Contraceptive behaviour in North India

The article by Choudhary et al. is a real eye opener [1]. It reemphasizes the fact that even at national capital and its surroundings, the practice of family planning method is far from satisfactory, particularly when we are chasing the target of bringing down net reproductive rate to one. The article found literacy as a factor responsible for reproductive behaviour. As depicted earlier by Prusti, availability and policy taken by local health service providers also play pivotal role for the same outcome [2]. While interpreting the finding, caution must be taken in this regard. Number of living children and socio-economic status (SES) also play role in determining contraceptive uptake [2,3]. A comparison between respondents belonging to low SES and others (all classes merging together) would have given extra edge to the study. Pattern of gender preference is another issue deserves mention. Preference for son is undoubtedly a vital factor in determining contraceptive practice in this part of the country [2].