Determinants of Family Planning Methods among Eligible Couples in Rural Area of Ludhiana, Punjab

Introduction: National Programme for Family Planning started in India for the first time in 1952 and India was the first country in the world to have come up with any such programme. But still, the problem persists in some parts of India, especially the rural parts. India poses a great challenge with over half of its population in the reproductive age group with many who reside in rural parts (68.84 % of India’s population is residing in villages). Method: This is a population-based, cross-sectional study undertaken in the rural area of Ludhiana, Punjab where all eligible couples were included in this study after taking their verbal consent. Results: Contraceptive use significantly differed among couples who only had female child/ children and those who at least had one male child. The study found that tubectomy is the main method of contraception. It was found that the age of females at the time of marriage was significantly lower in Scheduled Caste (SC) and Backward Class (BC) families as compared to Non-scheduled Caste (NSC) ones. Conclusion: The study found that the age of females, parity, and number of female children determined the family planning practices.