Research Article

Reproductive Health Needs Assessment among Newly Married Women in Urban Slums of Chandigarh, India

Abstract

Background: Newly married women are particularly vulnerable, as the early years of marriage are marked by strong social pressure to conceive, limited awareness of reproductive health Present study attempts to examine reproductive health needs and associated sociodemographic, cultural, and maternal factors among newly married women in urban slums. Methods: A community-based cross sectional study was conducted among 120 newly married women and their husbands in selected urban slums of Chandigarh using a structured interview schedule. Results: Study included 120 participants of varied socio-economic characteristics. among women, 64.2% of respondents were aware of the appropriate age for marriage, whereas 2.5% believe that being married before turning 18 is legally acceptable. Only 66.6% of women were aware of the legal age for a girl’s marriage. Among women, the most common reason of not using contraceptive was lack of knowledge (37.5%), followed by being newly married or having no child currently (11.7%) and spouse disapproval (9.2%). Religious reasons and lack of faith in family planning were reported by 5.0% and 7.5% of women respectively. Among husbands, lack of knowledge was reported by 18.3%, while a higher proportion expressed no faith in family planning (17.5%) and concerns related to loss of pleasure (15.8%). There were 44.2% undesired pregnancies. Reproductive decisions were predominantly joint, including timing of first 68 (70.0%) and second child 67 (66.7%), number of children 67 (67.5%), contraceptive adoption 52 (52.5%), and abortion 64 (64.2%). Women reported relatively higher independent decision-making in contraceptive matters, while spouse-only decisions were minimal across domains. Conclusion and Suggestions: The study identified gaps in contraception awareness and practice despite predominantly joint reproductive decision-making, reflecting relatively good spousal communication in contraception and birth spacing. Strengthening enforcement against early marriage, improving access to reproductive health services, and providing targeted counselling on family planning and maternal health are urgently needed. Further indepth and interventional studies are recommended to enhance reproductive health outcomes and promote healthier motherhood among slum women.