A study on knowledge of women about condom and its relationship with the
usage of condom in their partners
Z. Sooki, K. Sharifi, Z. Tagharrobi
Faculty Of Nursing and Midwifery, Kashan University of Medical Sciences
and Health Services, Iran
Objective: Birth control is one of the major needs of our society at
the present time. Unwanted pregnancies, in particular, is one of the most
important issues in public health and family planning. Each year, particularly
in developing countries, a large number of women die from complications of
pregnancy. Most of unwanted pregnancies are preventable. There are various
methods of contraception. One of these is wearing condom by men which can be
effective if used properly. This study was conducted to determine the women
knowledge and its effect on usage of condom in their partners in Kashan-Iran in
2003.
Design and Methods: In this descriptive- analytical study 498 women
referring to kashan university primary health care centers, received condom for
their husbands and completed prepared questionnaire from september to november
in 2003.
Results: This study showed that 4% of our cases had poor knowledge,
31% medium level of knowledge and finally 65% acceptable knowledge of using
condom. Furthermore, 15% of the husbands used condom improperly, 5% used it
relatively well and 34% used it appropriately. There is a significant
statistical relationship between knowledge of using condom in women and its
usage in men (p<0.001). There is also a meaningful relationship between level of education of partner and knowledge and practice about condom (p<0.001). In addition, 22% of our cases had no information about the appropriate timing of usage of condom and 19% had improper reaction when faced up with torn condom.
Conclusions: Considering significant statistical relationship between
knowledge and usage of condom, its strongly recommended to reinforce the
education programs of partners in appropriate practice of birth control methods
and particularly the use of condom.
