Men's Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Birthspacing and Contraceptive Use in Jordan

This article presents descriptive statistics and results of chi-square analyses of data gathered as part of the cross-sectional survey conducted to examine mens knowledge attitudes and practices regarding birth spacing and the use of contraceptives. The sample consisted of 241 husbands whose wives delivered in three hospitals in Amman in 1996-97. The survey clearly showed that virtually all men (98%) in the sample had heard of birth spacing but only 40% could correctly define the term. About two-thirds of the respondents knew of male contraceptives however a similar proportion did not know where to acquire the information. Some 86% believed that men were as responsible as women for pregnancy prevention and 52% perceived that male contraceptive use would increase if male-oriented services were available. Attitudes toward birth spacing and contraceptive use were more positive among men with at least secondary education and among those who were economically stable.