Effects of Family Planning Program Factors on Current and Future Contraceptive Use in Pakistan

Sajjad A. K. Niazi, Government of Punjab and GRIPS, Japan

This paper aims to determine the net association of Pakistan’s national family planning program factors (mass media exposure and visits by family planning workers) with current and future modern contraceptive use among currently married women. Data were drawn from the Pakistan Reproductive Health and Family Planning Survey (PRHFP, 2001) which surveyed 6,579 women. The results indicate that only one-fifth of the respondents were currently using modern contraceptives and almost the same proportion was intending to use any method in the near future. Multilevel logistic modeling results suggest that the odds of using modern contraceptives were significantly higher among those who were being visited by family planning workers. While none of mass media components could establish association with current and future contraceptive use. These findings are inconsistent with previous studies; however, there is a need for further careful investigation regarding the family planning program’s effects on contraceptive use behavior.