Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the intention to use contraception among unmarried women. The intention to use family planning covered 3 main issues; the intention to use contraceptive, timing to use contraception and the contraceptive method which women intended to use. The relationships between women's demographic, socio-economic characteristics, other related factors and the intention to use contraceptive were also investigated. The analysis was based on data from "The Survey of Knowledge, Attitude, and Family Planning Practice in the Southern Region of Thailand, 1994" conducted by the National Statistical Office. The sample included 1,423 unmarried women aged 15-35 year old who answered the question themselves. Results of revealed that about half of the samples had never thought of contraceptives. The next largest group intended to use contraceptive and the rest intended not to use contraceptive. On the issue of timing to use contraception, the result revealed that the proportions of women who did not think about this issue and those who intended to use contraception after marriage were almost the same. The next largest groups were women who thought that they should use contraceptive after having one child and those who intended to use after already having two children. Regarding of contraceptive methods which women intended to use, it was found that proportions of women who intended to use pill and injection was nearly the same as those who did not think about this issue. The other group was those who intended to use female and male sterilization and other temporary methods. When the relationships between the demographic, socio-economic characteristics and other related factors to the intention to use contraceptive were analysed, it was found that age, educational level, occupation, work status, knowledge of contraceptive method, attitudes toward ideal number of children and desired number of children effected diferentials of intention to use contraceptive, timing to use contraception. It was found that residential area was the determinant of differences in intention to use contraceptive and timing to use contraception while did not have any impact on contraceptive method which women intend to use