Background & aim: Despite population policy of Bangladesh promoting a two-child norm, many families have more than two children. The government provides free domiciliary contraceptive services and counseling to address myths about birth control. Therefore, this study aimed to identify socio-demographic factors influencing the pattern of using contraceptive among multiparous women in Bangladesh.
Methods: This cross-sectional study used data (n=10004) extracted from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2017-18. Ever-married women with two or more children were selected using stratified, multistage cluster sampling design. Data was collected through interviews using the structured BDHS Women’s Questionnaire. Chi-square tests were used for bivariate analysis, followed by binary logistic regression to identify factors influencing contraceptive decisions. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 25.
Results: This study determined socio-demographic factors including son preference, limited decision-making power, and insufficient knowledge about the ovulatory cycle influencing contraceptive use among Bangladeshi women with two or more children. Findings also showed that higher education of husbands reduced contraceptive use (p < 0.0001), while women's education had no significant impact (P=0.246). Contraceptive use by women were found to be increased with their age and the women from Chittagong, Dhaka and Sylhet divisions showed a greater likelihood to use contraceptives than the others.
Conclusion: In this study, the contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) was higher among women with two or more children, with multiple sociodemographic factors influencing their contraceptive decisions. Addressing multiparous women, this study proposes a special intervention to increase contraceptive use in Bangladesh.