Factors associated with unmet need for family planning among adolescent and young married women in Pakistan

BackgroundMost adolescent and young married women (AYMW) in Pakistan face challenges with access to contraceptives and associated services despite their high demand.ObjectiveThis research aimed to investigate the determinants of unmet needs for family planning (UMNFP) among AYMW in Pakistan.DesignWe have utilized the cross-sectional data of the 740 AYMW. The data was obtained from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) 2017-18.MethodsDescriptive and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed using SPSS version 24.ResultsThe prevalence of UMNFP among AYMW was 58.9%. The result also showed that UMNFP was significantly higher among AYMW with secondary school education as compared with no education (AOR = 1.278, 95% CI = 1.045, 2.751), belonged to poorer wealth quintiles as compared to those poorest wealth quintiles (AOR = 1.256, 95% CI = 1.044, 2.775), those who faced opposition to using contraceptives from their husband (AOR = 1.433, 95% CI = 1.007, 3.348), who had a fear of contraceptive's side effects (AOR = 1.728, 95% CI = 1.127, 4.335), lack of access to family planning services (AOR = 3.596, 95% CI = 1.528, 5.543), and high cost of contraceptive (AOR = 3.093, 95% CI = 1.813, 4.719).ConclusionWe conclude that fear of side effects for using contraceptives, lack of access to contraceptive services, and the high cost of contraceptive methods are the primary factors of high UMNFP among AYMW in Pakistan. Measures are required to empower women's socio-economic profile, and they need to implement strategies to improve the educational status and instill behavior change regarding contraceptive acceptance and safety in females and men. Based on the empirical evidence, this research proposes a comprehensive policy strategy to meet the objectives of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, specifically target 3.7.1, that directly addresses the unmet need for family planning.