Female Sterlization Most Common Contraceptive, Few Men Using Condoms: NHFS Survey

Less than one in 10 men use condoms in India, with more than four women out of 10 opting to undergo sterilization to avoid pregnancy, reveal the findings of the latest National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-2021).

India reported a dip in its total fertility rate in 2019-21 versus 2015-16 due to the increased use of contraceptives.

The data shows that female sterilization continues to be on the rise including in urban India, indicating the rising burden of family planning on women.

Only 9.5 per cent of men used condoms but 37.9 per cent of women underwent sterilization, according to the NFHS.

AFP

However, condom use in urban India is better than in rural parts, the overall trend is vastly similar ¡ª 7.6 per cent men in rural India and 13.6 per cent men in urban India use condoms, while 38.7 per cent women in rural India and 36.3 per cent in urban India underwent sterilization.

While 30 of 36 states/UTs have shown an increase in contraception use, experts point out that improvement in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar¡¯s numbers have been particularly encouraging, given their large populations

In Bihar, Modern Contraceptive Prevalence Rate has almost doubled: from 23.3 per cent in NFHS-4 to 44.4 per cent in NFHS-5.

AFP

The State with the highest condom use was Uttarakhand (25.6 per cent) and the Union Territory Chandigarh (31.1 per cent). The silver lining, however, is that use of condoms has gone up between the two surveys ¡ª from 5.6 per cent to 9.5 per cent.

The NHFS data shows that the low acceptance rate of condoms is not due to a lack of awareness. Eighty-two per cent men were aware that consistent use of condoms can reduce the chance of getting HIV/AIDS.

Studies, however, show that the promotion of condoms for protection from HIV/AIDS creates confusion in their acceptance among married couples.

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