"I would just take it whenever I felt like it": A qualitative study of women's contraceptive knowledge, attitudes,
Sabrine Chengane1, Angel M Foster2
1Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; GRAS, Université Oran 2, Oran, Algeria.
Objectives:
Understanding women's lived experiences offers valuable insights into contraceptive behaviors and helps identify factors influencing contraceptive knowledge and decision-making. To contribute to the existing literature and provide insights for policymaking and program development, we aimed to explore women's contraceptive knowledge, attitudes, and practices across various regions of Algeria and identify factors influencing knowledge and attitudes.
Study Design:
We conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 45 married and unmarried women of reproductive age, living in three regions in northern and southern Algeria. We analyzed interview transcripts, field notes, and memos, using both inductive and deductive techniques, for content and themes.
Results:
Despite widespread contraceptive knowledge, gaps and misinformation persist, alongside negative attitudes rooted in sociocultural norms. These factors, as well as contraceptive shortages, hinder access to contraceptive services, particularly for certain groups like unmarried women and married women without children and sometimes lead to incorrect method use.
Conclusion:
Adopting evidence-based, culturally informed approaches to combat misinformation, raise awareness, and engage men is essential for equitable access to contraceptive information and services. Furthermore, ensuring contraceptive availability is crucial to sustaining the success of national programs and reducing unmet need.
Implications:
Clinicians must combat misinformation by seizing opportunities during patient care to provide scientifically accurate and culturally and linguistically adapted information. The involvement of husbands and other men in educational programs is crucial to improve contraceptive knowledge and practices in Algeria.
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