Factors associated with fertility limiting intention and contraceptive use among currently married men in India

© Invalid date by the Authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )

Download PDF

Cite

XML

Abstract

Family planning methods are generally considered as women’s responsibility in India. The volumes of research done so far in the family planning methods and reproductive behaviors have kept women at the center of the matter. Consequently, the research on the men’s perspective on the same is generally being neglected. The present study intends to address intention of fertility stopping or fertility limiting and contraception behaviors and their associated factors among currently married men aged 20-49 years in India who had at least one living child. The fourth round of the National Family Health Survey in 2015-2016 was used to achieve the study objectives. Descriptive statistics and binary and multinomial logistic regression models were applied to more than 48,000 men who met the requirement. The findings of the analysis indicate that more than three-fourths currently married men did not want another child, and the fertility stopping intention significantly varies by demographics (i.e., men’s age, number of children, and sex composition of children), socio-economic characteristics, residence, geographic region, and religion of the respondents together with type of caste and social media exposure. The men’s fertility stopping intention was also linked with geographic region, types of religion and castes, and exposure of social media. Result further reveals that only <30% of men who did not want to have another child were using a contraceptive method at the time survey. Among users, female sterilization was the most popular method among married couples in India. Demographic factors, socio-economic characteristics, region and culture, and exposure of social media were all associated with use or not-using and use of a specific conceptive method. Overall, the findings suggest men’s fertility stopping intention and their use of contraception are complicated, and it needs to consider men as a target group in fertility regulation interventions. The reproductive health programs aiming to increase uptake of modern contraceptives by sexually active men in India should consider the importance of sex education and ensure access to mass media.

Keywords

Fertility limitation intention

Contraceptive use

Male involvement

Reproductive health

Family planning

India

References

[1]

Adanikin AI, McGrath N and Padmadas SS. (2017). Impact of Men’s Perception on Family Planning Demand and Uptake in Nigeria. Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, 14:55-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.srhc.2017.10.002.

[2]

Adelekan A, Omoregie P and Edoni E. (2014). Male Involvement in Family Planning: Challenges and Way Forward. International Journal of Population Research, 2014:416457. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/416457.

[3]

Arnold F, Choe MK and Roy TK. (1998). Son Preference, the Family-building Process and Child Mortality in India. Population Studies, 52(3):301-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/0032472031000150486.

[4]

Assaf S and Davis LM. (2018). Does Men’s Involvement Improve the Health Outcomes of Their Partners and Children? DHS Analytical Studies. No. 64. Rockville, Maryland, USA: ICF. Available from: https://www.dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/AS64/AS64.pdf. [Last accessed on 2021 Feb 10].

[5]

Aung MS, Soe PP and Moh MM. (2019). Predictors of Modern Contraceptive Use and Fertility Preferences among Men in Myanmar: Further Analysis of the 2015-16 Demographic and Health Survey. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, 6(10):4209-17.

[6]

Ayhan S, Gözükara F and Koruk I. (2017). Does Working in the Agricultural Sector Affect the Selection of a Family Planning Method? Health Care for Women International, 38(3):300-311. https://doi.org/10.1080/07399332.2017.1278603.

[7]

Banerjee A and Trigun V. (2020). Attitude of Men towards Contraceptive Use in India: A Case Study of the High Focus State of Bihar. In: Population Dynamics in Contemporary South Asia. Singapore: Springer. p3-22.

[8]

Bankole A and Singh S. (1998). Couples’ Fertility and Contraceptive Decision-making in Developing Countries: Hearing the Man’s Voice. International Family Planning Perspective, 24(1):15-24.

[9]

Beekle AT and McCabe C. (2006). Awareness and Determinants of Family Planning Practice in Jimma, Ethiopia. International Nursing Review, 53(4):269-76. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-7657.2006.00492.x.

[10]

Bhagat RB and Praharaj P. (2005). Hindu-Muslim fertility differentials. Economic and Political Weekly, 40(5):411-418.

