Knowledge and Practice of Small Family Norm among Married Women in an Urban Area of Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Introduction: India is the second most populous country in the world having a rapidly growing population. To strike a balance between population growth and resource usage, strategies like family planning came into force. People may have different levels of awareness and acceptance of methods of family planning. Research must identify best practices in the program implementation and the awareness levels among the population to propagate it further. Aim: To study the knowledge and practice of adopting small family norms among married women in the urban field practice area of a Medical College (Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, Bharath University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in the urban field practice area attached to a medical college in Kancheepuram district. Using simple random sampling method, 300 married women of reproductive age was identified. The data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire containing five questions for assessing the knowledge and nine on practice. Data were analysed using SPSS software version 17.0. Results: It was observed that, of 300 married women, almost 78% of the women uses contraceptive. Nearly 72% of the mothers said they were aware about the idea of small family norm and about 70% of them informed that they know how small family norm is practiced. Nearly 68% of the mothers said small family norm means a family with 2 or less children. Conclusion: Awareness about small family norm should be enhanced through various strategies under the family welfare programs. More people should be encouraged to embrace family welfare measures in order to control the population.

Keywords

• contraception
• family planning
• fertility
• population growth