A study on assessment of knowledge towards family planning practices among the couples of reproductive age group in the field practice area of Prathima institute of medical sciences, Karimnagar
Background: Population explosion is a major problem in developing country like India. Contraception is important for the health of the nation. Hence the present study aimed at elucidating knowledge of the couples towards contraception. Methods: A cross - sectional study was conducted during February 2013-January 2014 among the couples residing in the field practice study areas. A semi-structured questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge towards various methods of family planning was administered to 406 couples of the study area. Results: It has been observed that female scored higher than males, however there was no statistically significant difference between the overall knowledge scores (18.67±7.798 vs. 18.41±7.177). In general, the highest knowledge was obtained in the domain of permanent contraception followed by temporary methods like condom and IUDs. The least knowledge scores were obtained in the domain of emergency contraceptives and natural methods of contraception. Urban population’s over all mean knowledge scores was 22.60±6.673 compared with rural population 14.48±5.898 and was statistically significant (p=0.036). However, the marked difference in knowledge scores was obtained in the context of gender and place of residence. Conclusions: The present study demonstrates that the average knowledge among males and females and in urban and rural area, but some knowledge gaps on certain specific aspects still remained which needs to be addressed to improve the quality of life of people.