[11]

Blacker J, Opiyo C and Jasseh M, et al. (2005). Fertility in Kenya and Uganda: A Comparative Study of Trends and Determinants. Population Studies, 59(3):355-373. https://doi.org/10.1080/00324720500281672.

[12]

Blossfeld HP and Kiernan K. (1995). The New Role of Women: Family Formation in Modern Societies. 1st ed. Milton Park, Abingdon-on-Thames: Routledge.

[13]

Bogale B, Wondafrash M and Tilahun T, et al. (2011). Married Women’s Decision Making Power on Modern Contraceptive Use in Urban and Rural Southern Ethiopia. BMC Public Health, 11(1):1-7. http://10.140.5.162//handle/123456789/2500.

[14]

Bongaarts J, Mauldin WP and Phillips, JF. (1990). The Demographic Impact of Family Planning Programs. Studies in Family Planning, 21(6):299-310. https://doi.org/10.2307/1966918.

[15]

Bruhin E. (2003). Power, Communication and Condom Use: Patterns of HIV-Relevant Sexual Risk Management in Heterosexual Relationships. AIDS Care, 15(3):389-401. https://doi.org/10.1080/0954012031000105441.

[16]

Char A. (2011). Male Involvement in Family Planning and Reproductive Health in Rural Central India. Tampere University Press. https://www.trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/66834/978-951-44-8658-6.pdf;jsessionid. [Last accessed on 2021 Feb 10].

[17]

Chauhan BG and Nagarajan R. (2019). Contraceptive Use and Unmet Need for Family Planning among Women with at Least One Child in Rural Uttar Pradesh: The Role of Wealth and gender composition of Children. Journal of Public Health, 27(5):637-648. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-018-0984-7.

[18]

Chauhan BG and Prasad JB. (2021). Contraception Use and Fertility Aspiration among Currently Married Young Men in India: Do Gender Attitudes Matter? Children and Youth Services Review, 2021:105920. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-018-0984-7.

[19]

Chauhan S, Sekher TV, Kumar P, et al. (2020). Prevalence, Determinants and Socio-economic Inequality of Early Marriage among Men in India. Children and Youth Services Review, 116:105273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105273

[20]

Cleland J, Bernstein S and Ezeh A, et al. (2006). Family Planning: The Unfinished Agenda. The Lancet, 368(9549):1810-27. https:// doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69480-4.

[21]

Cohen B. (2000). Family Planning Programs, Socioeconomic Characteristics, and Contraceptive use in Malawi. World Development, 28(5):843-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-750X(99)00159-X.

[22]

Dahal GP, Padmadas SS and Hinde PA. (2008). Fertility-limiting Behavior and Contraceptive Choice among Men in Nepal. International Family Planning Perspectives, 34(1):6-14.

[23]

De Oliveira IT, Dias JG and Padmadas SS. (2014). Dominance of Sterilization and Alternative Choices of Contraception in India: An Appraisal of the Socioeconomic Impact. PLoS One, 9(1):e86654. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0086654.

[24]

Dral AA, Tolani MR and Smet E, et al. (2018). Factors Influencing Male Involvement in Family Planning in Ntchisi District, Malawi a Qualitative Study. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 22(4):35-43.

[25]

Dwivedi LK, Ram F and Reshmi RS. (2007). An Approach to Understanding Change in Contraceptive Behaviour in India. Genus, 63(3-4):19-54.

[26]

Dynes M, Stephenson R and Rubardt M, et al. (2012). The Influence of Perceptions of Community Norms on Current Contraceptive Use among Men and Women in Ethiopia and Kenya. Health and Place, 18(4):766-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2012.04.006.

[27]

Eqtait FA and Abushaikha L. (2019). Male Involvement in Family Planning: An Integrative Review. Open Journal of Nursing, 9(3):294- 302. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojn.2019.93028.

