A quality of care issue: appropriate use and efficacy knowledge of five contraceptive methods: views of men and women living in low socioeconomic settlements of Karachi, Pakistan
Fikree, F.F.; Saleem, S.; Sami, N.
Jpma. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association 55(9): 363-368
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0030-9982 PMID: 16302467 Document Number: 588191
Objective: To assess knowledge regarding availability, affordability, appropriate use, and efficacy of five non-permanent contraceptive methods. Methods: Married Muslim women and men (n=500 each) were randomly selected from two low socioeconomic settlements in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan between June and August 2001. Interviews were conducted to assess their knowledge on a range of contraceptive and abortion methods. A total of 400 men and 357 women were selected based on their knowledge of condoms, withdrawal, oral pills, injectables, and intrauterine devices. Results: Nearly half of the sampled men (56%) and women (48%) were contraceptive users. Knowledge regarding contraception, including its availability and affordability, was high. Appropriate use knowledge for condoms was 73% among men (users 78%, non-users 60%; P<=0.001) and 5% among women. Knowledge about efficacy was generally poor. Conclusions: Low knowledge levels regarding appropriate use and efficacy even among contraceptive users suggests that the quality of family planning services should not be limited to service delivery issues, but should extend to appropriate use and efficacy knowledge levels among clients.