Abstract
Introduction
The rapid growth of the Saudi Arabian economy led to socio-demographic changes, with an increasing need for birth spacing and the use of contraceptives. This study evaluated the knowledge, attitude, and practice of contraception use in the Makkah region of Saudi Arabia.
Methods
This cross-sectional study used an online questionnaire involving women aged 18-49 in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Descriptive analyses were performed and the Chi-squared test was used to compare variables. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results
The study included 352 women aged 32±9.1 years with a response rate of 91%. Among them, 72.1% had a diploma or bachelor's degree, and two-thirds were married (63.4%). Nearly all respondents had heard of contraception before (96.9%). However, only 44.3% knew contraception is a method of family planning, and 23.9% knew it prevents unwanted pregnancy. During the period of conducting the research, 37.8% reported using some contraception. Oral contraceptive pills (OCP) (97.2%, 33.8%), intrauterine devices (IUD) (97.2%, 22.7%), and male condoms (92.9%, 16.9%) were the most known and popular contraception methods used. Respondents' primary sources of information regarding contraception were relatives or friends (38.3%) and websites (30.2%), and 61.9% needed education on family planning. We found that women with multiple children were significantly more likely to practice family planning (p=0.005).
Conclusion
We found that participants were aware of and had a good attitude toward family planning. However, they had poor knowledge and poor practice of family planning. Raising awareness and education are recommended to improve knowledge and practice of family planning.