KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND EXPERIENCE OF LEBANESE FEMALES TOWARD ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE USE

Authors

Nisrine Al Rifaii, Pharmacy Student, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, LebanonFollow
Chaza Alaeddine, Senior lecturer, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, LebanonFollow
Souraya Domiati, Associate Professor of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, LebanonFollow
Abdalla El-Lakany, Professor of Chemistry of Natural Products, Dean of Faculty of Pharmacy, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon; Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Alexandria, EgyptFollow

English Title

KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND EXPERIENCE OF LEBANESE FEMALES TOWARD ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE USE

Keywords

Oral contraceptive pills, contraception, attitude, knowledge

Disciplines

Life Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences

Abstract

Family planning is a key to slow unsustainable population growth and the resulting negative impacts on the national development efforts. Birth control pills or oral contraceptives are commonly used among childbearing-age women for family planning. Accordingly, this study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and experience of oral contraceptive use among Lebanese women. A descriptive, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted in Beirut and suburbs in 2018. The questionnaire included sociodemographic information consisting of age, educational level, occupation, marital status, and past medical history. It also included four different sections describing the pattern of use of oral contraceptives, attitude, knowledge, and previous experience. Out of the 385 addressed, 367 participants completed the survey the age range from 20 to 44 years accounted for 77.11%. The most commonly used methods of contraception were withdrawal method (45%) and male condoms (20.7%) while the use of oral contraceptive pills accounted for 18.45%. The chief prescriber for pills was the physician (76.6%), whereas only 10% gave a role to the pharmacist. Side effects of oral contraceptives were a crucial cause that led two-thirds of pill users to stop them and use an alternative contraceptive method. Although the majority of women considered oral contraceptives effective and easy to use, only one-third preferred pills, and less than half thought that oral contraceptives were safe. Unfortunately, only 36% of the participants were aware that some medications could affect pill efficacy. Moreover, less than half of the women knew that missed doses should be retaken. Ineligibility for oral contraceptives was detected in a few participants. The results obtained revealed an inadequate level of knowledge of the Lebanese women regarding the use, safety, and efficacy of oral contraceptives, and this might have contributed to their negative attitude towards the use of pills.

Author ORCID Identifier

Nisrine Al Rifaii - ORCID: 0009-0000-2562-7027

Chaza Alaeddine - ORCID: 0009-0007-6211-5988

Souraya Domiati - ORCID: 0000-0002-6423-5488

Abdalla El-Lakany - ORCID: 0000-0003-2122-2289

Recommended Citation

Al Rifaii, Nisrine; Alaeddine, Chaza; Domiati, Souraya; and El-Lakany, Abdalla (2024) "KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND EXPERIENCE OF LEBANESE FEMALES TOWARD ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE USE," BAU Journal - Health and Wellbeing: Vol. 6: Iss. 1, Article 5.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54729/2789-8288.1202