Date of Graduation

5-2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Community Health Promotion (MS)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Health, Human Performance and Recreation

Advisor/Mentor

Heather Blunt-Vinti

Committee Member

Leah Henry

Second Committee Member

Kristen Jozkowski

Keywords

fertility awareness-based methods, infertility, reproductive health, women's health

Abstract

Natural or fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) help users monitor, interpret, and systematically chart female biological markers. FABMs are used as family planning methods and sometimes as reproductive health monitoring methods. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) encourages medical professionals to use female reproductive cycle patterns, ‘the female fifth-vital sign’, as a means of improving the diagnosis and treatment of reproductive health diseases, disorders, and conditions. Patients need to have accurate knowledge of healthy and unhealthy cycle patterns. The general public does not have a sufficient level of fertility health knowledge. This study examined whether females that are interested and not interested in using FABMs for health monitoring and family planning differ in their mean reproductive health knowledge scores (average of six knowledge questions), and whether certain demographic characteristics or having been prescribed the hormonal birth control pill for reproductive health abnormalities predict female interest in using FABMs for health monitoring or family planning. A 52-item survey was administered to a national sample of 665 reproductive age women in March 2018. An independent samples t-test and two binary regression models were run using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software (SPSS). Of the total 665 female participants 279 (41.9%) females reported not being interested in using FABMs for family planning and 386 (58%) females are interested. Females who were not interested in using FABMs for health monitoring (n=352) had a statistically significantly (p<.05) higher mean knowledge scores (73.6%) compared with the knowledge scores (68.8%) of females who were interested (n=237). Similarly, females who were not interested in using FABMs for family planning (n=279) had a statistically significantly (p<.05) higher mean knowledge scores (75.1%) compared with the knowledge scores (69%) of females (n= 386) who were interested. No demographic characteristics nor having been prescribed the hormonal birth control pill for reproductive health abnormalities significantly predicted female interest in using FABMs for health monitoring or family planning. These findings suggest that interest in FABMs for family planning or health monitoring is not isolated to a specific demographic of reproductive age women.

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