An Investigation into Long-acting Reversible Contraception: Use, Awareness, and Associated Factors
Mojgan Zendehdel 1, Shayesteh Jahanfar 2 * , Zainab Hamzehgardeshi 3 4, Ensiyeh Fooladi 5
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1 Reproductive and Sexual Health Research Centre, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Mazandaran, IRAN2 School of Health Sciences, Central Michigan University, Health Professions Building 2242, Mount Pleasant, MI, 48859, USA3 Sexual and Reproductive Health Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, IRAN4 Associate Professor, Department of Reproductive Health and Midwifery, Nasibeh Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, IRAN5 Women’s Health Research Program, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the prevalence, awareness, perceived reliability, and factors associated with the use of long-acting reversible contraception among reproductive-aged, married women and men in Iran.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1520 men and women between 15-49 years of age who attended public health centers in Tehran were surveyed.
Results: About 85% of the respondents reported that they were already familiar with intrauterine contraception and 61.9% with Medroxyprogesterone Acetate. The majority of women respondents had not considered IUDs (57.2%) or DMPA (59.1%) as reliable methods. As for men, IUDs (53.8%) or DMPA (39.8%) were considered as reliable methods of contraception. Moreover, a higher number of women thought it was better to refrain from using IUDs (60.3%) or DMPA (61.5%) than men [IUDs (53.4%) or DMPA (40.2%)]. Those who in the younger age group (18-40 years old), had younger partners (18-40 years old), had education beyond a high school diploma and had no history of unwanted pregnancy (58%) were less likely to use LARC.
Conclusions: Men and women are familiar with LARC (Long-acting reversible contraception) methods, but few believe that these methods are reliable. Demonstration of the performance of long-term methods by health personnel will increase the belief and trust of women and men in longer-lasting ways of contraception.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EUR J ENV PUBLIC HLT, Volume 4, Issue 2, 2020, Article No: em0039

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejeph/7837

Publication date: 17 Mar 2020

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