Abstract

PIP: The 1992-93 National Family Health Survey sampled almost 90,000 women in India to find that 41% of currently married Indian women aged 13-49 use some form of contraception, ranging from 13% of women in Nagaland to 63% in Kerala. Uttar Pradesh is the country's most populous state, with a 1991 population of 139 million. With only 20% of reproductive-age women in Uttar Pradesh using contraception, the level of fertility in the state is higher than that of any other state in India. According to the survey, the rate of total fertility (TFR) in Uttar Pradesh is 4.8 children per woman, higher than the national TFR of 3.4, while the rate of infant mortality is 100 infant deaths per 1000 births. Total population size in Uttar Pradesh grew by 25% over the period 1981-91. 60% of currently married women who have a need for family planning are not having their need met. The level of unmet need is greatest among women who live in rural areas, are illiterate, are Muslim, belong to scheduled tribes, and are either of high or low parity. The government has launched an Innovations in Family Planning Services Project designed to increase contraceptive use in the state. The authors recommend that the family welfare program place greater emphasis upon birth spacing methods such as the condom and pill, while also ensuring that women are aware of their ability to opt for female sexual sterilization.