Family planning knowledge, attitude and practice among Rohingya women living in refugee camps in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Considering the high risk of maternal morbidity and mortality, increased risks of unintended pregnancy, and the unmet need for contraceptives prevalent among the Rohingya refugees, this study aims to explore the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of family planning (FP) and associated factors among Rohingya women living in refugee camps in Bangladesh. METHODS: Four hundred Rohingya women were interviewed. Data were collected using a structured and pretested questionnaire, which included study participants' socio-demographic characteristics, access to FP services, knowledge, attitude, and practice of FP. Linear regression analysis was performed to identify the influencing factors of FP-KAP. RESULTS: Of the 400 Rohingya refugee women, 60% were unaware that there was no physical harm brought by using a permanent method of birth control. Half of the women lack proper knowledge regarding whether a girl was eligible for marriage before the age of 18. More than two-thirds of the women thought family planning methods should not be used without the husband's permission. Moreover, 40% were ashamed and afraid to discuss family planning matters with their husbands. Of the study participants, 58% had the opinion that a couple should continue bearing children until a son is born. Linear regression analyses found that study participants' who have a profession, have less children, whose primary source of FP knowledge was through a physician/nurse, have had FP interventions in the camp, and talk with a health care provider on FP were found to have better FP-KAP. CONCLUSION: The study showed that Rohingya refugee women are a marginalized population in terms of family planning and their comprehensive FP-KAP capability was low. Contraceptives among the Rohingyas were unpopular, mainly due to a lack of educational qualifications and family planning awareness. In addition, family planning initiatives among Rohingya refugees were limited by a conservative culture and religious beliefs. Therefore, strengthening FP interventions and increasing the accessibility to essential health services and education are indispensable to improving improve maternal health among Rohingya refugees.

Considering the high risk of maternal morbidity and mortality, increased risks of unintended pregnancy, and the unmet need for contraceptives prevalent among the Rohingya refugees, this study aims to explore the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of family planning (FP) and associated factors among Rohingya women living in the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Four hundred Rohingya women participated in the study. We found that Rohingya refugee women were a marginalized population in family planning and their comprehensive FP-KAP status was low. Contraceptive uptake among the Rohingya women was low due to a lack of education and family planning awareness. In addition, family planning initiatives among Rohingya refugees were limited by various traditional cultural and religious beliefs. Therefore, strengthening FP interventions and increasing accessibility to essential health services and education are indispensable to improving maternal health among refugees.

Evaluating the effectiveness of utilization of health communication interventions on sexual and reproductive health of the Rohingya women living in Cox's Bazar refugee camp.

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of NGOs' health communication interventions (HCIs) regarding sexual and reproductive health (SRH) among the Rohingya women living in the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Methods: A camp-based cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted from November 10, 2019, to January 10, 2020, among 415 Rohingya married women of reproductive age (above 18-49 years) living in the refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. The study participants were selected using a convenient sampling. The independent-sample t-test and hierarchical regression analysis were performed using IBM SPSS version 24.0. Results: Different myths and perceptions of taboo are common among the Rohingya women regarding SRH which imposes some restrictions on them. Of the Rohingya women, 79.8 percent ever had a consultation with non-government organizations' (NGOs) appointed health care providers (doctors/nurses) regarding SRH issues, while only 68.4 percent of them had a door visit by the NGO workers in this regard. Moreover, 62.7 percent participated in NGO's SRH communication program, whereas three-fourths understood the SRH messages appropriately. However, the study findings reported significant differences (p ≤ .001) in the mean scores of all items related to participants' SRH status for the difference in the utilization level of health communication interventions. Regression analysis shows that the Rohingya women's utilization of NGOs' health communication interventions appeared as stronger predictors than socioeconomic variables for better SRH status. At the same time, ß values indicate that the Rohingya women's interpersonal communication with a health care provider and understanding the messages of communication activities are reported as the strongest predictors of outcome variables. Conclusion: Health communication interventions significantly influence positive changes in women's SRH. Accordingly, this study recommends strengthening communication interventions using behavioral change theories and strategic communication approaches as it is difficult to change their socioeconomic status in existing settings.