Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Contraceptives among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinics at Teaching Hospital Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Awareness of contraceptive methods is crucial for effective family planning and comprehensive reproductive healthcare. However, unplanned pregnancy is increasingly recognized as a health concern in Sri Lanka. Therefore, this study explores the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of contraceptive methods among pregnant women attending the Teaching Hospital Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 380 pregnant mothers aged 18-49 years attending antenatal clinics at Teaching Hospital Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of contraception.
Results: 82% of pregnant women have a positive attitude towards using contraceptives. The awareness of natural contraceptive methods was reported as abstinence (83.71%), coitus interruptus (80.31%), calendar method (28.48%), cervical mucus method (4.45%), and basal body temperature method (5.95%). Awareness of modern contraceptive methods was noted as oral contraceptive pills (OCP) (70.07%), injectable (63.51%), implants (61.41%), intrauterine contraceptive devices (60.1%), male condoms (66.92%), female condoms (16%), male sterilization (28.86%), and female sterilization (61.14%). The most commonly practiced natural method was coitus interruptus (17.12%), whereas the most commonly practiced modern method was OCP (55.47%). There was a significant difference between awareness and practices of the contraceptive methods, such as OCP (96.6% vs 42.6%, p=0.01) and male condoms (93.2% vs 15.8%, P=0.02).
Conclusion: Awareness of modern contraceptive methods is satisfactory compared to that of natural contraceptive methods. Actual practices of contraception are significantly lower than their awareness.