1247). Since the RFPS data were from rural areas, they were compared with corresponding data from rural samples in the IFPS and WFS. The diffusion pattern of knowledge, current and ever use, and future intended use of contraceptives by parity and age of respondents in rural Bangladesh are given for the years 1968-77. There was a steady increase in knowledge and practice of family planning over the years. Knowledge of contraceptives increased from 63% in 1968 to about 94% in 1977. Current use also increased from 3.6% in 1968, 1975, and 1977, ever, current, and future intended users and knowledge of contraceptives tended to be positively and moderately related to respondents' educational levels, nonagricultural occupation, and number of living children. The same also was true of educational levels of respondents' husbands. No consistent relationship was found between these factors and ideal family size, but overall ideal family size declined somewhat by 1977, reflecting a change in family size preference that prevailed across sociodemographic groups. No major sociodemographic differences in the rate of change in ever, current, and future intended uses of contraceptives appeared to emerge between 1968-77. Table 3 shows the net results of the multivariate analysis of the dependent variables by logit regression technique. The most important variables associated with ever, current, and future intended uses of contraceptives were parity and education level of the respondents. In 1968, 1975, and 1977, individuals with more children or with higher educational attainment were more likely to seek fertility limitation measures, but the effect of living children seemed to have decreased over the years. This declining coefficient of living children suggested more increases in contraceptive use and future contraceptive intent among younger or lower-parity mothers.