A cross-sectional study on knowledge, attitude and practice towards contraception among medical students in a tertiary care center of coastal Karnataka, India

Abstract

High rates of unplanned pregnancies are due to continued gaps in awareness and access to contraception. An exemplary health care infrastructure would play a major role in resolving this issue. To investigate knowledge, attitude and practice towards contraception among medical students in a tertiary care center of Karnataka. A cross-sectional study was conducted including 100 undergraduate medical students during September 2018 to February 2019 using predesigned questionnaire on contraception and analyzed using percentages. Nearly 93% of students chose condom as best way to prevent sexually transmitted infections and 47% chose emergency contraceptive pills as risk factor for ectopic pregnancy. Failure rates of natural methods was 20-25% according to 33% of the students. Majority of participants believed that both sexes have equal responsibility for contraception and chose intrauterine contraceptive devices as best contraception for nulliparous women. Oral contraceptive pills had least failure rates as per 70% of the subjects compared to diaphragm, condom or natural methods. Irregular bleeding was considered as most common side effect of oral contraceptives by half of participants while 91% thought condoms were best for couples who were not regularly sexually active. Around 84% of undergraduates preferred to consult a doctor for contraceptive advice and were comfortable discussing contraception with partner. Overall, students had reasonably good knowledge on contraception. Similar studies in future would pave the way for upgrading current health curriculum to strengthen knowledge base of future clinicians.