Knowledge and attitudes of norplant among adolescent females

Abstract

Study Objective: To evaluate adolescent females' knowledge and attitudes of the side effects of the Norplant System.Design: A prospective case control study was employed using multivariate statistical analyses.Setting: An outpatient specialty adolescent gynecology clinic in a rural southern state.Participants: Of the 213 females approached, 206 agreed to participate by providing written informed consent. However, data from only 192 of these 206 adolescents were subjected to statistical tests because data was missing from the other 14 subjects.Main Outcome Measures: Knowledge and attitudes of concern for visibility, general safety, skin discoloration, and irregular menses were used as outcome variables. Demographic and related variables such as sexual activity and race were employed as indicator variables.Results: Logistic regression analyses were conducted on each outcome variable after first completing bivariate analyses. Multivariate analyses found improved knowledge was significantly associated with those adolescents currently using Norplant, sexual activity, and positive history of pregnancy. This same analytic plan found that visibility concerns were most likely associated with higher income and sexually active female Norplant users; similar findings were found for general safety and irregular menses where both were associated with current Norplant use; and skin discoloration was only associated with prior pregnancy history.Conclusions: Our data suggest that knowledge among the general adolescent female population is poor. However, the adolescents who currently employ this contraceptive method possessed better knowledge and were more concerned with possible side effects. Thus, counseling detailing potential side effects and cosmetic changes should be given at each follow-up visit.