Reproductive Health Knowledge About Miscarriage: A Cross-Sectional Study of University Students

Abstract

To assess university students' knowledge of reproductive health information about miscarriage. A single-centre, cross-sectional study was carried out using an online survey at a higher education institution in the Republic of Ireland between April and May of 2016. A total of 746 university students' responses were analysed. Approximately 60% and 70% of college students correctly identified features of first and second trimester miscarriage. After adjusting for confounders, male students were two times more likely to have a poor knowledge of features of miscarriage compared to females (aOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.3-3.0 and aOR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1-2.6 for first and second trimester respectively). Poor knowledge of features of first trimester miscarriage was less common among older students and students who were married, cohabiting or in a relationship (aOR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.6 and aOR 0.4, 95% CI 0.3-0.8 respectively). Students who studied Medicine and Health were more likely to identify any type of treatment for miscarriage compared to students who studied other disciplines. Students who studied Arts and Social Science were more likely to overestimate the percentage of miscarriages with an identified cause compared to students who studied Medicine and Health. Our results provide additional information about the gap of knowledge in regards to reproductive health information about miscarriage, specifically among university students.