Bangladesh 1993-1994 Demographic and Health ... - Measure DHS

The percentage of pill users using a brand provided by government or non-governmental organizations(NGOs) has increased substantially over time, from only 40 percent in 1983 to 78 percent in 1993-94 (Figure4.4). The social marketing program's market share increased in the late 1980s, decreased between 1989 and1991 and has held steady in recent years. The private sector has accounted for a steadily diminishing shareof pill use over time.Figure 4.4Trends in Market Share of Specific Pill Brands amongCurrent Pill Users, Selected Sources, 1975 to 1993-94100Percent Currently Using8077 7860402001983 1986 1989 1991Year1993-94Source: Mitra et al., 1993:72Quality of Pill UseThe BDHS collected information on a number of indicators that measure the "quality of use" of thepill. Among these are the proportion of women who said they were currently using the pill but were unableto show a packet of pills to the interviewer, the proportion of users whose packet of pills showed evidenceof pills being taken out of sequence or not at all, the proportion of users who said they had not taken a pillin the last two days, and responses to a question on what users do when they forget to take a pill. Tables 4.16and 4.17 present the results.The fact that 95 percent of current pill users were able to show a packet of pills to the interviewerindicates a high level of compliance. When asked the masons for not having the packet available, half of thewomen said that they had "run out" of pills (data not shown). Since all of the major brands of pills inBangladesh contain 28 pills in a packet and are meant to be taken without any break, many of the women who"ran out" of pills may in fact not be protected against pregnancy. However, they account for a smallproportion of total pill users.54