The Relative Risk Associated with Initiation of Contraceptive Use in India

The paper attempts to examine the timing of initiation of contraceptive use and relative risk after recent childbirth among currently married women by sociology-economic and demographic characteristics. We tested the hypothesis-whether women who do not want any additional child initiate early use of contraceptive method. Cox-regression model has been used to analyze the first time available calendar data in NFHS-3(2005-06). Interestingly, for illiterate women the acceptance of family planning at 3+ living children as first use has gone up from 38 to 43 percent during 1992 to 2006 (NFHS-1 to NFHS-3). Prevalence of limiting method users is increasing over the period and most of the women have gone for sterilization in same month of last birth (i.e. around 35 percent) in India. The multivariate analysis suggests that antenatal care visits and place of delivery (institution) affects the relative risk to initiate the use of contraceptive method after child birth.