Attitudes of Married Muslim Women Regarding Family Planning Methods During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Western Turkey

Abstract

COVID-19 had negative effects upon family planning. Women cannot visit healthcare facilities because of a fear of curfew-related sanctions or exposure to COVID-19. It is seen that religious beliefs are influential especially in terms of family planning method preference and having abortions. This study was conducted to determine the attitudes of married Muslim women regarding family planning methods during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 611 married Muslim women who presented to the family planning outpatient clinic of a public hospital in Western Turkey between 1 September 2020 and 1 March 2021. The mean Family Planning Attitude Scale score of the women was found to be 137.53 +/- 27.11. It was observed that, as the mean age of the women increased, their family planning attitudes were more positive, and as their number of pregnancies, abortions and living children increased, their attitudes were more negative (p < 0.05). Women do not want to get pregnant during the pandemic process. This is because the effects of COVID-19 on both themselves and the baby to be born are not known, which worries women. Therefore, in order to transform positive attitudes regarding family planning into behavior, it is recommended to provide effective training and consultancy services during the pandemic period.