Maternal and child health and family planning: perceptions and links.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the influence of material and child health care on the acceptance of family planning within the Indian government health delivery system which offers integrated family planning and maternal and child health services. Among the reasons cited for the merger of family planning and maternal and child health services was the creation of a favorable climate for family planning motivation through the provision of maternal and child health care. The data from the present study shows that 53% of the respondents were unaware of the uses benefits and components of maternal and child health care. Apart from immunization most other maternal and child health services registered low utilization resulting in a recurring pattern of partial use of antenatal and child health services. 2 factors of relevance could be attributed to the low use of integrated maternal and child health services. These are the lack of all-around provision of maternal and child health care and the lack of awareness of maternal and child health services by the target population. A need exists for a more comprehensive community health education program covering information on both the availability of health services and their uses and benefits.