Condoms, pills least popular contraceptives

Modern contraceptives like condoms and birth control pills do not seem to excite people when it comes to having safe sex. The latest National Family Health Survey IV reveals that only a meagre percentage of men and women prefer condoms and pills and strangely women sterlisation is still one of the most sought-after family-planning methods preferred in India.

The findings of NFHS-4, 2015-16 for 13 states, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and two Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry show that married women are less likely to be using modern family-planning in eight of the First Phase states/Union Territories. Ironically, the data also suggests that there has been a paltry increase in the use of modern family planning methods only in the states of Meghalaya, Haryana, and West Bengal. The decline is highest in Goa followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

As per the report, in Andhra Pradesh only 0.2 per cent people preferred condoms and a similar percentage favoured pills. Contrary to this, female sterilisation stood at 68.3 per cent. This even when 62.9 per cent women and 79.4 per cent men are literate. In fact in urban areas of AP, the literacy level in men goes upto 90.2 per cent. Neighbouring Tamil Nadu also records an abysmal use of condoms (2.3 per cent) and pills (0.2 per cent). Female sterilisation is preferred by 55 per cent though. In Telangana too, condoms and pills do terrible, with only 0.5 per cent preferring condoms and 0.3 per cent birth control pills.

The story is no different in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a paltry 4.2 per cent people use condoms, as compared to 39.9 per cent female sterilisation recorded.