Contraceptive Choice Among Married Women In Guizhou Province: Sociocultural And Relationship Factors

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Date
2008-08
Authors
WEIQUN, LU
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Abstract
This study analysed the stark difference of family planning practices and trends in Guizhou Province compared to the other provinces in China despite one common family planning policy for the whole of China by focusing on contraceptive choices among married women in the province. Its main objective was to determine factors influencing contraceptive choices and also factors affecting contraceptive acceptance and condom use. Lsing a multistage sampling technique. women were chosen from family planning stations located in an urban, a rural and a rural minority area. Three hundred women, 15-49 years. were sampled using stratified cluster random sampling. The main research instrument was questionnaires. To strengthen the research, indepth interviews were also conducted among a small number of couples and health workers. The findings indicate that: most urban and Han rural women were more likely to accept contracepti\e methods compared to minority rural women. Factors that influenced contracepti\e choices include number of living children and knowledge and awareness about contraceptives. Quantitative analyses alsb showed that husbands of- women who were mainly pressured by their husbands when choosing contraceptive methods were more likely to use condoms. "Husband's monthly income" had a strong positive association with "condom choice". Analysis also revealed that lack of effective male contraceptive methods on the market was one of the crucial reasons why "vomen were the main contraceptive users; low rate of condom use was attributed to husbands' perception that condom was inconvenient; people's degree of satisfaction with the quality of services was much higher in the urban and Han rural areas than in the minority rural area; the promotion of knowledge about contraceptives and education level of subjects were insufficient; more rural women and especially rural minority women would prefer to have a son than urban women. Constraints in contraceptive usage included little or no communication about sexual relationship between husband and wife; limited contraceptive methods; inadequate training among health workers; and administrative problems preventing health workers from providing consultation to their clients. The results imply a need for more focus on high quality family planning services~- More attention should be paid to rural and minority areas with more promotion of contraceptive knowledge, training and capacity building of health workers. In addition, the government should invest in inventing more effective and low sideeffect male contraceptives. Husbands should be educated to be responsible partners in contraceptive use and women' S level of education and their awareness of their rights should be enhanced.
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Contraceptive Choice Among Married Women In Guizhou Province , Sociocultural And Relationship Factors
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