Department of Biochemistry and Food Analysis, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Patuakhali, Bangladesh.
Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Patuakhali, Bangladesh.
PLoS One. 2021 Sep 21;16(9):e0257634. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257634. eCollection 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted health systems worldwide, including in Bangladesh, limiting access to family planning information (FP) and services. Unfortunately, the evidence on the factors linked to such disruption is limited, and no study has addressed the link among Bangladeshis. This study aimed to examine the socioeconomic, demographic, and other critical factors linked to the use of FP in the studied areas during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The characteristics of the respondents were assessed using a cross-sectional questionnaire survey and descriptive statistics. The variables that were substantially linked with FP usage were identified using a Chi-square test. In addition, a multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the parameters linked to FP in the study areas during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The prevalence of FP use among currently married 15-49 years aged women was 36.03% suggesting a 23% (approximately) decrease compared to before pandemic data. Results also showed that 24.42% of the respondents were using oral contraceptive pills (OCP) which is lower than before pandemic data (61.7%). Multivariate regression analysis provided broader insight into the factors affecting FP use. Results showed that woman's age, education level of the respondents, working status of the household head, locality, reading a newspaper, FP workers' advice, currently using OCP, ever used OCP, husbands' supportive attitude towards OCP use, duration of the marriage, ever pregnant, the number of children and dead child were significantly associated with FP use in the study areas during COVID-19 pandemic.
This study discusses unobserved factors that contributed to a reduction in FP use and identifies impediments to FP use in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 epidemic. This research further adds to our understanding of FP usage by revealing the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on FP use in Bangladesh's rural and urban areas.
COVID-19 大流行对全球卫生系统产生了负面影响，包括孟加拉国，限制了人们获取计划生育信息（FP）和服务的机会。不幸的是，有关导致这种中断的因素的证据有限，并且没有研究涉及孟加拉国人。本研究旨在检查在 COVID-19 大流行期间，与研究地区 FP 使用相关的社会经济、人口和其他关键因素。
使用横断面问卷调查和描述性统计评估受访者的特征。使用卡方检验确定与 FP 使用显著相关的变量。此外，还使用多元逻辑回归模型确定 COVID-19 大流行期间研究地区与 FP 相关的参数。
目前 15-49 岁已婚女性中 FP 使用的流行率为 36.03%，表明与大流行前数据相比下降了约 23%。结果还表明，24.42%的受访者正在使用口服避孕药（OCP），低于大流行前的数据（61.7%）。多元回归分析提供了更广泛的视角，了解影响 FP 使用的因素。结果表明，女性的年龄、受访者的教育水平、家庭主妇的工作状况、所在地、阅读报纸、FP 工作者的建议、当前使用 OCP、曾经使用过 OCP、丈夫对 OCP 使用的支持态度、婚姻持续时间、曾经怀孕、孩子的数量和死亡的孩子与 COVID-19 大流行期间研究地区的 FP 使用显著相关。
本研究讨论了导致 FP 使用减少的未观察到的因素，并确定了 COVID-19 大流行期间孟加拉国 FP 使用的障碍。这项研究进一步通过揭示 COVID-19 大流行对孟加拉国农村和城市地区 FP 使用的影响范围，增加了我们对 FP 使用的理解。
