The concept of unmet need points to the gap between women's reproductive intensions and their contraceptive behaviour. In doing so it poses a challenge to the reproductive health and family planning programme to reach and serve the millions of women whose reproductive attitude resemble those of contraceptive users but who, for some reasons, are not using contraception. By responding to the concerns of women with unmet need, reproductive health programmes can serve more people and serve them better. Programmes can respond best if there is a trategy that focuses on women with unmet need as a distinct audience. The present study is an application of different statistical models to study the family planning acceptance and unmet need and the burden of unintended pregnancy with a case study of Odisha using the data from the National Family Health Survey. The study while analyzing the current status of family planning acceptance, unmet need and estimation of unintended pregnancy studies to explore the underlying causes using different models. The study has also the scope of extending the methodology in other areas to develop suitable strategies for strengthening the RCH programme.

Dr. (Ms.) Ranjana Kar, is working as a Lecturer in Statistics at Rural Health Training Center, Jagatsinghpur. She has done M. Sc and Ph. D in Statistics from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar and Masters in Population Science (M.P.S) from the International Institute of Population Sciences, Mumbai. She has successfully completed Certifi cate Course in ‘Epidemiology’, Liverpool University, U.K. and attended the International Conference at Neworleans, USA. She has 30 years of experience in teaching and research in the various fi elds of demography and bio-statistics. She has worked in the H & FW Deptt. of Government of Odisha. Subsequently worked as an Assistant Director in the State Institute of Health and Family Welfare, Bhubaneswar. She has also been trained in Health Management Information System from Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad and Indian Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR), Jeypur. She has completed many research studies of national and international signifi cance during her tenure such as the Principal Investigator of the NFHS-3, pilot study on CAN Approach in Odisha sponsored by the Futures Group of USA, causes of Maternal Mortality in Odisha and Rajasthan sponsored by ICMR, New Delhi. As a researcher she has been associated with many research studies like KAP study on use of Iodised Salt and Iodine Defi ciency Disorder, evaluation of Use and Acceptability of Indian System of Medicine, Dept. of AYUSH, GOI and evaluation of Kishori Sakti Yojana in Odisha and West Bengal and ICDS study monitoring by UNICEF, New Delhi.