Unmet need for family planning among Myanmar migrant women in Bangkok, Thailand

Abstract

Women migrating to different destinations may use, and be exposed to, different contraceptive behaviours. The unmet need for family planning can lead to a number of high-risk and high-parity births, thereby increasing maternal mortality. The study's objectives were to identify the prevalence of the unmet need for family planning and predictors for unmet need among Myanmar migrants. Data were collected from a survey of 360 Myanmar migrant women in Bangkok. Participating women's median age was 30 years. The prevalence of the unmet need for family planning was 15.8%. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of those in age group 36–45 years having an unmet need more so than the age group 18–25 years and 26–35 years was 2.52 (AOR–2.52, confidence interval [CI] 0.73–8.73); those with poor knowledge about family planning were three times more likely to have an unmet need for family planning than those with a good knowledge level (AOR–3.17, CI 1.30–7.68). The odds ratio of the respondents with an unmet need for family planning who were more dissatisfied with accessibility to family planning compared to those who were satisfied was twofold (AOR–2.05, CI 1.01–4.17) and fourfold for those who were unable to access a family planning outlet (AOR–4.17, CI 1.96–8.86). The findings of this study suggest that targeted interventions could not only increase knowledge and awareness of family planning, but also increase the visibility of sexual and reproductive healthcare services.