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Emergency contraception: Awareness, attitudes and barriers of Saudi Arabian Women

OBJECTIVES: To assess knowledge, attitude, and barriers about emergency contraception (EC) among married women of child bearing age. METHODS: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted over a 6-month period, commencing in March 2013 at Family Practice Clinics of King Khalid University Hospit...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Karim, Syed Irfan, Irfan, Farhana, Rowais, Norah Al, Zahrani, Basma Al, Qureshi, Riaz, Qadrah, Bedoor H Al
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Professional Medical Publications 2015
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4744309/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26870124
http://dx.doi.org/10.12669/pjms.316.8127
Descripción
Sumario:OBJECTIVES: To assess knowledge, attitude, and barriers about emergency contraception (EC) among married women of child bearing age. METHODS: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted over a 6-month period, commencing in March 2013 at Family Practice Clinics of King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data was collected using a structured pretested questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 21.0 statistical software. RESULT: A total of 242 women were enrolled in the study. Only 6.2% (15/242) had some knowledge of EC and of these only two had ever used it. Health care professionals were the least reported source of EC information (6.6%, n=1). Majority (73.3%) had negative attitude toward EC being available over-the-counter without a prescription. The most common barriers to using EC were concerns about possible health effects. Only two women (13.3%) considered religious belief as a major hindrance to its use. CONCLUSION: Awareness of emergency contraception is very low among women of Saudi Arabia. Health care professionals were the least reported source of information, which is a cause for concern. Our findings reveal an urgent need to educate women about EC, keeping in view the social norms and the Islamic values.