ArticleFrontiers in reproductive health2022
Rumours, myths, and misperceptions as barriers to contraceptive use among adolescent girls and young women in South Africa.
Article in Frontiers in reproductive health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Assessing the impact of SMS-based interventions in promoting family planning uptake and modern contraceptive utilization in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- 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
- Article
- 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
- Women's Experiences of Contraceptive Counseling for Informed Choice in Moshi Municipality, Tanzania: A Qualitative Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 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
- Community-based family planning resources and modern contraceptive use among young women living with HIV in semi-rural northern Uganda: a mixed-method study.BMC women's health · 2026Article
- Mapping research evidence on the use of contraceptives among adolescent girls in Africa: a scoping study.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Sexual autonomy and contraceptive use among married or cohabiting female youth: insights from recent Ghana demographic and health survey.Contraception and reproductive medicine · 2026Article
- Understanding contraception-use intentions among women of reproductive age not currently using contraceptives in sub-Saharan Africa: key insights from Demographic and Health Surveys.International health · 2026Article
- Barriers and facilitators to community-based, peer-led sexual and reproductive health intervention for adolescent girls and young women in northeastern Uganda: A qualitative study.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
- 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
- Association between male absence and women's reproductive autonomy in sub-Saharan Africa: A cross-sectional analysis of Demographic and Health Survey Data.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- A descriptive qualitative study of pregnancy experiences, care and decision-making amongst South African adolescent girls and young women.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2026Article
- Insights into long-acting reversible contraceptive practices in Sub-Saharan Africa: A machine learning perspective.PloS one · 2026Article
- Prevalence and Impact of Contraceptive Misconceptions Among Married Women in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- An in-depth interview study of women's perspectives on the effects of contraceptive use on future fertility in Ethiopia and Kenya.SSM. Qualitative research in health · 2025Article
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5 authors.
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Abstract
Background: Rumours, myths, and misperceptions about contraceptives are a barrier to contraceptive use in general, but more so among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). As rumours and misinformation disseminate easily, it is important to explore how they affect the uptake of contraceptives among AGYW at risk of unintended pregnancies. This study used qualitative methods to explore whether rumours, myths, and misperceptions about contraceptives remain barriers to modern contraceptive use among AGYW who were beneficiaries of a combination HIV prevention intervention in South Africa. Methods: Four (4) once-off in-depth interviews, 53 serial in-depth interviews, and 19 focus group discussions (FGDs) with 185 AGYW aged 15-24 years living in 5 of the 10 intervention districts were conducted as part of the HERStory 1 Study. Interviews and FGDs were audio recorded and data were analysed thematically, aided by Nvivo 12 software. Results: Rumours, myths, and misperceptions about contraceptives, as well as sociocultural norms regarding contraception seriously hinder AGYWs' use of modern contraceptives. Peer/friends' disapproval and parents' and boyfriend's lack of support for AGYWs' use of contraceptives, based on rumours and perceived side effects, also impede AGYWs' access and use of contraceptives. Conclusion: Sexual and reproductive health programmes could address social norms that disapprove of contraception and target rumours, myths, and misperceptions regarding modern contraceptive methods through educational campaigns and community engagements. Promoting the use of contraception in the community and men's acceptance of contraceptive use, in particular, may increase their understanding of modern contraceptives and, subsequently, their approval for their partners to use them.
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