Contraceptive Method Information and Method Switching in India

The stagnation in the unmet need for family planning and rise in contraceptive discontinuation rates are major concerns among researchers and policymakers in India. This study attempts to investigate the association between method information received by the users at the time of initiation and the switching of contraceptive methods in India. Using the fourth round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) data (2015–2016), a multinomial logistic regression model has been applied to assess the net effects of method information received by the users on switching of contraceptive methods. The reuse of contraceptive methods is higher among those who were not provided any method information. The reuse is also higher among those who were informed only about the side effects. Overall, the users who received comprehensive method information are more likely to switch. Particularly, the users who were informed about how to manage side effects either alone or along with other method information have a higher likelihood of switching especially to long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC). The findings call for program intervention to provide comprehensive method information to the users because it gives them the freedom to switch to more suitable methods. Thus, it would help in achieving the sustainable development goal (3.7) of informed choice of contraceptive methods.