Examining men's attitudes toward family planning in Istanbul, Turkey

Family planning (FP) is a vital component of reproductive health and gender equality, particularly in developing countries. Despite the critical role of men in FP decision-making, their involvement remains limited due to sociocultural factors. This study aims to examine men's attitudes toward FP in Turkey and highlight the need for more inclusive FP strategies.

A descriptive study was conducted with 400 male participants residing in Istanbul, using the Family Planning Attitude Scale (FPAS), a validated and standardized questionnaire. Stratified sampling was employed to ensure diverse representation of educational backgrounds and sociodemographic factors. The statistical analyses employed descriptive statistics, an independent sample t-test, a one-way ANOVA, and a Pearson correlation analysis.

The mean total score of the Family Planning Attitude Scale was found to be 74.5 ± 30.4, with the mean of the sub-dimensions "attitude towards society" being 31.8 ± 14.3, "attitude towards methods" being 24.8 ± 11.2, and "attitude towards pregnancy" being 17.9 ± 8.0. The total scale score and sub-dimension scores of the participants were found to be at a relatively low level. Significant differences were observed in participants' attitudes towards family planning according to educational level, spouses' educational status, age at early marriage, and having children (p < 0.05). The results indicated that individuals who did not utilize contraceptive methods exhibited more negative attitudes than those who did (M = 84.0 vs. M = 71.1). The criteria that men considered when selecting a family planning method were found to significantly influence their attitudes toward pregnancy (F = 7.02; p = 0.001).

The findings underscore the necessity of increasing men's FP knowledge and access to contraceptive methods. Targeted interventions should focus on improving men's understanding of FP methods to foster shared decision-making between spouses.

Clinical trial number: not applicable. The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in the National Thesis Center at tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/tezSorguSonucYeni.jsp.