Knowledge of and attitude to contraception among migrant woman workers in mainland China

Aims: The aims of this paper were to determine the level of knowledge and attitude of contraception and their relationships among Chinese migrant woman workers.

Background: Studies on psychosocial variables that lead to reproductive health behaviours among Chinese migrant woman workers in China remain limited.

Design: A cross-sectional, descriptive and correlational design.

Participants: One hundred and ninety young woman workers of a factory in Guangdong, a representative city of factory base in mainland China, voluntarily participated in the study with a response rate of 63%.

Methods: Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires consisting of a socio-demographic sheet, the Contraceptive Knowledge Scale and the Contraceptive Attitude Scale. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient test was employed to examine the relationships between the contraceptive knowledge and attitude, with level of significance set at p<0·05.

Results: The Chinese migrant woman workers demonstrated lower contraceptive knowledge and less favourable contraceptive attitude compared with previous studies of adolescents in Taiwan and women seeking abortion in Hong Kong. Although it was a weak correlation, contraceptive knowledge was statistically associated with contraceptive attitudes among the respondents (r=0·276, p<0·001). Respondents' age, education level and working experience were significantly positively correlated with the contraceptive knowledge.

Conclusions: Young Chinese migrant workers reported in the current study are found to be at higher sexual risk, when compared to the adolescents in Taiwan and Hong Kong women seeking abortion. Early educational intervention for reproductive health in particular contraception and its usage to these young women is indicated.

Relevance to clinical practice: Migrant woman workers in mainland demonstrated poor knowledge and unfavourable attitudes towards contraception, especially for the younger, single and less educated group. Greater effort is necessary to promote young migrant women's knowledge and attitude towards contraception and sexual health.