Perceptions of Contraception and Patterns of Switching Contraceptive Methods Among Family-planning Acceptors in West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.

Objectives: The perceptions of family-planning (FP) acceptors regarding contraception influence the reasons for which they choose to switch their method of contraception. The objective of this study was to analyze the perceptions of contraception and rationales for switching contraceptive methods among female FP acceptors in West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.

Methods: This study involved the analysis of secondary data from the Improve Contraceptive Method Mix study, which was conducted in 2013 by the Center for Health Research, University of Indonesia. The design of the study was cross-sectional. We performed 3 stages of sampling using the cluster technique and selected 4819 women who were FP acceptors in West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia as the subjects of this study. The data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression.

Results: The predominant pattern of switching contraceptive methods was switching from one non-long-term method of contraception to another. Only 31.0% of the acceptors reported a rational pattern of switching contraceptive methods given their age, number of children, and FP motivations. Perceptions of the side effects of contraceptive methods, the ease of contraceptive use, and the cost of the contraceptives were significantly associated (at the level of α=0.05) with rational patterns of switching contraceptive methods.

Conclusions: Perceptions among FP-accepting women were found to play an important role in their patterns of switching contraceptive methods. Hence, fostering a better understanding of contraception through high-quality counseling is needed to improve perceptions and thereby to encourage rational, effective, and efficient contraceptive use.