It is noted that family planning programmes in Thailand have proved very successful. Research in the field shows that the reasons for improvement in the rate of contraceptive use during 1970-1979 relate to supply and demand of children as well as to costs of regulation. These findings underline the purpose of this study. It examines the current trend of the supply of (Cn) and demand for (Cd) children as well as the present costs of regulation (Rc). In addition, this study focuses on the linkage of socio-economic variables to this trend and their interrelationship. The data for this study are taken from the third Contraceptive Prevalence Survey which was carried out from May 1983 to July 1984 jointly by the Research Center of the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) and the Institute of Population and Social Research at Mahidol University in Collaboration with the family Health Division of the Ministry of Public Health. This study is based on the supply-demand analysis of contraceptive practice model of Easterlin and Crimmins and indicates that a couple decides to control its fertility when there are both motivation for fertility regulation and low regulation costs. It is found that the motivation variable correlates positively with the use of fertility control. It is so no matter whether motivation is measured by the difference of supply and demand for children (Cn-Cd), the supply and demand for children (C-Cd) or living children alone. However, Cn-Cd provides the best measure of the degree of motivation for fertility control. At the same time, the regulation costs variable, measured here by number of methods known to a couple, relates positively with use of fertility control. In terms of socio-economic variables which affect Cd, Rc and such components of Cn as rate of child mortality and the duration of marriage, this study finds that wife's education, place of residence and length of time that electricity has been available relate to the motivation and regulation costs variables in the expected direction. In other words, in the group of higher educated women, living in urban areas and/or with longer term use of electricity, there are lower rates of child motality, shorter duration of marriage, smaller desired family size and a larger number of methods known than are found in the group of less educated women and /or living in rural areas with electricity available for shorter periods. As for such components of Cn as not secondarily sterile (NSS) and proportions of pregnancy wastage, there is a tendency for change in relationship due to physiological factors rather than socio-economic one.
SUBJECT
การวางแผนครอบครัว -- ไทย
คุมกำเนิด -- ไทย
family planning
demand
LOCATION
CALL#
STATUS
Thailand and ASEAN Information Center (6th Floor) : Chula Collection
