Knowledge and Attitude of Contraception among Female College Students at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman

Abstract

Background: Contraceptive methods play a significant role in family planning. However, the knowledge and attitude toward contraception among young female students in Oman is still unknown. Objective: To assess the knowledge and attitude towards contraception among female college students attending Sultan Qaboos University-Oman. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 196 bachelor female college students using an online questionnaire. Information regarding their demographic characteristics, knowledge and attitude towards contraception were collected. Results: More than half of the participants (n=127, 64.8%) selected "planning for pregnancies" as a meaning of family planning. Most of the participants (n=168; 85.7%) heard about contraception for the first time between the age of 15 to 19 years old. The vast majority of female students (n=183; 93.4%) knew about the different types of contraceptive methods with the "pill" being the most commonly known method (n=181; 92.3%), while emergency contraception was the least known method (n=26; 13.3%). The most frequent contraception knowledge source was "school and college" (n=169; 86.2%). 14.8% (n=35) of the unmarried students selected "concerns from side effects" as the reason for their nonintention to use contraception in the future. A significant association was found between living in urban areas and female students' having a better knowledge about the different contraceptive methods compared to living in rural areas (P-value= 0.041). Conclusions: Educational programs about the different contraceptive methods, their importance, and use are required to be delivered to young female adults early before marriage to help eliminate misconceptions and thus increase its utilization in the future.