The role of contraceptive use dynamics in shaping the contraceptiveprevalence structure and ht determining its impact on fertility becomesincreasingly important for family planning program, policy mailers andprogram managers. Relatively few analyses of contraceptive use dynamicsexist for developing countries. The lack of _ such studies is that the datarequired are not often collected. This article is intended to _,fill in the gaps byanalyzing the five-year calendar data derived from the I994 IndonesiaDemographic and Health Survey (1994 DHS). The five year calendar data oncontraceptive use, pregnancy, termination and reason for discontinuation ofcontraceptive use analyzed using the life table methodologies providemeaningful insight on the quality of contraceptive use in Indonesia. It is foundthat the median duration of use is longest for the IUD and implant, whileshortest lor condom/intravag. About 27 percent of all Indonesia contraceptiveusers discontinue the use of their chosen method within a year. The reasonsfor discontinuation vary across subgroups of women. Method failure isassociated more with discontinuation of traditional method, while method-related reasons such as health concern or inconvenience of use are morelikely to be associated with discontinuation of modern method mainly lUDs,injectables and implants. There are more important factors that differentiatewomen on discontinuation qt' contraception e.g., area of residence, regioneducation, age, and contraceptive intent. These findings on discontinuationenabled the family planning program to provide more realistic and focusedservices to their clients. In conclusion, this analysis emphasizes theimportance of examining the quality of contraceptive use in Indonesia toachieve greater appreciation of the factors that affect contraceptivediscontinuation, switching behavior, and use:;i:i'lure. Special attention shouldhe addressed to health concerns as an important issue for the most popularmodern methods and to the minority of women who discontinue use within ayear and do not switch to another method. |