Jordanian Muslim women's intention to use oral contraceptives

Oral contraceptives (OCs) are the second most popular method of contraception in Jordan; however, their use remains low compared with the intrauterine device. The purpose of this article is to report the effect of factors identified by The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) on Jordanian Muslim women's intention to use OCs. TPB was used to develop an investigator-developed instrument, the Intention to Use Oral Contraceptive Tool (IUOCT). The IUOCT measured attitude (general attitude and attitudinal beliefs), social norms and perceived behavioral control factors in a total of 83 women participants. A stepwise regression analysis was calculated using the IUOCT subscales as predictors of Jordanian Muslim women's intention to use OCs. The findings demonstrated that the attitude, specifically general attitude and positive beliefs, about OC use affect Jordanian Muslim women's intention to use OCs. However, the findings provide limited support for social norms and perceived behavioral control as factors influencing Jordanian Muslim women's intention to use OCs. The findings indicate that more attention should be devoted to health education programs on the benefits of using OCs rather than focusing only on correcting misinformation. Nursing implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.