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Reproductive health awareness among educated young women in Egypt
Author(s) -
El Gelany Saad,
Moussa Ola
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2012.07.027
Subject(s) - medicine , nonprobability sampling , confidentiality , reproductive health , sociocultural evolution , health care , family medicine , nursing , environmental health , population , political science , law , sociology , anthropology , economics , economic growth
Objective To assess the awareness of female Egyptian university students regarding reproductive health (RH) issues, and determine the factors contributing to the students' awareness. Methods A cross‐sectional survey was conducted, in which 220 female Egyptian university students selected by purposive random sampling were interviewed by means of an in‐depth questionnaire. The interviews were private and confidential, and the questions concerned female reproductive anatomy and physiology; sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS; personal preferences, such as age of marriage and spacing between pregnancies; and where young women can access RH care. Results A large proportion of the participants exhibited misunderstanding or a complete lack of knowledge about important RH issues. This overall result, which was determined to be attributable to age and sociocultural factors such as education level, comes as a source of concern for both health service providers and policy makers. Conclusion Awareness of RH is poor in Egypt, even among young women attending institutions of higher education. The present study not only highlights the persistent need for the ongoing RH information programs, but may also provide policy makers with data that will inform new strategies.