LEVEL OF AWARENESS OF CONTRACEPTIVE METHODS

УРОВЕНЬ ОСВЕДОМЛЁННОСТИ О МЕТОДАХ КОНТРАЦЕПЦИИ

Каландарова Надинхон Ойбековна

студент, Российский университет дружбы народов (РУДН),

РФ, г. Москва

Эмаимо Алисе Джон

научный руководитель, ассистент КИЯ, Медицинского институт Российского университета дружбы народов (РУДН),

РФ, г. Москва

ABSTRACT

Contraception has a history as long as humanity itself. At all times, people have been concerned with finding a reliable and fail-safe way to prevent unwanted pregnancies, and with it the possibility of avoiding infection with sexually transmitted diseases. One of the first references to the condom as a means of protection in antiquity was around 3000 BC. In 1960, the first oral contraceptive, Enovid, was approved for mass production and sale in the United States. Nowadays, medicine offers a wide range of hormonal contraceptives, from pills containing minimal doses of hormones to long-acting contraceptives such as patches, injections or spirals. However, barrier methods of contraception are still relevant. After all, only the use of male and female condoms can significantly reduce the risk of transmission of infections.

AIM

The objective of my research is to compile statistics on the level of awareness of contraceptive methods among people over the age of 16 and to further develop a plan to disseminate knowledge in this area based on the results of the compiled statistics.

АННОТАЦИЯ

История контрацепции насчитывает столько же лет, сколько и история самого человечества. Во все времена люди были озабочены поиском надежного и безотказного способа предотвратить нежелательную беременность, а вместе с ней и возможность избежать заражения заболеваниями, передающимися половым путем. Одно из первых упоминаний о презервативе как средстве предохранения в древности относится к 3000 году до нашей эры. В 1960 году в США был одобрен к массовому производству и продаже первый оральный контрацептив - Эновид. Сегодня медицина предлагает широкий спектр гормональных контрацептивов - от таблеток, содержащих минимальные дозы гормонов, до контрацептивов длительного действия, таких как пластыри, инъекции или спирали. Однако барьерные методы контрацепции по-прежнему актуальны. Ведь только использование мужских и женских презервативов может существенно снизить риск передачи инфекций.

ЦЕЛЬ

Цель моего исследования - собрать статистику по уровню осведомленности о методах контрацепции среди людей старше 16 лет и в дальнейшем разработать план по распространению знаний в этой области на основе результатов собранной статистики.

Keywords: contraception, contraceptive methods, sexual activity, safety, health, STDs, pregnancy.

Ключевые слова: контрацепция, методы контрацепции, половая жизнь, безопасность, здоровье, ЗППП, беременность.

INTRODUCTION

Contraception is methods of preventing unwanted pregnancy and preventing sexually transmitted infections. Contraception was discovered because of the need to reduce the birth rate in Ancient Times and to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in the Middle Ages.

I chose this topic because of its relevance - nowadays, unfortunately, as I realized from my experience, people of different ages do not have proper knowledge in this area, because of which their health and sometimes the health of their sexual partners often suffers.

OVERVIEW

Before we start talking about contraceptive methods, it is worth noting the important facts of its necessity:

1. Preventing unintended pregnancy: Contraception enables couples to plan for pregnancy and prevent unwanted pregnancies. Unwanted pregnancies can have serious consequences for a woman's physical and mental health, as well as the social and economic well-being of the family.
2. Spacing of pregnancies: contraceptive use helps to regulate the spacing of pregnancies, which is important for restoring the health of the mother and ensuring a favorable environment for the next pregnancy. Short intervals between pregnancies increase the risks of complications for mother and child.
3. Reducing the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs): some contraceptive methods, such as condoms, not only prevent pregnancy but also reduce the risk of transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV and other diseases. This is particularly important for public health and preventing the spread of STIs.

These three factors emphasize the importance of contraception for reproductive health, family planning, improving quality of life, and reducing the burden of adverse health and socioeconomic consequences of unintended pregnancy and STIs.

MATERIALS AND RESULTS

The survey about the level of awareness of contraceptive methods was conducted in April 2024 among students at Peoples' Friendship University of Russia (PFUR) and other willing participants, regardless of race, religion and culture 16 years and older. 67 people participated in the survey. 76,1% of the participants were the age of 16-20, 19,4% – 21-25, 3% – 26-34 and above 35 – 1,5%. 67,2% of the participants were female and male – 32,8%. The study questions were about what contraceptive methods participants use, what contraceptive methods participants know about in general, and what contraceptive methods participants think are most effective.

Do you use contraception?

Figure 1. Chart showing the percentage of participants using contraception

The study Key Factors Influencing Contraceptive Use in Eastern Europe and Central Asia showed that women do not use modern contraception for several reasons: lack of reliable information on contraceptive methods, lack of full-fledged family planning counseling, high cost of contraceptives, lack of choice and irregular supply.

What contraceptive methods do you and your partner use?

Figure 2. Chart showing the percentage of contraceptive methods used by participants

According to a population-based study Contraception in Contemporary Russia: Use and Awareness – the most used contraceptive methods are condoms (45%), oral contraceptives (30%) and interrupted sexual intercourse (23%).

Select the contraceptive methods you knew about before the previous question:

Figure 3. Chart showing the percentage of contraceptive methods that participants were aware of prior to the previous question

According to a population-based study Contraception in Contemporary Russia: Use and Awareness – awareness of modern methods is high (98% - condoms, 87% - oral contraception and 71% - copper intrauterine device), to a lesser extent - of hormonal releasing systems (30-56%).

How did you learn the information about contraception?

Figure 4. Chart showing the percentage of sources from which participants learned about contraceptive methods

Most people learn about contraception through the internet and social media.

Which method of contraception do you think is the most safe?

Figure 5. Chart showing the percentage of contraceptive methods that participants consider most effective

Oral contraception and the contraceptive coil are considered some of the most effective methods of contraception.

Do you know what emergency contraception is?

Figure 6. Chart showing the percentage of participants who know about emergency contraception

According to a population-based study Contraception in Contemporary Russia: Use and Awareness – most respondents (59%) are aware of the existence of emergency contraception.

Do you consider interrupted sexual intercourse a reliable method of contraception?

Figure 7. Chart showing the percentage of participants who consider interrupted intercourse to be a reliable method of contraception

Out of 100 women who use interrupted intercourse as protection, an average of 19-20 become pregnant within a year, which is one of the main reasons why this method of contraception is ineffective.

CONCLUSION

According to the survey results, it can be concluded that there is a lack of awareness about contraceptive methods and their effectiveness among the interviewed people. This indicates that nowadays the topic of contraception and sex in general is still, unfortunately, taboo and, moreover, in most countries there are still no or insufficient conditions to correct this problem. This problem has serious consequences for people's physical and moral health and must be corrected.

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