Factors inhibiting the use of reversible contraceptive methods in rural south India

In two rural districts in South India, the contraceptive prevalence rate for all modern family planning methods was 41 percent, and that for all reversible methods was only about 2 percent in 1990. Interviews with 35 health program professionals, 815 currently married women of reproductive age, 136 of their husbands, and 60 community leaders revealed that neither the demand for reversible methods nor the supply of services was strong in the study areas. Program managers and field-workers were not popularizing reversible methods, and therefore couples were unable to learn about their benefits. According to the authors, a strong commitment from program managers at all levels is needed to increase reversible-method use, and adequate services should be made available at clinics and in villages.