Sakineh Mohammad Alizadeh
1*, Mahnaz Shahnazi
2, Roghaieh Jahanbakhsh
31 PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery,Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
2 MSc, Instructor, Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
3 MSc, Postgraduate Student, Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: Increasing the knowledge of women on effectiveness of contraceptive methods can lead to their informed and correct choice and consequently, lead to the use of more effective methods and reduce unwanted pregnancies and adverse outcomes. Since very limited studies have been done in this area in the world and no study was found in Iran, we aimed to compare three different approaches for increasing women’s understanding of effectiveness of contraceptive methods. Methods: We recruited convenience sample of 630 women of reproductive age at the 33 randomly selected health centers in Tabriz city and randomly assigned them to one of the three groups. Each woman received one of three charts presenting pregnancy risk with each contraceptive method. Participants before and while reviewing the chart, answered to three key questions about the effectiveness of the methods and percentage of correct answers was compared. The data were analyzed using chi-square, ANOVA and McNemar's tests in SPSS version 13. Results: The most important reasons for choosing contraceptive methods were their effectiveness (45%), ease of use (18%) and few side effects (14%). At baseline, the participants' knowledge about the effectiveness of the methods was poor. Correct answers were 44% about comparing the effectiveness of the combined pills vs. that of condoms, 50% about intrauterine devices vs. injectables, and 52% about condoms vs. withdrawal. While reviewing the charts, the percentages significantly (p < 0.001) increased to 80%, 84% and 85%, respectively. All the three charts almost equally increased the correct responds to the questions. Conclusion: The three approaches had considerable and nearly identical effects on the promotion of women's knowledge about effectiveness of the contraceptive methods. Therefore, appropriate use of the charts is required during counseling sessions for contraceptive choice because it is impossible to have informed choice of the method without understanding their effectiveness.