Knowledge and attitude on family planning among medical students in Egypt: a multicentric cross-sectional study

Family planning refers to a conscious effort done by a couple to limit or space the number of children they have through the use of contraceptives. Effective family planning can prevent abortions, maternal morbidity, and maternal deaths. It contributes to broader public health goals, including improved maternal and child health outcomes. Studies have shown that medical students need more knowledge regarding family planning. Enhancing their understanding of family planning can positively influence their future clinical practice and patient counseling, leading to better healthcare delivery in their communities. Thus, this study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of medical students in Egypt towards family planning and the factors affecting them.

This was a multi-centric descriptive cross-sectional study with an analytical component. We used a multistage stratified cluster sampling method. Twelve Egyptian medical universities were chosen to ensure the representation of governmental, private and Al-Azhar medical schools. The estimated sample size was 1072. Our tool was a self-administered questionnaire used from a previously published study, which showed acceptable reliability: α = 0.825 for knowledge and 0.906 for attitude. We analyzed data using IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software version 25. Results were statistically significant if the p-value was ≤ 0.05.

We surveyed 926 medical students, aged 17 to 27 years (mean 21.42 ± 1.90 years), with a balanced gender distribution (52.15% males). The majority showed poor knowledge about family planning (85.9%), and inappropriate attitudes (52.7%). We also found that gender significantly influenced knowledge levels (p = 0.04), with higher female scores. While the academic year significantly affected attitudes (p = 0.05). Female sex was a significant predictor of good knowledge (COR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.01-2.14, p = 0.05).

Our overall scores of knowledge and attitude towards family planning were low. Female gender was a significant predictor of good knowledge. Academic year significantly affected the attitude with higher appropriate attitudes among 4th-year students. Stakeholders concerned with family planning should work together to bring behavioral changes towards family planning by providing information, education and communication.