Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Australia.
Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Alfred Health, Carlton, Australia.
Eur J Contracept Reprod Health Care. 2021 Aug;26(4):265-271. doi: 10.1080/13625187.2021.1884221. Epub 2021 Feb 22.
Australia introduced 'lockdown' measures to control COVID-19 on 22 March 2020 which continued for a period of two months. We aimed to investigate the impact this had on sexual and reproductive health (SRH).
Australians aged 18+ were eligible to participate in an online survey from 23 April to 11 May 2020. We report on the experiences of 518 female participants aged <50 years. Pregnancy intentions and contraceptive use were analysed using descriptive statistics. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to investigate difficulty accessing SRH products and services. Qualitative data were analysed using conventional content analysis.
Most participants were aged 18-24 years, and indicated they were trying to avoid pregnancy. The oral contraceptive pill was the most common single method used however nearly 20% reported they were not using contraception. Women who were employed had less trouble accessing contraception during lockdown. Participants reported delaying childbearing or deciding to remain childfree due to COVID-19.
COVID-19 lockdown impacted the SRH of Australian women. Findings highlight the importance of continued access to SRH services and products during global emergencies.
澳大利亚于 2020 年 3 月 22 日采取“封锁”措施来控制 COVID-19，该措施持续了两个月。我们旨在调查这对性健康和生殖健康（SRH）的影响。
年龄在 18 岁及以上的澳大利亚人有资格在 2020 年 4 月 23 日至 5 月 11 日期间参加在线调查。我们报告了 518 名年龄<50 岁的女性参与者的经历。使用描述性统计分析怀孕意图和避孕方法的使用情况。使用比值比和 95%置信区间来调查获取 SRH 产品和服务的困难。使用常规内容分析对定性数据进行分析。
大多数参与者的年龄在 18-24 岁之间，并且表示他们试图避免怀孕。口服避孕药是最常用的单一方法，但近 20%的人表示他们没有使用避孕方法。在封锁期间，有工作的女性在获取避孕方面遇到的困难较少。参与者报告由于 COVID-19 而推迟生育或决定保持无子女状态。
COVID-19 封锁对澳大利亚女性的 SRH 产生了影响。研究结果强调了在全球紧急情况下持续获得 SRH 服务和产品的重要性。
