Panel Data Model Selection and Significant Determinants of New Family Planning Participants in West Sumatra

Population issues in Indonesia are not limited to poverty, urbanization, population explosion, or high birth rates, but also include how small families can improve and maintain their quality of life. The main objective of the Family Planning program is to create happy and prosperous families with an ideal number of children. In the West Sumatra Provincial Health Office report (2023), the focus on increasing the number of new family planning acceptors is urgent in supporting the success of maternal, child, and family planning health programs, in line with the direction of the 2020–2024 RPJMN policy. Therefore, this study will develop the best panel data model and identify the factors that significantly influence the number of new family planning participants in West Sumatra Province. The secondary data used were obtained from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) publication titled “West Sumatra Province in Figures” from 2021 to 2024. The observation units in this study were 19 districts/cities in West Sumatra Province with a time series from 2020 to 2023. This study used panel data regression statistical methods. The results show that the best model selected is the random effect model, with the number of couples of reproductive age proven to have a significant effect on the number of new family planning participants. The R-square value of 53.11% indicates that this model can explain approximately half of the variation in the dependent variable, while the remainder is influenced by other factors not included in the model.