Assessment of unmet need for contraception in an urban slum of Delhi.

Objectives: 1. To find out the % of users and nonusers of contraception. 2. To calculate the unmet need of the community. 3. To find the knowledge index of the study group. 4. To find out the factors associated with the nonusage of contraception. Study Design: Community based Cross-sectional study. Setting: Slum clusters in urban Delhi. Study subjects: Married eligible women of 15-45 years. Sample size : 243 married women. Study variables: Acceptors Non-acceptors Type of method Pregnant & non pregnant women Intended mistimed and unwanted pregnancy. Outcome variables: Unmet Need Knowledge Index and Reasons. Statistical variables: Percentage Z-test. Results: Mean age of study subjects 29.7 + 2.9 yrs. 34.6% of the study subjects were users where tubectomy accounted for 58.3%. Vasectomy as a method was not found accepted by any of subject’s partner. Of 159 women not using contraception 22.6% women had the need for spacing and 27.2% women had unmet need for limiting. Thus the total of 49.8% women had unmet Need of contraception. In majority of women opposition from husband’s/families (30.6%) and male child preference was cited as the main reason for non use of contraception. (Z=2.88 p<0.001). 60.3% of women had Knowledge Index of 3 or more i.e. despite sufficient knowledge study subjects had a high level of unmet need. (authors)