A Cross-Sectional Survey of Contraceptive Use and Birth Spacing Among Multiparous Women in Eastern Nepal

Abstract

Despite the known benefits of the use of contraceptives, notably birth spacing, the use of contraceptives in Nepal has remained stagnant since 2006. The purpose of this article is to assess the knowledge and use of contraceptives, and to ascertain preceding interbirth spacing in an eastern plain district of Nepal. A cross-sectional survey was completed on 406 multiparous women aged 18 to 49 years to collect data via structured questionnaires in Jhapa district of Nepal. The majority of the participants (96.1%) had knowledge of at least one modern contraceptive: injectable and oral contraceptives were the most common. Female sterilization was the most commonly used method of contraception. The median birth spacing was 41.5 months, and the majority of participants (79.1%) had preceding interbirth spacing greater than 24 months. The average preferred birth spacing was 51.3 months, and about half of the participants said that 60 months was the appropriate birth spacing. Though knowledge of contraceptives use is almost universal in this population, the use is still low. The preferred birth spacing is longer than the actual birth spacing, signifying an unmet need of contraception.