Awareness and Acceptance of Contraceptive Methods Among Women of Reproductive Age Attending Gynae Out-Patient Clinic at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Western Uttar Pradesh, India

Background: India is the second most populous country in the world. Appropriate knowledge and usage of contraception are important. Objective: This cross-sectional observational study was done to assess the awareness and usage of different methods of contraception among women of reproductive age group. Materials and Methods: Six hundred women between the ages 18-45 years, attending Gynae OPD at SIMS, Hapur were interviewed with the help of a predesigned questionnaire from May 2019 to January 2020. Women having medical disorders were excluded. Results: Among 600 women, 52.5% were between 21 to 30 years of age. 81.2% had parity equal to or more than two. 86% of women were of rural origin and 66.5% belonged to the Muslim community. 85.3% of women were aware of barrier contraception, 81% were aware of natural methods, 47.7% knew about IUCD, and 57.5% were aware of OCP’s. 78.2% were aware of permanent methods of family planning. 96.3% of women were aware of at least one method of contraception. Only 37.4% of women were using contraception. There was a statistical difference among the rural and urban populations for awareness and usage of contraception. Conclusion: Despite awareness of contraception, in our study population, the acceptance of contraception was low in comparison to other studies. Fear of side effects is the most common reason for less usage.