Abstract
Background: Women and couples must accurately comprehend and be aware of reproductive facts in order to make informed decisions about if, when, and how to conceive. Family planning method use is mostly determined by knowledge and awareness.
Goals and objectives: The purpose of the current study was to determine the level of knowledge about contraception among staff nurses and student nurses of childbearing age employed at our hospital.
Material and Methods: The current study was a cross-sectional study done on staff nurses and student nurses who were of reproductive age. A proforma that had been pre-designed and pre-tested was used to interview the participants.
Results: 450 women were interviewed over the course of the study. The majority of participants (42.7%) were between the ages of 15 and 24; 76.9% were Hindus; 51.6% were married; 63.1% had used birth control; and 58.7% had not yet conceived. In this survey, the condom (62.0%) was the most widely used method of birth control. Oral pills (32.4%), copper-T (22.5%), other (injection) (19.7%), tubectomy (12.0%), and vasectomy (7.7%) were also used as contraceptives. According to study participants, the main justifications for using contraceptives were to prevent unwanted pregnancies (79.6%), prevent sexually transmitted diseases (71.1%), have children when necessary (69.8%), space out births (55.1%), improve health (39.6%), and lessen family financial burden (20.9%). The majority of participants (74.7%), in their opinion, attributed preferential usage of contraceptives to their affordability.
Other explanations were other (54.2%), husband's preference (16.0%), pleasant and simple to use (63.6%), easily accessible (60.0%), and other. Participants believed that the main reasons for not using contraceptives were the desire for children (93.8%), ignorance (74.2%), fear of the ill effects (54.2%), lack of availability (45.8%), pressure from the husband or family (34.7%), and religious prohibition (29.8%).
Conclusion: Due to superior information, there was better use of contraceptives in the current study. Inadequate use of family planning techniques is frequently caused by a lack of understanding, the big family norm, religious myths, cultural barriers, and ignorance of the uses and negative effects of various contraceptive methods.
Keywords: knowledge, contraceptive use, contraceptive methods, family planning, reproductive age.