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Decreasing fertility trend in Sikkim: An area of concern

AIMS: Factors determining low fertility in Sikkim, India. PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: The primary objective was to determine the factors for the low fertility in Sikkim. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: The secondary objective was to find out the prevalence of contraceptive use and its types in Sikkim. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Study Setting: The study was conducted in the State of Sikkim. Study Period: The study period was 1 year (from February 2020 to January 2021). Study Population: The study population was female counterpart of the eligible couple. An eligible couple refers to a currently couple wherein the wife is in the reproductive age, which is between 15 and 49 years. Inclusion Criteria: Inclusion criteria were female counterparts of the eligible couple who consent to participate in the study. Exclusion Criteria: Exclusion criteria were male counterparts of the eligible couple. Study Tool: Structured pre-tested questionnaire was used to take the interview of the participants. Statistical Analysis Used: SPSS version 25 was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: It was seen that having two or more children was higher for mothers who had married below 30 years than after 30 years with 14.9% and 6.9%, respectively (P = 0.03) and maximum mothers belonged to 30–34 years age group. The perception of the family size of the mother was that three-fourth (76.1%) responded to having two children, whereas 10.7% perceived one child to be sufficient and 13.2% mentioned having three or more. The overall contraceptive prevalence rate was found to be 73.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Causes for low fertility rate are multifactorial; some important ones are the perception and practice of concise and small family size and high contraceptive prevalence rate.