title: Oral contraceptives usage patterns: study of knowledge, attitudes and experience in Belgrade female medical students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this survey was to quantify oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use and to analyze attitudes and knowledge about the pill in a sample of female medical students.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study, conducted between November 28 and December 20, 2011, included 464 female participants from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade. Data were collected before the start of compulsory practical sessions in the classrooms through a 37-item questionnaire and assessed statistically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of OCP use was 11.3 %. Highest proportion of the pill use was in the third year (15.4 %). Approximately, 61 % used the pill as a therapy for dysmenorrhea. Difference in knowledge scores was observed between users and non-users (t = 3.596, p < 0.001). Advancing year at the faculty was highly statistically significantly associated with greater knowledge about health effects of the pill (ρ = 0.506, p < 0.001). There was no difference regarding attitude score among users and non-users (t = -0.9, p = 0.369). In the multivariate regression model the knowledge score was the only predictor of pill use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of our survey indicate that oral contraceptive pill requires further promotion and reproductive health education in a broader context.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Visegradska 26A, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia.
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gazibara
authors.forename: Goran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Trajkovic
authors.forename: Nikolina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kovacevic
authors.forename: Ilma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kurtagic
authors.forename: Selmina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nurkovic
authors.forename: Darija
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kisic-Tepavcevic
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pekmezovic
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003268:Contraception Behavior; D003276:Contraceptives, Oral / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004412:Dysmenorrhea / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D055771:Serbia; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003276:Contraceptives, Oral