Knowledge, attitude, and practices of family planning methods among married women from a rural area of Jaipur, Rajasthan: An observational study

Abstract

Aim: This study was planned with the objective to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of family planning methods among married women and to find out the factors associated with not using the family planning method. Materials and Methods: This community-based cross-sectional observational study was conducted in 300 married women residing in a rural area of Jaipur, Rajasthan. Written informed consent was obtained, and data were collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. Knowledge, attitude, and practices were summarised in proportion, and their association was measured using Chi-square test. Results: The mean age of the participants was 26.7 years. Most of them (88.8% women) had knowledge of at least one contraception method. Almost two-thirds had positive attitude towards contraceptive use. The most used method was oral contraceptive pills, among 17.7% of participants. Knowledge was significantly associated with educational level and caste of the participants (P value <0.05), and practice was not significantly associated with any socio-demographic factors (P value >0.05). Conclusion: Knowledge, attitude, and practices related to modern family planning methods are still not high in rural areas. The media can play a major role in increasing awareness about family planning methods. The involvement of community and family, especially spouse, should be facilitated to maximize the understanding of family planning methods.