Information, education and communication issues concerning fertility regulation in Bhutan

This project work is divided into three main parts: Essay, Proposal, and Data Exercise. The Essay presents an overview of population issues and the need to regulate fertility in Bhutan. The first section focuses on a potential problem scenario based on the limitations that the country faces for sustaining a high population growth. Concern is expressed in terms of these problems affecting health or quality of life, which normally tends to be associated with public health problems. The next section covers possible interventions that are widely promoted to bring about change in fertility behavior with emphasis on fulfilling the unmet needs of contraception as the most plausible short- term solution. In the Proposal an intervention program on sexual health for the students is designed with the aim to facilitate the adoption of informed and responsible decision making on sexual behavior. The pilot study identifies the possible factors affecting condom use among this group and has created a conceptual model for further research. The data exercise includes a pilot study conducted among taxi drivers in Thimphu, Bhutan, and an analysis of the discrepancy observed in contraceptive use between the data in the Annual Health Bulletins and the Health Survey.