ASSESSMENT OF THE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE STUDY TOWARDS FAMILY PLANNING AMONG POSTPARTUM WOMEN IN TERTIARY CARE CENTRE IN BIKANER, RAJASTHAN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Family planning (FP) is dened as a way of thinking and living that is adopted voluntary upon the bases of knowledge, attitude, and responsible decisions by individuals and couples Lack of data in marginalized populations on knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) hampers efforts to improve modern contraceptive practice.In India, although a number of contraceptive choices are available, the usage of contraceptive methods among postpartum women is rather low. Aims and Objective: ThisStudy aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of contraception among the postpartum women. Material and methods: Across sectional study was conducted in obstetrics & gynaecology both indoor andoutdoor patientdepartment (IPD & OPD) of Sardar Patel Medical College and PBM hospital Bikaner from oct.2022 to January 2023,500 women aged between 16-45 years were included in this study. Along with the socio-demographic characteristics of the women, their knowledge, attitude and practices on contraception were evaluatedwith the help of predesigned questionnaire.Results: It was observed that out of 500 cases, majority of them were 20-29 years (76.8%), booked cases (91.2%), Literate (93.8%), rural(55%) and 167(33.4%) patients were of parity 3.And, that majority 252(50.4%) patients had poor knowledge,270(54%) patients had negative attitude and 371(74.2%) patients had good practice of use of contraceptive. 493 patients(Q9) were aware of side effect of contraceptives.195 patients (Q8) out of 500 thinks that having more than 2 child is an asset for the family. Out of 500 patients 465 patients in the study opted for postpartum contraceptive method in our hospital. Conclusion:Ignorance about the use and side effects of different contraceptive methods is the reason for the inadequacy. Practicing family planning methods. Awareness programs based on bridging should be emphasized.