Gender Difference in Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices towards Family Planning among Married Adults Attending Primary Health Care Centers in The Kingdom of Bahrain: Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: Family planning (FP) has become a fundamental part of healthcare and it can be achieved effectively by safe methods. This study was conducted to determine the gender difference in the knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards FP among married adults attending primary healthcare centers (PHCs) in Bahrain. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at five PHCs from the four governorates in Bahrain over two weeks period in May 2021. A self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate the knowledge, practice, and attitude of married adults towards FP. Results: The study included 1221 participants (705 females and 516 males). Our study showed that 83.6% of the population had heard of Family Planning Methods (FPM) in general. However, female participants heard more about FPM than males. The FPM practice revealed that 71.9% of the participants are using at least one method. The most common methods are withdrawal (42.4%), and male condoms (29.9%). However, 42.5% of participants still have fears about using FPM. The majority of these fears were related to side effects (57.7%). Conclusions: The study revealed that the level of knowledge, attitude and FP utilization in both sexes was lower compared to other studies. In order to improve the public’s practice of FP, more investment should be made in health promotion programs. Keywords: Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, Family Planning, Gender Difference, Bahrain.