Prevalence Rate for Modern Methods Unchanged at 36 Percent

Results from 2006 Family Planning Survey

 

Thirty-six for every 100 married women were using modern family planning (FP) method in 2006, according to 2006 Family Planning Survey. The contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) or the proportion of women using any FP method was 50.6 percent in 2006 compared to 49.3 percent in 2005. However, this observed difference is not statistically significant.

The pill remains the most preferred method of contraception at 16.6 percent of married women in 2006, followed by ligation or female sterilization (10.4percent), withdrawal (7.3 percent), calendar method (7.0 percent) and IUD (4.1percent). Modern natural family planning methods which include Mucus/billing/Ovulation, Lactation Amenorrhea Method and Standard Days Method were used by 0.3 percent of married women.

The practice of family planning depends on the woman’s age, education and socio-economic standing. Contraceptive use was highest among married women at ages 35 to 39 years (58.2 percent) and was lowest at ages 15 to 19 years (23.3 percent). Married women with some elementary education were less likely to practice FP than women with higher level of education; meanwhile those with no education were least likely to practice it. Use of FP method among women belonging to non-poor households was also higher than among those belonging to poor households (52.4 percent versus 47.3 percent).

The 2006 FPS also revealed a significant shift in sources of pills and condoms from the public sector to private sector. The private sector provided most recent supply of pills to 56.6 percent of users of this method in 2006 compared to 46.5 percent in 2005. The private sector was also the most recent source of condom for 82.7 percent of women in 2006 compared to 73.7 percent in 2005.

The 2006 FPS is the tenth in a series of family planning surveys conducted nationwide by the NSO since 1995, with about 46,000 women interviewed. Funding assistance was provided by the USAID, AusAID, the Lucille Packard Foundation and UNICEF.