Understanding women’s knowledge and attitudes toward the use of emergency contraceptive methods at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background: Emergency contraception (EC) is an effective and safe choice for preventing unintended pregnancies if taken within the first 4 to 5 days. The review of existing literature indicates that EC options are often underused globally, primarily due to insufficient awareness among women. Aim: To...

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Main Authors: Razaz M. Wali, Nourah A. Alageel, Bushra S. Alghamdi, Layali I. Assiri, Wejdan A. Alshehri
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-02-01
Series:Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1567_24
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author Razaz M. Wali
Nourah A. Alageel
Bushra S. Alghamdi
Layali I. Assiri
Wejdan A. Alshehri
author_facet Razaz M. Wali
Nourah A. Alageel
Bushra S. Alghamdi
Layali I. Assiri
Wejdan A. Alshehri
author_sort Razaz M. Wali
collection DOAJ
description Background: Emergency contraception (EC) is an effective and safe choice for preventing unintended pregnancies if taken within the first 4 to 5 days. The review of existing literature indicates that EC options are often underused globally, primarily due to insufficient awareness among women. Aim: To determine the knowledge and attitude toward the use of EC methods among women at Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs) at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC)-Jeddah. Materials and Methods: This is a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional observational study. It was conducted among women of the reproductive age group (18–55 years) who visited the PHCCs at KAMC-J, Saudi Arabia from 1st of December 2023 to 31st of May 2024. Statistical Analysis: The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 29 was used. Results: A total of 378 women took part in the study. The majority (47.6%) were aged between 26 and 35 years and 38.4% reported that they had no knowledge of EC and 61.6% reported they had knowledge about ER. The major source of knowledge was the Internet. (81.0%) reported their physician had not discussed EC with them and only 12.4% (47 participants) reported such a discussion, whereas 6.6% (25 participants) were unsure. Only a small percentage of participants (5.0%) reported having used EC. A significant association was found between knowledge about EC and several factors. Conclusion: This study showed that many participants at PHCCs at KAMC-J had insufficient knowledge of EC, with the Internet being the most common source of information. Demographic factors, such as age, marital status, education level, employment, number of children, income, and being a healthcare worker, were significantly associated with the level of EC knowledge.
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spelling doaj-art-87dc1436edec4fbcb18d0a1d137215392025-08-20T02:59:16ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsJournal of Family Medicine and Primary Care2249-48632278-71352025-02-0114272973510.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1567_24Understanding women’s knowledge and attitudes toward the use of emergency contraceptive methods at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaRazaz M. WaliNourah A. AlageelBushra S. AlghamdiLayali I. AssiriWejdan A. AlshehriBackground: Emergency contraception (EC) is an effective and safe choice for preventing unintended pregnancies if taken within the first 4 to 5 days. The review of existing literature indicates that EC options are often underused globally, primarily due to insufficient awareness among women. Aim: To determine the knowledge and attitude toward the use of EC methods among women at Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs) at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC)-Jeddah. Materials and Methods: This is a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional observational study. It was conducted among women of the reproductive age group (18–55 years) who visited the PHCCs at KAMC-J, Saudi Arabia from 1st of December 2023 to 31st of May 2024. Statistical Analysis: The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 29 was used. Results: A total of 378 women took part in the study. The majority (47.6%) were aged between 26 and 35 years and 38.4% reported that they had no knowledge of EC and 61.6% reported they had knowledge about ER. The major source of knowledge was the Internet. (81.0%) reported their physician had not discussed EC with them and only 12.4% (47 participants) reported such a discussion, whereas 6.6% (25 participants) were unsure. Only a small percentage of participants (5.0%) reported having used EC. A significant association was found between knowledge about EC and several factors. Conclusion: This study showed that many participants at PHCCs at KAMC-J had insufficient knowledge of EC, with the Internet being the most common source of information. Demographic factors, such as age, marital status, education level, employment, number of children, income, and being a healthcare worker, were significantly associated with the level of EC knowledge.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1567_24emergency contraceptionknowledgeprimary health careunintended pregnancywomen’s health
spellingShingle Razaz M. Wali
Nourah A. Alageel
Bushra S. Alghamdi
Layali I. Assiri
Wejdan A. Alshehri
Understanding women’s knowledge and attitudes toward the use of emergency contraceptive methods at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
emergency contraception
knowledge
primary health care
unintended pregnancy
women’s health
title Understanding women’s knowledge and attitudes toward the use of emergency contraceptive methods at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
title_full Understanding women’s knowledge and attitudes toward the use of emergency contraceptive methods at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
title_fullStr Understanding women’s knowledge and attitudes toward the use of emergency contraceptive methods at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
title_full_unstemmed Understanding women’s knowledge and attitudes toward the use of emergency contraceptive methods at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
title_short Understanding women’s knowledge and attitudes toward the use of emergency contraceptive methods at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
title_sort understanding women s knowledge and attitudes toward the use of emergency contraceptive methods at king abdulaziz medical city jeddah saudi arabia
topic emergency contraception
knowledge
primary health care
unintended pregnancy
women’s health
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1567_24
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