Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards infertility among adults 18-40 years in Kalisizo, Rakai District in Uganda

Abstract

Introduction / objectives: Infertility is a health problem affecting approximately 10-15% of couples globally but higher in the Sub-Saharan Africa in which Uganda is inclusive. Infertility is surrounded by a lot of misconceptions like witchcraft, possession by evil spirits, being a punishment from God as its causes and thus negatively affecting its management. In this study the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices towards infertility among adults aged 18-40 years in Kalisizo, Rakai district and the factors which affect them were assessed to create a basis for its prevention, treatment and control. Methods: The study was descriptive in nature, employed mainly quantitative data collection methods using a semi-structured questionnaire and used random sampling methods. Data was analyzed using computer SPSS program. Findings: • The majority of respondents had little knowledge on the causes of infertility with 54.0% mentioning it to be running in families due to unmet demands of ancestral spirits, possession by evil spirits (51.3%), and witchcraft and family planning methods. • Over 60% of respondents believed that infertility could best be managed by both the traditional and the modern management services and that it was more of the woman's problem than a man. • The practices of people towards infertility mainly included advising the childless to go for medical attention, visiting traditional healers and performing cultural functions to please the spirits. • Factors like the influence from other people (the significant others), cultural beliefs and values and educational level of an individual were pointed out by' the majority as important aspects that affect knowledge, attitudes and practices of people and thus the need to be considered when planning to address the problem of infertility. Conclusion: The results of this study clearly showed that the people of the general public lack factual biomedical knowledge about infertility. The traditional beliefs and perceptions about the condition are negatively influencing the preventive and treatment-seeking behavior. Thus, it is recommended that health education about the condition be intensified [.) improve on the knowledge, attitudes and the practices of people so as to prevent and control infertility.