ANALYZING SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC DISPARITIES AND FACTORS INVOLVED IN NON-USE OF MODERN CONTRACEPTIVES AMONG YOUNG AND NON-YOUNG MARRIED FEMALES IN INDIA: EVIDENCE FROM NFHS 2019-21

It has been observed that married women refrain from utilizing contraceptive methods owing to a variety of reasons, including postpartum-amenorrhea, side-effects-worries, rarely or never having sex, no contraception while breastfeeding, or frustration with a particular method. The current study sought to investigate the sociodemographic disparities and contributing factors related to married women who are young (15–24 years old) and non-young (25–49 years old) and who do not utilize contemporary contraceptive methods. The research utilized cross-sectional data obtained from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) to explore the determinants of contraceptive non-utilization among 175,652 married women in India. Multiple logistic regression analysis was utilized for the examination. The study found that non-young married females (25-49) had a higher prevalence of not using contemporary contraceptives (72%) compared to young married females (45.8%). The majority of non-users were from the central region (24.4%), followed by the east (17.4%), north-east (17.2%), north (15.9%), south (15.2%), and west region (9.9%). The majority of non-users were non-working and had male and female household heads. Most non-users knew about modern contraceptives but were unaware of family planning on radio and TV. Higher odds ratios in the non-use among married females were found significant among central-region females (OR=2.189, CI: 1.815-2.641), East-region (OR=1.324, CI: 1.148-1.527), South-region (OR=1.262, CI: 1.063-1.497), females who don’t know caste (OR=1.898, CI: 1.176-3.062), females having primary (OR=3.466, CI: 2.889-4.157) and secondary education (OR=2.281, CI: 1.890-2.753), females who used since last birth (OR=1.851, CI: 1.658-2.068) and never used (OR=1.632, CI: 1.474-1.806). The study found that economically disadvantaged females, household heads, and those with multiple children are less likely to avoid birth control methods, while marital status, religion, caste, education, and birth order did not have a significant impact on non-usage. The study highlights sociodemographic disparities in contraceptive use, emphasizing the need to address issues like low education, media exposure, and ignorance towards birth-control practices, and recommends immediate actions to reduce non-use among married females.