Hyderabad: The recently-released National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16) shows a decline in fertility in both AP and Telangana state.
As per NFHS-4 data, Total Fertility Rate (TFR) for AP stood at 1.8, as compared to 2.6 recorded for the erstwhile undivided AP during NFHS-3 conducted in 1992-93. As per NFHS-4, TFR is 1.5 in urban areas and 2 in rural areas.
TFR is average number of children per woman in the state. The total TFR for Telangana state as per NFHS-4 is same as AP, 1.8. However, for urban areas it is 1.7 while it is 1.9 for rural areas.
The TFR of AP and TS are lower than the Replacement Level Fertility for India which is 2.1. RLF is defined as total fertility rate at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next. The population growth rate for united AP had decreased from 13.86% in 2001 to 10.98% in 2011.
The recently-released Sample Registration System survey-2014 data for undivided AP revealed that natural population growth rate was 10 per cent, one of the lowest among the big states in the country.
When contacted, Samuel Anand Kumar, Director of Health and Family Welfare, Andhra Pradesh said, “One way to stabilise population growth is to reduce the infant mortality rate which we are working on.” Infant Mortality Rate for united AP as per SRS-2014 was 39 per thousand births.
The exact reasons for the fall in TFR in AP and TS have not been pinpointed. The normally accepted reason of increasing rate cannot hold true, as the fertility rate has declined in both urban and rural areas.
An earlier study by K.S. James of the Institute for Social and Economic Change on the issue cites progress in ante-natal care of pregnant women and positive changes in rural economy. Apart from this, in coastal AP, media exposure and asset holdings of household were cited as reasons whereas in Rayalaseema region and Telangana state, participation in work outside home by women and their rising literacy levels were cited.
AP and TS have better family planning compared to states like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, which have TFR of 4 and 3.1. While 69.4 per cent women and 58.3 per cent in Telangana, adopted 'any modern method’ for family planning as per NFHS-4, the figure was only 32.1 per cent for Bihar and 49 per cent for MP. According to fertility experts one of the reasons could also be less fertility biologically among women in South India where all states have lesser TFR than their northern counterparts.
