SURVEY OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALS REGARDING FAMILY PLANNING

Abstract

A nationwide questionnaire survey in the fall of 1971 of 6333 predominantly white and single nursing students between 18 and 25 years of age and 712 faculty members was conducted to: 1) assess attitudes on family planning; 2) identify their considered roles in family planning services; 3) assess knowledge about human sexuality and birth control; and 4) obtain opinions about schools preparation with respect to family planning. 34% of the faculty and 5% of the students expected to have no children while 23% of faculty and 4% of students felt this to be ideal for them. The age differential between faculty and students as well as the fact that 57% of faculty but only 20% of the students were married accounts for this. 54% of the students 43% of the faculty viewed 3 or more children as ideal for the average American family. Most students and faculty cited instructional dissatisfaction in psychological aspects of birth control population pollution in relation to family planning and instruction in human sexuality. Students also saw deficiencies in problems related to unplanned pregnancies while faculty members wanted more opportunities for students to observe or counsel clients in family planning. The faculty saw a greater role for nurses in family planning and more role differentiation (nurses vs social workers) than did the students. Over 90% believed that health and economic reasons were important bases for birth control. 86% of the faculty 81% of the students agreed with preventing conception for any reason. 77% of the faculty 72% of the students felt fertility regulation should be practiced to restrict population growth. 94% of the faculty 85% of the students felt birth control should be practiced to space births. 83% of the students 80% of the faculty felt birth control should be encouraged to prevent problems of pregnancy in unmarried women. 8% of the students 7% of the faculty believed that it should not be practiced under any circumstances. Increased use of birth control was approved if it resulted in freer attitudes towards sex (42% faculty 37% students) or less emphasis on the importance of motherhood (28% faculty 21% students). 54% of the students 40% of the faculty said they were inadequately prepared to work with people regarding family planning.