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The unmet need for contraception among adolescents in Bangladesh: Implications for Family Planning programmes

Data from the 1999-2000 Bangladesh Demographic & Health Survey show that of the married female adolescents exposed to the risk of pregnancy and not using any family planning method, more than one-fourth had an unmet need for contraception. The demand for contraception at a young age, if catered to, can not only significantly reduce fertility and diminish the reproductive health burdens of mothers over their life span, it can also contribute to child health. Husband's approval, and desire for a large family were among the factors found to impede contraceptive use. Appropriate IEC strategies are needed to promote the value of the small family and dispel the religious misinterpretation of birth control, so as to enhance the adolescent's negotiating strength for asserting her reproductive rights. There is a need also to take cognisance of the considerable demand for spacing, which is believed to be neglected by the family planning programme. Another salient issue is that of the limited mobility of women outside the home which, in a traditional country like Bangladesh, makes it difficult for them to get planning information on their own initiative. Hence the need for a policy reorientation in favour of home-based services