[28]

Financial Management Report 2016-2017. (2017). Financial Management Report 2016-2017. New Delhi: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India; National Health Mission. Government of India. Available from: https://www.nhm.gov.in/ index4.php?lang=1&level=0&linkid=354&lid=441. [Last accessed on 2021 Feb 16].

[29]

Forste R. (2002). Where are all the Men? A Conceptual Analysis of the Role of Men in Family Formation. Journal of Family Issues, 23(5):579-600. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X02023005001.

[30]

Ghosh S. (2018). Hindu-Muslim Fertility Differentials in India: Indirect Estimation at the District Level from Census 2011. Indian Journal of Human Development, 12(1): 37-51. https://doi.org/10.1177/0973703018780155.

[31]

Government of India. (2017). Family Planning 2020 Commitment. New Delhi: Government of India. Available from: https://www. familyplanning2020.org/sites/default/files/Indias-Vision-FP2020-structure_country-commitment_FINAL_2017.pdf. [Last accessed on 2021 Feb 02].

[32]

Greene ME and Biddlecom AE. (2000). Absent and Problematic Men: Demographic Accounts of Male Reproductive Roles. Population and Development Review, 26(1):81-115. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2000.00081.x.

[33]

Greene ME, Mehta M and Pulerwitz J, et al. (2006). Involving Men in Reproductive Health: Contributions to Development. In: Background Paper Prepared for the UN Millennium Project to Contribute to the Report Public Choices, Private Decisions: Sexual and Reproductive Health. Available from: https://www.menandboys.ids.ac.uk/files/involving-men-reproductive-health-contributions-development. [Last accessed on 2021 Feb 10].

[34]

Guttmacher A. (2003). In their Own Right: Addressing the Sexual and Reproductive Health needs of Men Worldwide. New York: The Alan Guttmacher Institute. Available from: http://www.catalogue.safaids.net/publications/their-own-right-addressing-sexual-and-reproductive-health-needs-men-worldwide. [Last accessed on 2021 Feb 10].

[35]

Ha BT, Jayasuriya R and Owen N. (2003). Male Involvement in Family Planning in Rural Vietnam: An Application of the Transtheoretical Model. Health Education Research, 18(2):171-180. https://doi.org/10.3390/medsci5040031.

[36]

Haq I, Sakib S and Talukder A. (2017). Sociodemographic Factors on Contraceptive Use among Ever-married Women of Reproductive Age: Evidence from Three Demographic and Health Surveys in Bangladesh. Medical Sciences, 5(4):31.

[37]

Hardee K, Croce-Galis M and Gay J. (2017). Are Men Well Served by Family Planning Programs? Reproductive Health, 14(1):1-12.

[38]

IIPS and IFC. (2017). India National Family Health Survey NFHS-4 2015-16. Mumbai: IIPS and ICF.

[39]

Iyer S. (2002). Religion and the Decision to Use Contraception in India. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 41(4):711-722. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5906.00156.

[40]

Jayaraman A, Mishra V and Arnold F. (2009). The Relationship of Family Size and Composition to Fertility Desires, Contraceptive Adoption and Method Choice in South Asia. International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 35(1):29-38.

[41]

Kabagenyi A, Ndugga P and Wandera, SO, et al. (2014). Modern Contraceptive Use among Sexually Active Men in Uganda: Does Discussion with a Health Worker Matter? BMC Public Health, 14(1):1-8. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-286.

[42]

Kamal MM, Islam MS and Alam MS, et al. (2013). Determinants of Male Involvement in Family Planning and Reproductive Health in Bangladesh. American Journal of Human Ecology, 2(2):83-93. https://doi.org/10.11634/216796221504332.

[43]

Kamal N. (2000). The Influence of Husbands on Contraceptive Use by Bangladeshi Women. Health Policy and Planning, 15(1):43-51. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/15.1.43.

