Objectives: Sri Lankan family planning progrmme aims to promote modern contraceptives. This study was aimed to assess factors associated with choice of traditional versus modern contraceptives among women in a rural setting in Sri Lanka

Methods: Two groups of traditional method (n=217) and modern method (n=217) users were studied using an interviewer-administered questionnaire.

Results: Age >35 years (p<0.001), Muslim ethnicity (p=0.045), living with extended families (p<0.001), not having children (p<0.001), youngest child being >6 years (p=0.012), non-receipt of detailed information on modern methods (p<0.001), public health midwife (PHM) not visiting homes (p<0.001), living >1 km from field clinic (p=0.002), nonutilization of field clinic services (p<0.001), negative opinions about PHM's services (p<0.001), negative opinion regarding services at field clinic (p<0.001) and poor knowledge on modern contraceptives (p=0.015) were associated with the choice of traditional methods.

Conclusions: Choice of traditional method was associated with personal factors as well as service gaps.