Spousal concordance in knowledge of contraceptive methods among married couples in rural Maharashtra, India

Document Type

Article (peer-reviewed)

Publication Date

2017

Abstract

Introduction: This study investigates spousal concordance in knowledge of contraceptive methods among married couples in rural Maharashtra, India. Methods: Current analyses used baseline data from N=1081 young married couples (aged 18–30 years) who participated in a family planning evaluation trial (CHARM) conducted in Maharashtra, India. Baseline surveys conducted separately with husbands and wives assessed demographics, contraceptive knowledge and use. Cohen's Kappas (K) were used to assess concordance in knowledge of contraceptive methods for husbands and wives; Kappa correlation coefficients were defined as Poor < 0.00, Slight 0.00–0.20, Fair 0.21–0.40, Moderate 0.41–0.60, Substantial 0.61–0.80, and Almost Perfect 0.81–1.00 for the total sample, and stratified by modern contraceptive users and non-users. Results: For males and females, respectively, the most commonly recognized contraceptives (reported by > 60%) were female sterilization (90% and 82%), pills (90% and 85%), and male condom (96% and 61%), with males having greater knowledge than females. Concordance in knowledge was slight for all contraceptive methods except male sterilization (kappa=.21) and IUD (kappa=.27). Concordance analyses stratified by contraceptive use found fair concordance in knowledge of male sterilization (kappa=.29), IUD (kappa=.28), and injectables (kappa=.21) among contraceptive users, but slight concordance in knowledge across all contraceptive methods for non-users. Conclusion: There is low concordance in contraceptive method knowledge among couples in this study, but concordance is stronger for contraceptive users suggesting that couples' shared contraceptive knowledge may support better use.

DOI

10.1097/01.AOG.0000514252.18251.86

Language

English

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