Racial and ethnic differences in men's knowledge and attitudes about contraception

Abstract

Background Little is known about racial/ethnic differences in men’s contraceptive knowledge and attitudes. Study Design We used multivariable logistic regression to examine racial/ethnic differences in contraceptive knowledge and attitudes among 903 men aged 18–29 in the 2009 National Survey of Reproductive and Contraceptive Knowledge. Results Black and Hispanic men were less likely than whites to have heard of most contraceptive methods, including female and male sterilization, and also had lower knowledge about hormonal and long-acting reversible methods. They were less likely to know that pills are ineffective when 2–3 pills are missed (blacks: aOR=0.42; Hispanics: aOR=0.53) and that fertility was not delayed after stopping the pill (blacks: aOR=0.52; Hispanics: aOR=0.27). Hispanics were less likely to know that nulliparous women can use the IUD (aOR=0.47) Condom knowledge was similar by race/ethnicity, but blacks were less likely to view condoms as a hassle than whites (aOR=0.46). Conclusions Efforts to educate men, especially men of color, about contraceptive methods are needed.

Young men’s awareness and knowledge of intrauterine devices in the United States

“…Objective contraceptive knowledge was measured based on a series of true/false statements assessing understanding of correct use, effectiveness and other facts about birth control pills, condoms, injectable contraception, and IUDs. These questions have been used in several other analyses of men's and women's contraceptive awareness and knowledge [14][15][16]22,24]. Four summary knowledge scores were calculated for each method based on the number of correct answers to these questions.…”

“…While men may play an important role in promoting or discouraging contraceptive use, very little research has examined men's knowledge of and attitudes toward IUDs. Research has shown low levels of IUD knowledge among men, which may inhibit men's participation in decision-making [8][9][10]12,14,15]. One recent study that specifically examined knowledge and use of IUDs found that men were far more likely to have low IUD knowledge than women [16].…”

“…The present analysis builds on prior research with the National Survey of Reproductive and Contraceptive Knowledge that examined men's knowledge of and attitudes towards a range of contraceptive methods [14][15][16]. This analysis differs from previous studies by comparing perceived versus objective knowledge of IUDs and other contraceptive methods, and by examining a broad set of socio-demographic characteristics as correlates of IUD knowledge.…”

Racial and ethnic disparities in contraceptive knowledge among women veterans in the ECUUN study

“…Recent research has documented that Black and Hispanic women have lower awareness of the full range of available contraceptive methods and also have lower levels of knowledge about the safety and efficacy of hormonal contraception compared to White women [15–19]. Thus, racial/ethnic disparities in contraceptive knowledge may play an important role in differential contraceptive use patterns [17, 20]. …”

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Young Men's Sex and Contraceptive Education

“…Both qualitative and quantitative data demonstrate that there are significant gaps in young men’s knowledge about contraception, and that knowledge deficits may be particularly pronounced among men from racial/ethnic minority groups [1–2]. The literature also suggests that both structured sex education and parent-child communication about sexual health increases contraceptive knowledge and use [3–7].…”