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Contraceptive use and unmet need for family planning in Iran
Author(s) -
Motlaq Mohammad E.,
Eslami Mohammad,
Yazdanpanah Mahdieh,
Nakhaee Nouzar
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2012.11.024
Subject(s) - medicine , family planning , interview , family medicine , pregnancy , confidence interval , population , developing country , demography , gynecology , environmental health , research methodology , sociology , biology , political science , law , economics , genetics , economic growth
Objective To determine the prevalence of contraceptive use and unmet need for family planning in Iran and to explore the public‐health implications. Methods A nationwide cross‐sectional study was conducted by interviewing 2120 married women aged 15–49 years. The sample population was enrolled in 6 large Iranian cities (Tehran, Mashhad, Tabriz, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Ahvaz) and 2 small cities (Zahedan and Kerman) from September 22 to December 20, 2011. Results The overall contraceptive prevalence rate was 81.5% and the unmet need for any method of contraception was 2.6% (95% confidence interval, 2.0%–3.3%). Given the frequency of women who used traditional contraceptive methods (22.3%), the unmet need for modern methods was estimated as 17.4%. The main reasons given for unmet need for family planning were low perceived risk of pregnancy (41.8%) and family opposition (21.8%). Unwanted pregnancy was reported by 30.7% of the participants. Conclusion A high rate of unmet need for modern contraceptive methods might potentially lead to increased rates of unwanted pregnancies and induced abortions. Healthcare policymakers should, therefore, be warned against a sense of complacency that family planning in Iran does not need their support.