Contraceptive methods used by the immigrant persons in Toledo
G. Cid Calo, F.-J. Alonso Moreno, Mª.J. Lougedo Calderón, Mª.J. Antón Calvo,Mª.L. Gómez Morales, T. Porras Morales

SUMMARY

Objective: To know the contraceptive methods used by the resident immigrants in the Health Area in Toledo (Spain).

Design: Descriptive, transversal and multicentric study.

Emplacement: Primary Health Care in Toledo.

Participants: Immigrants aged over 18 years, proceeding from developing countries and whose captation and recruitment was carried out on base of sanitary card between December, 2002 and September, 2003.

Main measurements: A survey according to the following variables was carried out: age, sex, country of origin, marital status, sanitary card, use of contraceptive methods.

Results: There were 268 immigrants included, mean age of 33.7 years (DE= 9.2). 52.6% were men. 87.15% had sanitary card or was in step of obtaining it. With regard to the country of origin: Morocco (31.3%), Ecuador (22.8%), Mali (20.9%), Romania (7.5%). Marital status: married: (65.7%), regular partner (6%), unmarried (24.3%) and divorced (3.7%). Forty-two dot nine per cent used contraceptive methods (IC 95%; 37-48,8), remarkably the condom (44.3%) (CI 95%; 38.4-50.2) and oral contraceptives (CTO) (27.3%) (CI 95%; 22-32.6). A lesser degree they used the DIU (10.2%), coitus interruptus (9.1%), tubal ligation (5.7%), vasectomy (2.3%) and basal temperature (1.13%). The sub-Saharan immigrants used more the barrier methods (p= 0.002). With regard to the age: the immigrants aged > 35 years used more CTO whereas aged < 35 years used more the condom (p= 0,014). The immigrants with sanitary card used more CTO (p= 0,015).

Conclusions: The most used contraceptive methods were condom and CTO. More than half of the population does not use any method. Significant differences exist in the utilization of contraceptive methods: according to origin and age there is a major use of the condom between the sub- Saharan immigrants and the immigrants aged < 35, respectively. According to the possibility of access to the sanitary system, the CTO is the most used one by the owners of sanitary card.

KEY WORDS

Contraception, immigrants, Primary Health Care.