title: Australian women's attitudes towards and understandings of the subdermal contraceptive implant: a qualitative study of never-users.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Few studies have explored Australian women's understandings of contraception. This study examined the attitudes towards, and understandings of, the subdermal contraceptive implant expressed by women living in New South Wales (NSW), Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  As part of a larger qualitative study using in-depth, open-ended interviews in 2012-2013 with women aged 16-49 years who had ever used contraception (n=94), 65 interviews from women who discussed or mentioned the subdermal implant, but had not previously used the device, were examined and analysed using thematic analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The emergent themes were: satisfaction with current method; weak personal opinions and ambivalence; uncertainty due to specific concerns; and strong negative reactions - fear and dislike. Although there were a few positive perceptions expressed by women who had never used the subdermal implant, for the majority of women the perception was predominantly negative.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women tended to form negative impressions from the stories of other women about the subdermal implant. Interventions to enhance evidence-informed awareness of the relative advantages and disadvantages of the implant - for example, improved access to supportive contraceptive counselling - need investigation in the Australian context. Avenues to improve women's perceived control over the device could also be usefully investigated.
authors.affiliation: PhD Scholar, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.|Adjunct Senior Researcher, School of Health Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
authors.forename: Kumiyo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.affiliation: Project Officer, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.|Project Officer, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Marguerite
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: Professor, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barratt
authors.affiliation: Medical Director, Family Planning New South Wales, Ashfield, Australia.|Clinical Associate Professor, Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bateson
authors.affiliation: Senior Lecturer (Conjoint), University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rutherford
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor (Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology), Central Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Kirsten I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Black
authors.affiliation: Senior Medical Officer: Research and Education, Family Planning New South Wales, Ashfield, Australia.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: Professor, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Juliet
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0469-5762
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Richters
keywords: Australia; hormonal contraception; implants; long-acting reversible contraception; qualitative research