FACTORS INHIBITING THE USE OF REVERSIBLE CONTRACEPTIVE METHODS IN RURAL SOUTH-INDIA

In two rural districts in South India, the contraceptive prevalence ra te for all modern family planning methods was 41 percent, and that for all reversible methods was only about 2 percent in 1990. Interviews w ith 35 health program professionals, 815 currently married women of re productive age, 136 of their husbands, and 60 community leaders reveal ed that neither the demand for reversible methods nor the supply of se rvices was strong in the study areas. Program managers and field-worke rs were not popularizing reversible methods, and therefore couples wer e unable to learn about their benefits. According to the authors, a st rong commitment from program managers at all levels is needed to incre ase reversible-method use, and adequate services should be made availa ble at clinics and in villages.