Background: Muslims are the second largest minority group in India. Research has shown that Muslim population have higher fertility rate which favor larger family size. Various sociodemographic factors play important role in choosing any kind of family planning method.
Objectives: To study the knowledge and beliefs of Muslim women in North India regarding family planning and to examine their contraceptive practices.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done by multistage and snowball technique among Muslim women aged 15-49 years living in Delhi.
Results: A majority of women (87%) had knowledge about family planning, but only 47% of the ever-married women are currently using any kind of family planning method. Age of marriage, education level, socioeconomic status, parity, and sex of the first child are significantly associated with the current use of family planning methods. Most of the women are not using family planning methods because of religious constraints (34.5%) followed by lack of knowledge (27.7%) and fear of side effects (19.2%).
Conclusion: Muslim women despite having adequate knowledge about family planning methods tend to avoid using it. Higher age of marriage, improved education level and better standard of living will help the Muslim women to have sound reproductive health.
Key words: Muslim women; Family planning; North India; Education; Socioeconomic status
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