What Does He Think? Male Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Long-Acting Reversible Contraception

Abstract

Study objective: Contraceptive counseling, especially regarding long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), has generally been directed at women. However, male partners and peers may influence contraceptive decision making. As there were no published studies examining male perceptions of LARC in the United States, this study investigated male knowledge and attitudes regarding LARC.

Design: An anonymous electronic cross-sectional survey collecting qualitative and quantitative data was administered from May to September 2018.

Setting: Participants were recruited via university e-mail listservs and in-person at a campus student organization fair at the University of Illinois at Chicago in Chicago (UIC), Illinois.

Participants: University students identifying as male and 18-24 years of age.

Interventions: None.

Main outcomes measured: Knowledge of LARC, perceptions of LARC, interest in learning about LARC.

Results: Participants (n = 97) were predominantly heterosexual (83.5%) men. Of those who were sexually active (63.9%), 98.4% reported female partners trying to avoid pregnancy. The most commonly used methods of contraception were oral contraceptive pills (48.4%) and/or condoms (80.6%). The majority (76.3%) of participants had not heard of LARC. Absence of prior LARC use by a partner was associated with knowledge deficits about LARC (odds ratio = 0.26, 95% confidence interval = 0.70-1.00); however, this association was not seen with other contraceptive methods. Participants familiar with LARC were generally neutral to very supportive of LARC (87.0%). Additionally, 80.4% of participants were interested in learning more about LARC.

Conclusion: Males 18-24 years of age had limited knowledge of LARC, with an interest in learning more about LARC. This information could shape interventions to bridge knowledge gaps, ultimately helping women to make supported contraceptive choices.

Keywords: Contraception; Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC); Partner attitudes on contraception; Peer attitudes on contraception.