Who Meets Their Intentions to Stop Childbearing? Results of a Longitudinal Study in Rural Eastern Bali, Indonesia

Abstract

In this longitudinal study from rural Bali, Indonesia, we sought to identify the predictors of birth avoidance among 665 married women of reproductive age who reported the intention to stop childbearing. We found that almost 30% of women who wanted no more children had a subsequent birth during the 4-year study period. Women at highest risk for an unwanted birth were younger, had fewer children, and did not use a long-term contraceptive method. The ability to meet intentions to stop childbearing depended on women's motivation (family size), fecundity (proxied by age), and their use of long-term contraceptive methods. Our results suggest that to reduce unwanted births among rural women, family planning providers should recommend long-term methods to younger women with smaller family sizes who express clear intentions to stop childbearing.

Acknowledgments

The authors express their thanks to the residents of the Balinese community for their participation and contribution to this study. We also thank Gabriel Garcia, Jessica Gipson, and Katrina Dornig for their feedback on an earlier version of this article.