Sexual and Reproductive Health Knowledge Among Men and Women Aged 15 to 49Years in Metropolitan Tehran

Abstract

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge is an important predictor of an individual's sexual behavior; however, little is known regarding this issue among Iranians. This study assessed sexual and reproductive health knowledge among men and women aged 15 to 49years in Tehran. A total of 755 men and women aged 15 to 49years were recruited using multistage, random cluster sampling in June 2014. An illustrative anonymous questionnaire endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) was used to collect the data. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed. The results showed that men and women were moderately knowledgeable about sexual and reproductive health (mean score of SRH knowledge=39, range: 26 to 52); however, myths and misperceptions prevailed in different aspects of SRH. For example, only 45 of women and 38.7 of men accurately knew that a person infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can look healthy. Friends were identified as the primary or secondary source of knowledge about puberty and sex-related issues. A multivariate analysis showed that being female (coefficient=0.139, p<0.001) and being married (coefficient=0.180, p<0.001) were significant predictors of better SRH knowledge, while being young (age group 15 to 24) was a significant determinant of poor SRH knowledge (coefficient=-0.161, p<0.001) when other influencing factors were controlled. Culturally appropriate and age-specific comprehensive education is recommended, particularly for men, the unmarried, and the younger generation in Iran.