ArticleBMC public health2020
Exploring contraception myths and misconceptions among young men and women in Kwale County, Kenya.
Article in BMC public health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
39 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 67 citations in OpenAlex.
- Barriers and facilitators of acceptability and uptake of long-acting reversible contraceptives in Ethiopia: a systematic review using the COM-B model.Systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Trial
- Why male contraception still stalls: translational, social, and ethical gaps.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2026Article
- A Systematic Review of Barriers and Facilitators to the Uptake and Adherence of Injectable PrEP Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Sub-Saharan Africa.AIDS and behavior · 2026Review
- Contradictions in value systems, social norms, and the disconnect between expectations and reality of sexuality and contraceptive use among youth in Karamoja, Uganda.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Factors influencing preference for short-term over long-term contraceptives among women in northern Uganda. A mixed-methods study.BMC women's health · 2026Article
- Social Media Misinformation, Contraceptive Literacy, and Psychological Well-Being Among Romanian Adolescents and Young Adults.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Use effectiveness of the symptothermal method to ameliorate unmet need for family planning in Kisumu County, Kenya.International health · 2026Article
- Infodemic as a structural barrier to sexual and reproductive health service utilization in Africa: a rapid critical narrative review.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2026Review
- Co-design of a digital health intervention to provide pharmacy-based, person-centered contraceptive decision support for youth in Kenya.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Measuring social norms endorsement and normative influence on contraceptive use among youth (15-24) in northeastern Uganda.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Article
- Contraception, stigma and misinformation: insights from University students in Türki̇ye.BMC public health · 2025Article
- "It's me who supports. How are you going to refuse to have a child?": the social norms and gender dynamics of men's engagement in family planning practices in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- The role of social networks in motivating access and use of contraceptives among adolescent girls and young women living in resource-constrained settings in Cape Town, South Africa.Reproductive health · 2025Article
- Training in the symptothermal method to ameliorate unmet need for family planning: knowledge, attitudes and satisfaction.International health · 2025Article
- Prevalence and predictors of modern contraceptive method utilization among married couples in the pastoralist communities of Fentale district, Eastern Ethiopia.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the impact of diet on pregnancy among infertile individuals: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Exploring Adolescents' Contraceptive Preferences and Trade-Offs: Findings From a Discrete Choice Experiment in Kenya.Studies in family planning · 2025Article
- Factors associated with male acceptance of modern contraceptive methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study in a peri-urban municipality.Contraception and reproductive medicine · 2025Article
- "They say it may cause cancer:" A Qualitative Exploration of Filipinos' Contraceptive Misconceptions and Primary Healthcare Interventions.Acta medica Philippina · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 7 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMyths and misconceptions around modern contraceptives have been associated with low contraceptive uptake in sub-Saharan Africa and Kenya in particular. Addressing persistent contraceptive knowledge gaps can make a significant contribution towards improved contraceptive uptake among young women. This qualitative study therefore sought to explore and understand young people's knowledge of modern contraception and to identify their key concerns regarding these methods.
methodsWe used focus group discussions (FGD) with vignette and writing activities to explore key myths and misconceptions around the use of contraceptives. Six FGDs (three for young men and three for young women) were conducted with a total of 28 young women and 30 young men from Kwale County, Kenya. We included 10 discussants aged 18-24 per FGD, one FGD had 8 participants. Predefined codes reflecting the discussion guides and emerging issues in the FGDs were used to develop the thematic coding framework. Our analysis followed a pattern of association on the key preset themes focusing on myths and misconceptions around contraceptive use.
resultsResults are presented under four key themes: awareness of contraception, myths and misconceptions around contraception, males' contraceptive narratives and young people's preferred sources of contraceptives. Both men and women participants reported basic awareness of contraceptives. A mixture of biological and social misconceptions were discussed and included perceptions that modern contraception: jeopardized future fertility, could result in problems conceiving or birth defects, made women promiscuous, was 'un-African', and would deny couples their sexual freedom. Compared to female respondents in the study, young men appeared to be strong believers of the perceived socio-cultural effects of contraceptives. On preferred sources of contraceptives, respondents reported on two main sources, pharmacies and public hospitals, however, they could not agree on which one was suitable for them.
conclusionsThis study revealed the presence of a mixture of biological and social myths and misconceptions around contraception, with young men also strongly adhering to these misconceptions. The low level of contraceptive knowledge, particularly on contraceptive fears as revealed by the study demonstrate critical gaps in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge among young people. Improved SRH literacy to address contraceptives' fears through appropriate and gender specific interventions to reach out to young men and women with factual SRH information may therefore contribute to increased uptake of SRH services including modern contraceptive methods.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.