Association between tribal status and spacing contraceptive use in rural Maharashtra, India

Abstract

<p class="first" id="P3">This study examines associations between tribal status and spacing contraception use (SCU) in rural Maharashtra, India. Cross-sectional analyses were conducted on baseline survey data from non-sterilized married couples (n=867) participating in the CHARM family planning evaluation study. Participants were aged 18-30 years and 67.6% tribal; 27.7% reported current SCU. Crude regression analyses indicated tribals were less likely to use contraception (AOR=0.04, 95% CI=0.29, 0.54); the association was lost after adjusting for education, higher parity and desire for pregnancy, factors associated with tribal status. Findings suggest that lower SCU among tribals is driven by social vulnerabilities and higher fertility preferences. </p>