Assessment of reproductive knowledge in an inner-city clinic

A number of studies have shown that misinformation and lack of information about the menstrual cycle contributes to unwanted fertility, particularly among black women. A short, self-administered questionnaire was developed and tested in an inner-city, prenatal clinic serving a primarily low-income undereducated, black clientele. Data were gathered concerning numbers of pregnancies and abortions, knowledge of the menstrual cycle, past contraceptive use, including dissatisfaction and discontinuance, and planned future use of contraception. Results showed that the majority of women had had at least one unwanted pregnancy. Their knowledge base about female reproductive function and their poor use of contraception contributed to these unwanted pregnancies. It is concluded that a few key questions can help identify the woman with special informational needs, enabling the health professional to gear educational efforts to the individual patient.