| Description |
Pregnancy control knowledge, practices, and attitudes of mothers of large families who lived in areas of rural Utah were investigated. The purpose of the study was to describe and document characteristics of this select group of women, mothers of large families. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire mailed to women in selected rural counties of Utah who were mothers of at least six living children. All of the participants of the study had given birth to a child during 1976. One hundred-six questionnaires were analyzed. This study indicates that it is by choice that a group of women in rural Utah have large families. As a group, they felt they have all the information about birth control methods that they need. The tool used to measure their actual knowledge of pregnancy control devices was inadequate due to different interpretations of the work effectiveness. Most of the women who participated in the study have used some form of pregnancy control at some time to space their children, although a number of them have not. Again, this is a matter of personal preference as they felt birth control was available to them if they wanted to use it. Many of the women indicated they wanted more children, a factor which will undoubtedly influence future contraceptive use. This group of women voiced strong attitudes regarding contraception. Health was important to them and was considered a valid reason for pregnancy prevention. However, Economics; and overpopulation were not. Use of contraceptives was influenced by religious values and desire for children. Convenience of birth control methods was not notably important to these women. They felt that other people wanted small families due to selfishness, Economics;, and ecological reasons. Strong feelings were expressed that it was the right of each individual couple to decide the size of their family. Strong disapproval was given for government support of families or family planning agencies. The results of this study are only pertinent to the group of women in the particular geographic location due to the dominance of the LDS religion. Further study is needed to document the pregnancy control knowledge, practices, and attitudes or women having large families in other areas of the United States. Further study is also needed in Utah to compare pregnancy control knowledge, practices, and attitudes of women with small families as well as large families. Several implications for Nursing; care can be drawn from this study. First, nurses were not considered by the group of women in the study to be an important or even a mentionable part of the family planning care they had received. This may be because the women did not know nurses were available to provide family planning care or because nurses actually are not knowledgeable resources for family planning care and counseling. As health care providers, nurses share the goal of total health care for all people; consequently, they must become educated and actively involved in family planning services, which are an integral part of total health care. Second, these women wanted and planned to have large families. They place high value of their roles as mothers and homemakers. Nurses could provide a valuable service to these women as health educators. Family planning includes adding children as well as limiting family size. Nurses with an understanding of the wants and needs of this special group of women have the opportunity to render the necessary types of service. |
