Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/23344
Title: Attitudes towards vasectomy and its acceptance as a method of contraception among clinical-year medical students in a Malaysian private medical college
Authors: Saw Ohn Mar
Osman Ali
Sugathan sandheep
Zul Husayni
Muhammad Zuhri
Keywords: acceptance
attitude
Malaysia
medical students
vasectomy
Issue Date: Feb-2019
Publisher: Singapore Medical Journal
Abstract: INTRODUCTION This study explored attitudes towards vasectomy and its acceptance as a method of contraception among clinical-year medical students, and determined the association between their demographic characteristics, and attitudes and acceptance. METHODS A cross-sectional survey was conducted among clinical-year medical students from a Malaysian private medical college using a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS There were 330 participants with a female preponderance and a mean age of 22.0 ± 1.1 years. The largest proportion of respondents were from Year 3. The vast majority were ethnically Malay (91.8%) and followed Islam (92.4%). Overall, 60.9% of participants had a positive attitude towards vasectomy and 76.0% showed good acceptance. Gender, academic year, ethnicity and religion variables were not associated with attitudes and acceptance (p > 0.05). A significantly higher proportion of male respondents thought that vasectomy was religiously forbidden and would give a bad impression. A significantly higher proportion of Year 5 students agreed to the statement ‘I would recommend vasectomy to relatives, friends and people close to me’ compared to Year 3 and 4 students. CONCLUSION Students’ perception of vasectomy as a contraceptive method was encouraging. Our results suggest that their knowledge improved as medical training progressed, and attitudes evolved for the better irrespective of their traditional, cultural and religious beliefs – highlighting the importance of providing students with evidence-based learning about male sterilisation, which is more cost-effective and is associated with lower morbidity than female sterilisation. A qualitative study involving students from different ethnicities and religions would provide a better understanding of this subject.
URI: 10.11622/smedj.2018065
http://ir.unikl.edu.my/jspui/handle/123456789/23344
ISSN: 0037-5675
Appears in Collections:Journal Articles



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