‘Contraceptive use in country lowest in Asia
The use of contraceptives in India is still the lowest in Asia, with the male condom being favoured as the most common form of contraception, an annual multi-national survey has revealed.
The survey, which has been released to mark World Contraception Day (WCD) 2012, explores young people’s attitudes to sex and contraception. The initiative has been supported by the India Family Planning Association of India (FPAI) and Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India.
The survey revealed that in 2012, contraceptive usage rate was still low —23 per cent of the respondents did not use any contraception, when they had first sexual intercourse. In addition to this, 51 per cent of the respondents currently use the male condom as a form of contraception, while 23 per cent use no form of contraception at all. The most preferred contraceptive method for long-term family planning was the male condom.
Vishwanath Kolidwad, general secretary, FPAI, said, “What we currently need in the country is awareness about contraception…we need to expand the range of contraception available, for people to choose from. We have been pursuing methods like indictable and implants with the government, so that they are made available in India.”
According to the survey, only 52 per cent of the respondents in India think that both partners are responsible for ontraception. Further, 20 per cent of the male respondents felt that neither party was responsible for contraception. “Times have changed…but, the perception towards contraception has not,” Mr Koliwad said.
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