Knowledge, attitude and performance of male workers employed in factories of Birjand toward family planning

Family planning is accepted by many countries as a mechanism to deal with the problem of population increase and its related outcomes. One of the key success factors in family planning programs is to find a regional model suitable for training purposes. This is possible when a sufficient understanding of the knowledge, attitude and performance of different social groups in each region exists. This study is conducted in Birjand to determine the knowledge, attitude and performance of male workers toward family planning. This descriptive - analytical study was done on 350 male workers employed in some factories of Birjand which were selected randomly through quota clustering. Data collecting tool was a questionnaire which its content validity had been confirmed and included questions of awareness, performance and attitude. Using descriptive analytic statistics methods, chi-square,t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient, data were analyzed (P<0.05). The mean age of the participants was 35.98±7.86 years. A majority of them (52.6%) had a high school diploma or higher degrees.The source for information was announced health centers by 20.9% of them. Average score of awareness was 5.77±3.16 out of 21 for 27% which shows their relatively weak knowledge. However, a mean attitude score of 42.83±7.49 out of 54 for 79% of the participants represents the high scale of attitude. 36.3% of the workers used prevention methods by their own, and the most used ones were condoms and contraceptives tablets, (36.5%) and (23.3%) respectively. Matrimonial life duration, the number of children and awareness of prevention methods were significantly related (P<0.01). Despite the low average score of knowledge, these workers prosper high positive attitude. So the issue requires an investment and planning by health sector officials and personnel continuous education.