Contraception and abortion attitudes and practices of Western Ukraine women
Muscato, L.; Kidd, R.S.
European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care the Official Journal of the European Society of Contraception 8(2): 80-86
2003
ISSN/ISBN: 1362-5187 PMID: 12831605 DOI: 10.1080/ejc.8.2.80.86Document Number: 249831
To assess the attitudes and practices of contraceptive behaviors of Western Ukraine women. A survey of 500 women in the Oblast was conducted to assess their knowledge, attitudes and practices on a variety of health topics. Convenience sampling was used to access the subjects in 16 different towns/villages in nine rayons throughout the Oblast. Respondents were asked more than 100 questions pertaining to their knowledge, attitudes and practices on a variety of health topics, including stress, contraception, breast health, sexually transmitted diseases, parity, abortion, nutrition, alcohol and tobacco use, domestic violence, and depression and mental health. Of married women, 44% (112/256) would terminate their pregnancy while 56% (144/256) said they would keep their baby. Of unmarried women, 35% (31/88) would abort while 65% (57/88) would keep their baby. A large proportion of married women (82%; 222/271) and unmarried women (70%; 52/74) did not use condoms at all. These results suggest lack of birth control education and contribution to poor protection from sexually transmitted infections. Higher abortion practices may also play a role in the infertility issues that Ukrainian women currently face.