[44]

Kantorová V, Wheldon MC and Ueffing P, et al. (2020). Estimating Progress Towards Meeting Women’s Contraceptive Needs in 185 Countries: A Bayesian Hierarchical Modelling Study. PLoS Medicine, 17(2):e1003026. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pmed.1003026.

[45]

Kock L and Prost A. (2017). Family Planning and the Samburu: A Qualitative Study Exploring the thoughts of Men on a Population Health and Environment Programme in Rural Kenya. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(5):528. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14050528.

[46]

Koffi TB, Weidert K, Bitasse, et al. (2018). Engaging Men in Family Planning: Perspectives from Married Men in Lomé, Togo. Global Health: Science and Practice, 6(2):317-329. https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-17-00471.

[47]

Kogay V and Itua I. (2017). Prevalence and Socio-economic Factors Determining Use of Modern Contraception among Married Men in Kyrgyzstan: Evidence from a Demographic and Health Survey. Public Health, 142:56-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. puhe.2016.10.008.

[48]

Kriel Y, Milford C and Cordero J, et al. (2019). Male Partner Influence on Family Planning and Contraceptive Use: Perspectives from Community Members and Healthcare Providers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Reproductive Health, 16(1):1-15. https://doi. org/10.1186/s12978-019-0749-y.

[49]

Link CF. (2011). Spousal Communication and Contraceptive Use in Rural Nepal: An Event History Analysis. Studies in Family Planning, 42(2):83-92. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4465.2011.00268.x.

[50]

Loaiza E, Luchsinger G and Liang M. (2016). Universal Access to Reproductive Health: Progress and Challenges. New York: United Nations Population Fund. p1-100. Available from: https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/UNFPA_Reproductive_ Paper_20160120_online.pdf. [Last accessed on 2021 Feb 10].

[51]

Mason KO and Smith HL. (2000). Husbands’ Versus Wives’ Fertility Goals and Use of Contraception: The Influence of Gender Context in Five Asian Countries. Demography, 37(3):299-311. https://doi.org/10.2307/2648043.

[52]

Matovu JK, Makumbi F and Wanyenze RK, et al. (2017). Determinants of Fertility Desire among Married or Cohabiting Individuals in Rakai, Uganda: A Cross-sectional Study. Reproductive Health, 14(1):1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-016-0272-3.

[53]

McNay K, Arokiasamy P and Cassen R. (2003). Why are Uneducated Women in India Using Contraception? A Multilevel Analysis. Population Studies, 57(1):21-40. https://doi.org/10.1080/0032472032000061703.

[54]

Mishra A, Nanda P and Speizer IS, et al. (2014). Men’s Attitudes on Gender Equality and their Contraceptive Use in Uttar Pradesh India. Reproductive Health, 11(1):1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/1742-4755-11-41.

[55]

Muttreja P and Singh S. (2018). Family Planning in India: The Way Forward. The Indian Journal of Medical Research, 148(Suppl 1):S1.

[56]

Ní Bhrolcháin M and Beaujouan É. (2012). Fertility Postponement is Largely Due to Rising Educational Enrolment. Population Studies, 66(3):311-327.

[57]

Niraula BB and Lawoti D. (1998). Women’s Autonomy and Reproductive Behavior in Two Urban Areas of Nepal. Contributions to Nepalese Studies, Special Issue on Fertility Transition in Nepal. Vol. 25. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Academic Press, p157-172.

[58]

Nte AR, Odu N and Enyindah CE. (2009). Male Involvement in Family Planning: Women’s Perception. Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice, 12(3):306-10.

[59]

Ochako R, Temmerman M and Mbondo M, et al. (2017). Determinants of Modern Contraceptive Use among Sexually Active Men in Kenya. Reproductive Health, 14(1):1-15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-017-0316-3.

[60]

Okigbo CC, Speizer IS and Corroon M, et al. (2015). Exposure to Family Planning Messages and Modern Contraceptive Use among Men in Urban Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal: A Cross-sectional Study. Reproductive Health, 12(1):1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/ s12978-015-0056-1.

