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The Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition
icddr,b
ISSN: 1606-0997 EISSN: 1606-0997
Vol. 24, No. 1, 2006, pp. 100-106
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Bioline Code: hn06014
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
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The Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, Vol. 24, No. 1, 2006, pp. 100-106
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District-level Religious Composition and Adoption of Sterilization in India
Stephenson, Rob
Abstract
This paper examined the influence of religion on the adoption of female sterilization, using data from the 1992/93 Indian National Family Health Survey. The influence of religion at both individual and district levels was examined, and a multi-level modelling methodology was used for assessing community variations in the influence of religion on the adoption of sterilization. Individual religion was a strong predictor of the decision to adopt sterilization, and residence in a district in which more than 20% of the people were Muslims significantly lowered the odds of adoption of sterilization. There was more variation in the adoption of sterilization between districts for Muslim women and women from minority religious groups. The results demonstrate the influence of community conservatism on the choice of contraceptive methods and point to the mediating effects that community characteristics can have on access to sterilization services for women from religious minority sub-groups.
Keywords
Sterilization; Contraceptive methods; Family planning; Religion; Community; India
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