Contraceptive use and its consistency among eligible couples in a peri-urban area of Delhi, India: A secondary data analysis

BACKGROUND: Contraceptive use is important to stabilize population growth by reducing the net reproduction rate. The effectiveness of a contraceptive method is decided mainly by its consistent and correct use. METHODS: A record-based study was undertaken with the aim to study the contraceptive usage and its consistency among eligible couples in a peri-urban area of Delhi, India. Data of 946 eligible couples were analysed. Descriptive analysis was performed and odds ratios were calculated. RESULTS: Mean age of females was found to be 30.3 ± 5.5 years and males was 33.5 ± 6.4 years. About 56.2% (532) eligible couples have used contraceptive at least once in the past 6 months and 54.7% (517) used them consistently for 6 months of the study period. There were 12.3 pregnancies per 100 non-users, 2.2 pregnancies per 100 ever users and 1.9 per 100 consistent users (1.7 for condoms and 0.2 for OCPs). Couples having two or more children, having two or more male children and with less than five years of age difference between husband and wife were found to have significantly higher odds of ever and consistent contraceptive use compared to other eligible couples (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: More than half of the eligible couples were found to be using contraceptives ever in past 6 months, and 54.7% of eligible couples were using them consistently. There is a need to explore social, cultural factors, awareness levels associated with the ever and consistent use of contraceptives for improving overall couple protection rate and enhancing the consistency in usage.