SAUDI WOMEN'S OBSTACLES IN USING CONTRACEPTION AND ATTITUDE OF SAUDI MALE IN TAIF REGION, SAUDI ARABIA.

Background: The use and avoidance of contraceptive is adopted by individuals and couples on the basis of existing knowledge, attitude towards family planning practices and social and cultural norms. The contraceptive prevalence rate in Saudi Arabia is comparatively low compared to other developed countries. Similar to many Asian countries, topics related to sexuality remained as taboo and obstacles in utilizing of reproductive health services had not been explored extensively among the Saudi population. Therefore the study was conducted to identify contraceptive prevalence, obstacles to use contraceptives and reasons/ methods of contraception opposed by husband. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Obstetrics and Gynecology outpatient clinic in King Abdul Aziz Hospital, Taif from August to October, 2015. The study enrolled married women of reproductive age (18 to 49 years) living with spouse and having at least one child after informed consent. All participants completed a questionnaire inquiring acceptability of contraceptive use, use of contraceptives, perceived barriers in using contraceptives and husband attitude towards contraception. The data was analyzed using SPSS 21.0 statistical software (IBM SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: The study participants perceived fear of side effects (55.7%), followed by accessibility (31.19%) and husband refusal (14.37%) as most important obstacles for contraceptive use. Hindrance from family members (10.4%) and religious beliefs (3.97%) were not identified as important obstacles in using contraceptives. Among one hundred and ninety one women who reflected husband refusal as obstacle for contraceptive use perceived concerns for side effects of contraceptive use for wife (45.55%), desire for more children (30.89%) and religious aspects (9.42%) were the most cited reasons of husband refusal. Conclusion and Recommendation: The study concluded that married women of reproductive age group perceived fear of side effects, accessibility and husband refusal as most important obstacles for contraceptive use. Thus it is highly recommended to educate the health care professionals and use of mass communication so that misconception and lack of reliable and authentic information prevailing related to side effects of contraceptive use could be addressed.