[61]

Padmadas SS, Hutter I and Willekens F. (2004). Compression of Women’s Reproductive Spans in Andhra Pradesh, India. International Family Planning Perspectives, 30(1):12-19.

[62]

Paudel YR and Acharya K. (2018). Fertility Limiting Intention and Contraceptive Use among Currently Married Men in Nepal: Evidence from Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2016. Biomed Research International, 2018:5970705. https://doi. org/10.1155/2018/5970705.

[63]

Pulerwitz J, Amaro H and Jong WD, et al. (2002). Relationship Power, Condom use and HIV Risk among Women in the USA. AIDS Care, 14(6):789-800. https://doi.org/10.1080/0954012021000031868.

[64]

Rajna PN, Kulkarni PM and Thenmozhi N. (2005). Fertility in Tamil Nadu: Level and Recent Trends. In: Fertility Transition in South India. New Delhi: Sage Publications, p191-223.

[65]

Raju S and Ann L. (2000). Men as Supportive Partners in Reproductive Health: Moving from Rhetoric to Reality. Population Council, South and East Asia Regional Office. Available from: http://www.citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/ download;jsessionid=5A35743DDB11A27AE4B39B57CDA43CFC?doi=10.1.1.175.7853&rep=rep1&type=pdf. [Last accessed on 2021 Feb 10].

[66]

Ratcliffe AA, Hill AG and Dibba M, et al. (2001). The Ignored Role of Men in Fertility Awareness and Regulation in Africa/Le Rôle Ignoré des Hommes dans la Sensibilisation à la Fécondité et le Règlement en Afrique. African Journal of Reproductive Health/ La Revue Africaine de la Santé Reproductive, 5(1):13-19.

[67]

Roy TK, Ram F and Nangia P, et al. (2003). Can Women’s Childbearing and Contraceptive Intentions Predict Contraceptive Demand? Findings from a Longitudinal Study in Central India. International Family Planning Perspectives, 29(1):25-31.

[68]

Shattuck D, Kerner B and Gilles K, et al. (2011). Encouraging Contraceptive Uptake by Motivating Men to Communicate about Family Planning: The Malawi Male Motivator Project. American Journal of Public Health, 101(6):1089-95.

[69]

Singh A, Pallikadavath S and Ram F, et al. (2012). Inequalities in Advice Provided by Public Health Workers to Women during Antenatal Sessions in Rural India. PLoS One, 7(9):e44931. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0044931.

[70]

Terefe A and Larson CP. (1993). Modern Contraception use in Ethiopia: Does Involving Husbands Make a Difference? American Journal of Public Health, 83(11):1567-1571.

[71]

Tuloro T, Deressa W and Ali A, et al. (2006). The Role of Men in Contraceptive Use and Fertility Preference in Hossana Town, Southern Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Health Development, 20(3):46826.

[72]

United Nations. (2019). Contraceptive Use by Method 2019: Data Booklet (ST/ESA/SER. A/435). Available from: https:// www.un.org/development/desa/pd/sites/www.un.org.development.desa.pd/files/files/documents/2020/Jan/un_2019_ contraceptiveusebymethod_databooklet.pdf. [Last accessed on 2021 Feb 02].

[73]

Van de Kaa DJ. (2001). Postmodern Fertility Preferences: From Changing Value Orientation to New Behaviour. In: Bulatao RA, Casterline JB, editors. Global Fertility Transition, Population and Development Review. Vol. 27.New York: The Population Council, p290-332.

[74]

Withers M, Dworkin SL and Zakaras JM, et al. (2015). Women Now Wear Trousers: Men’s Perceptions of Family Planning in the Context of Changing Gender Relations in Western Kenya. Culture, Health and Sexuality, 17(9):1132-1146. https://doi.org/10.10 80/13691058.2015.1043144.

Previous article in this issue

Next article in this issue

International Journal of Population Studies, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8606 Print ISSN: 2424-8150, Published by AccScience Publishing