Contraceptive Use Before First Birth in North-East India: Trends and Socio-Demographic Inequalities Based on NFHS Data

Background: Taking part in human reproduction immediately after marriage will not be a good choice for those young couples from the point of view of population growth as well as the health of the mother and the newborn. As such, postponement of the first birth will benefit both the newborn's and the mother's health. The use of contraceptives before the first birth is a reasonable choice for delaying it. The objective of this paper is to analyse the trends in contraceptive use before first birth and to explore and identify potential socio-demographic covariates that significantly influence this trend in North-East India. Methods: We analyse the trends of contraceptive use before first birth using data from the three latest National Family Health Surveys. We also investigate socio-demographic factors associated with contraceptive use before first birth using data from the latest round of NFHS-5. The method of multivariate logistic regression is applied to estimate the likelihood of contraceptive use before first birth among different socio-demographic groups. Results: There is an increase in the percentage of women who use contraceptives before first birth from NFHS-3 to NFHS-4. However, there is a slight percentage decrease from NFHS-4 to NFHS-5. Place of residence, religion, family wealth, current age, and media exposure are some of the important covariates that significantly affect contraceptive use before first birth.