A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF USERS OF NORPLANT IN ENGLAND AND INDONESIA - ASTUDENT ELECTIVE PROJECT

Objective: To asssess the kind of woman who chooses to use a long acti ng implant contraceptive in England and make subjective comparisons be tween these women and those choosing implant contraceptives in Indones ia. Design: Confidential written questionnaire Comprising 19 questions designed to assess socio-economic status, religious beliefs and contr aceptive preferences. Setting: Two family planning clinics; one at Bir mingham Maternity Hospital, England (BMH), the other at Raden Saleh Kl inik, Jakarta, Indonesia (RSK). Subjects: Seventy women answered the q uestionnaire at BMH over the period October to December 1993. Forty fo ur women answered the questionnaire at RSK over the period March 17 to May 6 1994. Results: We managed to attain an almost 100 per cent resp onse rate from the women at BMH by being present at the clinics, each of which consisted of a few women at a time. The response rate at RSK was impossible to assess as it was not possible to be present at every clinic. Therefore, we do not know how many women refused to complete the questionnaire there. The results showed that there were difference s in the socio-economic class of the two groups with the BMH group bei ng predominantly social groups I-IIIN (57 per cent) whilst the RSK gro up were predominantly groups IV-V (66 per cent). Differences were also seen with respect to whether the women planned to have more children; 86 per cent of the RSK women answered 'no' compared to only 53 per ce nt of the BMH women. Analysis: Relevant percentages have been calculat ed and the results displayed as either bar charts or pie charts. Concl usion: English women who choose implant contraception would appear to be slightly older, Caucasian and from social class I, II, or IIIN. In general they are women who already have children and who are either lo oking to space their families or who are not planning anymore children but who do not want to undergo sterilisation.