Knowledge on, Attitude Toward, and Practice of Contraceptive Methods Among Females of Reproductive Age in Al-Qunfudah Governorate, Saudi Arabia

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice About Emergency Contraception Among Saudi Women of Childbearing Age of Eastern Region in Saudi Arabia

Background and aim Emergency contraception (EC) refers to methods of contraception that are used within 72 hours up to 120 hours after unprotected intercourse to prevent unintended pregnancy. It can postpone ovulation, stopping fertilization. Ella® (progestin receptor modulator), plan B, birth control tablets, and the copper intrauterine device (IUD) are examples of emergency contraception. The aim of the study is to evaluate knowledge, attitudes, and practices of emergency contraception among Saudi women of childbearing age in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Methods It is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Data was collected through a pretested online questionnaire after approval from an ethical committee and women's consent to participate in the study. Women between 18 and 49 years old were included in the study. Women aged under 18 and over 49 years were excluded from the study to make the sample population more homogenous. Participants were provided a link to a questionnaire form to be completed from their devices (phone or laptop). Results A total of 648 childbearing Saudi women completed the survey. The majority were between 18 and 25 years old. Approximately 263 (40.6%) had no children, and 348 (53.7%) earned less than 5,000 SAR monthly. Four hundred and sixty-seven (72%) of the participants had never used emergency contraception. Four hundred and seventy-eight (73.8%) did not know the maximum acceptable time for using EC. Three hundred and fourteen (48.5%) did not know the potential risks to the baby in case of failure of emergency contraception. Two hundred and twenty-three (34%) patricians wrongly believed that there would be a potential risk to the baby if the patient got pregnant after using emergency contraception. Three hundred and eight (47.5%) participants supported the idea of the availability of emergency contraception without a prescription, and a majority believed that they would not feel shy in asking for emergency contraception. Five hundred and seventy-one (88%) participants did not visit any family planning clinic last year. A significant source of EC information was a doctor or a family planner, 206 (31.8%). A considerable barrier to EC use was fear of side effects and health risks, as reported by 382 (59%) respondents. Conclusions The current study reveals that participants have positive attitudes towards emergency contraception, but use is deficient because of poor knowledge and lack of awareness. Our study urges the urgent need for awareness campaigns by health professionals to improve learning and remove wrong fears and beliefs about emergency contraception.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Family Planning Among Saudi Primary Health Care Attendees in Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

 Assessing community awareness and practice of the significance and methods of family planning is critical for improving the effectiveness and quality of services, policies, and planning, which has a positive impact on the health and quality of life of women, children, families, and communities.

OBJECTIVE

 This study aims to determine Saudi population's knowledge, attitude, and practice of family planning in Al-Ahsa, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

METHODOLOGY

 A cross-sectional study was conducted in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. The study included randomly selected participants (male and female Saudi primary health care attendees). All adult Saudi individuals of both genders attending primary health care centers were eligible for inclusion in this study. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 15 (Released 2006; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). Descriptive statistics for the prevalence and quantitative variables was used.  Results: The study included 672 participants; 78.6% of them were females and 21.4% were males. 23.8% of participants aged between 20 and 30 years old. 73.8% of participants heard of family planning before. The source of information about family planning was reported as 36.9% from the Internet, 27.4% from relatives, 21.4% from the doctor, and 14.3% from books. 21.4% think that long-term contraceptive use led to permanent infertility. 81.0% of the participants said that they tend to use family planning methods. 78.6% of the participants have used a family planning method before, where 25.8% of the participants used natural contraception methods, 21.2% used surgical contraception, 27.3% used condoms, and 12.1% used hormonal tablets, while 13.6% used nothing. However, 65.2% currently use contraceptives. 31.8% use the natural method of family planning currently, 21.2% use surgical methods, and 6.1% use condoms.

CONCLUSION

 In comparison to many studies previously mentioned, the rate of family planning utilization was average, as was the level of knowledge and attitude toward family planning. However, there were some mistaken beliefs among participants regarding contraceptives. Age, gender, the duration of a marriage, education level, working status, and monthly income were all found to be significantly associated with knowledge of family planning.