ABSTRACT
Background: Prevention of unwanted pregnancy is a key strategy to improve the women's health through spacing of birth and avoiding pregnancy at high-risk maternal ages. Unmet need by definition is the percentage of fecund married women who are not using contraceptives while they do not want to get pregnant. They do this due to unavailable quality services, limited choice of methods, lack of information, safety concerns or side-effects and partner disapproval. The present study aimed to assess the magnitude of unmet need for prevention of unwanted pregnancy in Shiraz
Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 2000 married women of childbearing age [10-49 years] were selected randomly in a survey in Shiraz. Data collection was done using a researcher-made questionnaire and the results were reported using descriptive statistical methods
Results: In the present study, 85.6% of the women used a contraceptive method. 58.7% of them used modern methods of contraception. Reported reasons for not using contraceptives included recent delivery [25%], intention to have more children [20.6%], lack of awareness about contraceptive methods or where such services were offered [6.3%] and irregular sexual intercourse with husband [4.5%]. Interrupted intercourse ranked the highest among the methods used. Finally, the unmet need for prevention of unwanted pregnancy in this study was reported to be 4.3 percent
Conclusion: Women in Shiraz had a relatively lower level of unmet need. Counseling is recommended for higher risk women with unmet need in order to keep the descending trend of unmet need for prevention of unwanted pregnancy in Shiraz
ABSTRACT
Reforming and providing primary health care services in the past two decades had a wonderful impact on health indicators, particularly in rural communities. Infant Mortality Rate [IMR] always regarded as an important indicator of health system. This study conducted to show the twenty-year IMR tend and its relationship with some of socio-economic indicators in Fars province, south of lran, during 1990 -2009. In this time-series study, using ecological data from vital horoscope and also regression model, we showed trend of IMR and also affecting some health and non-health indicators on twenty-year IMR trend. P value under 0.05 was considered as significant level. During this 20-years period IMR had a downward trend from 31.5 to 16.2 in 1000 live births [p<0.001]. There is a significant relation [p<0.05] exist between IMR and predictive variables such as Gross Domestic Product [GDP], literacy of women above 15 and rate of deliveries in hospital, and IMR. Decreasing and improving IMR during the past two- decades period showed that the government health policy and investment had achieved a successful result. However, with promotion and renewing primary health cares, we can improve IMR and other health indicators than before.