Alhassan Haidar N, AlKhamis Mohammed, Alkhudhair Mohammed N
Department of Family Medicine, Al-Ahsa Health Cluster, Al-Ahsa, SAU.
Cureus. 2025 Jul 15;17(7):e88005. doi: 10.7759/cureus.88005. eCollection 2025 Jul.
Family planning is crucial to manage population growth, reduce resource pressure, and enhance the quality of life while also promoting gender equality and improving educational options. While Saudi Arabia's birth rate has declined, it remains high compared to high-income countries. Effective contraception reduces unintended pregnancies and associated maternal health risks. The study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to contraceptive methods among childbearing women in the Al-Ahsa region, Saudi Arabia, in 2025.
This descriptive cross-sectional community-based study was conducted in 2025 among childbearing women residing in the Al-Ahsa region, Saudi Arabia. A convenience sampling yielded 392 participants. The data were collected using a pretested, validated online questionnaire and analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences software for Windows, version 27 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Both descriptive and inferential statistics were applied, with a p value of ≤0.05 considered statistically significant.
This study included 392 Saudi women with a mean age of 33.52 (±8.94) years. Nearly half of them (49.7%) held a bachelor's degree, and 33.4% were employed. Most of the participants (90.3%) had heard of contraception, with 50.3% identifying it as a method of family planning and 45.2% as a way to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Regarding awareness of contraceptive methods, oral contraceptive pills (OCPs; 82.9%) and male condoms (70.7%) were the most recognized. Regarding attitude toward contraception usage, more than half (52.3%) believed that contraceptives are harmful, while 22.2% viewed contraception as useful. More than one-third of responders (37.5%) reported using contraception, with the most common reason being prevention of unplanned pregnancy (33.4%). OCPs and male condoms were the most used methods (12.5% and 12.8%, respectively). Contraceptive use was more prevalent among women aged 26-35 years, those married for three to five years, and those with multiple pregnancies or children.
Although awareness of contraception was high among participants, misconceptions and negative perceptions regarding its safety persist. To enhance contraception use, it is crucial to address prevailing negative attitudes through targeted public health campaigns that debunk myths and promote the benefits of contraception.
计划生育对于控制人口增长、减轻资源压力、提高生活质量至关重要，同时还能促进性别平等并改善教育选择。虽然沙特阿拉伯的出生率有所下降，但与高收入国家相比仍处于高位。有效的避孕措施可减少意外怀孕及相关的孕产妇健康风险。本研究旨在评估2025年沙特阿拉伯艾哈萨地区育龄妇女对避孕方法的知识、态度和实践情况。
这项描述性横断面社区研究于2025年在沙特阿拉伯艾哈萨地区的育龄妇女中开展。采用便利抽样法选取了392名参与者。通过一份经过预测试且有效的在线问卷收集数据，并使用适用于Windows的社会科学统计软件包第27版（IBM公司，纽约州阿蒙克）进行分析。同时应用了描述性统计和推断性统计，p值≤0.05被视为具有统计学意义。
本研究纳入了392名沙特女性，平均年龄为33.52（±8.94）岁。其中近一半（49.7%）拥有学士学位，33.4%有工作。大多数参与者（90.3%）听说过避孕，50.3%将其视为计划生育的一种方法，45.2%将其视为预防意外怀孕的一种方式。关于避孕方法的知晓情况，口服避孕药（82.9%）和男用避孕套（70.7%）是最广为人知的。关于对使用避孕措施的态度，超过一半（52.3%）的人认为避孕药具是有害的，而22.2%的人认为避孕是有用的。超过三分之一的受访者（37.5%）报告使用过避孕措施，最常见的原因是预防意外怀孕（33.4%）。口服避孕药和男用避孕套是最常用的方法（分别为12.
