Knowledge, attitude and practice towards the use of emergency contraception among Egyptian women and health providers

ABSTRACT

To assess the knowledge, awareness, and practice of emergency contraceptives among women and health providers. Also to evaluate the impact of education program in changing women's knowledge and attitude towards its use.The hypothesis is that, a more accurate knowledge about emergency contraception would be associated with more favorable attitude towards its use.A cross sectional study to health providers and women attending primary health care units in Ismailia and Port Saied. We randomly selected and interviewed 31 health providers and 389 women using a predesigned questionnaire. The including questions were about the indications, methods, timing, efficacy, side-effects and importance of emergency contraception. The studied women were divided to two groups according to their knowledge. After health education program; we re-evaluated their knowledge and attitude towards emergency contraception.The study revealed that; only 10% of family planning physicians had proper knowledge about emergency contraception, no women were aware about the proper knowledge, 36% had improper knowledge [group I] and 64% not heard about it [group II]. Women included in group I were educated, employed, having more than three children, and had regular sexual relationship. Nearly 19% of the studied group had unwanted pregnancy and 71% of them continue their pregnancy. Oral contraceptive and local vaginal preparations were the most common types of emergency contraception known [18%, 13% respectively] .Only 8.2% of studied women practice emergency contraceptives, although this practice was improper. After proper health education on emergency contraceptives 80% of women agreed to use the methods when needed.Although 20% of our births are unintended and we can prevent most of these by emergency contraception, no women and few health providers had proper knowledge about EC. By proper health education we can avoid 80% of unwanted pregnancy. We must make EC a reality, women and health providers everywhere should have access to this most reliable safe and effective method: