The knowledge levels of midwifery students on contraceptive methods: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Effective contraceptives used correctly offer many benefits to both women's and children's health. However, public data reports that the rate at which women use an effective contraceptive method is still insufficient. Midwives, including the students, have an essential role in contraceptive counselling so there is a need to determine midwives' knowledge level on contraceptives. Objective: To evaluate midwifery students' knowledge levels of contraceptive methods. Design: Cross-sectional and descriptive study. Settings: Online survey. Participants: 290 midwifery students who met the inclusion criteria. Methods: The study was conducted between December 2020-March 2021 through Sociodemographic Form and Contraceptive Methods Information Form. Results: The mean age of the participants was 20.93 ± 1.97. There were 7.72 ± 3.21 correct answers to 15 questions measuring knowledge level of contraceptive methods. The most known modern contraceptive method was the condom, and the most known traditional method was the calendar method. 59.7 % of the participants considered the post-coital contraceptive method as a family planning method. The knowledge level on contraceptives of students who had not received prior training before was lower; and the knowledge level of students who received information about contraceptives through their courses in the curriculum was higher than those who learned from other sources. The level of knowledge increased as age and grade increased. Conclusions: Midwifery students had insufficient level of knowledge about contraceptives. Since midwifery students play an active role in family planning, interventions are necessary to deliver more detailed and accurate information about contraceptive methods.