Publication: Unmet Need for Contraception
Date
2010-03
ISSN
Published
2010-03
Author(s)
Mills, Samuel
Bos, Ed
Suzuki, Emi
Abstract
The concept of 'unmet need for
contraception', which refers to the proportion of women
who do not want to become pregnant but are not using
contraception, has been used in the international population
field since the 1960s. The concept was developed from the
first family planning and fertility surveys conducted in
developing countries, which found a disconnect between
women's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) about
contraception. Unmet need for contraception is one of
several frequently used indicators for monitoring of family
planning programs, and was recently added to the millennium
development goal of improving maternal health. Some other
indicators that are used in combination with unmet need are
the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR), the method mix,
sources of contraceptive supplies, and reasons for not using
contraception. In this note, authors deal mainly with the
unmet need indicator, but believe that other indicators
should also be part of monitoring and evaluation of family
planning programs to broaden the understanding of the use of
family planning in countries.
Citation
“Mills, Samuel; Bos, Ed; Suzuki, Emi. 2010. Unmet Need for Contraception. At a glance. © Washington, DC: World Bank. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/397dbe9c-f7da-5db8-9d2e-73c52c095816 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”