[Use of family planning services and its relationship with women's decision-making and support from their partner].
OBJECTIVE
To identify the influence of reproductive characteristics and women empowerment with the use of family planning services.


METHODS
Cases and non-cases design with neighborhood controls (147 users and 146 non-users of family planning services during 2003), in Guanajuato State, Mexico. Various indexes were constructed to evaluate women's empowerment and its relationship with family planning use.


RESULTS
The use of family planning services was positively and significantly associated with the woman's power to make decisions (High: OR 3.2, CI95% 1.4-7.4), a high level of communication with her partner on contraceptive use (OR 3.5, CI95% 1.4-9.3); and a greater number of pregnancies (> 6 children: OR 4.4, CI95% 1.4-13.8).


CONCLUSIONS
Factors such as a high level of female decision-making and more partner support for contraceptive use are related to the use of family planning services. Therefore, developing strategies that involve men and support female empowerment could contribute to increasing the use of family planning services.
Estrada
Fátima
F
Centro de Investigaciones en Salud Poblacional, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
Hernández-Girón
Carlos
C
Walker
Dilys
D
Campero
Lourdes
L
Hernández-Prado
Bernardo
B
Maternowska
Catherine
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003267:Contraception / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003657:Decision Making; D005193:Family Planning Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D011209:Power, Psychological; D017584:Reproductive History; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*; D014933:Women's Rights; D055815:Young Adult