Knowledge, attitude and practices of contraception in urban population of North India

Despite the provision of safe and affordable family planning services, 120 million couples worldwide are not using any contraception to limit or space their family, and many who use one or the other method, conceive. According to the National Population Policy (NPP) 2000, various methods of contraception and fertility regulation shall be made accessible to all, so that India's population in 2010 will be 1,107 million instead of 1,162 million.

A hospital-based cross-sectional survey conducted in 2006. In-person interviews carried out with attendees of Gynaecology and Obstetrics outpatient clinics, and indoor patients of three hospitals of urban population to collect data regarding knowledge, attitude and practices of family planning methods.

A total of 55.2% subjects were aware of contraceptive methods, mostly barrier (52.7%), IUCD (46.1%) and oral pills (43.2%), but only 31.7% had ever used barrier contraception, IUCD 10.3% and oral pills 3.3%. Permanent methods were known to nearly 50% subjects but acceptance was very less, 5% only. Emergency contraception was known to 13.8% subjects.

Majority of women have favorable attitude towards family planning, but use of long-acting new methods is still low in our population, which needs to be promoted.