title: Contraceptive behaviour of Christian and Muslim teenagers at the time of abortion and post-abortion in Thrace, Greece.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aims of the study were to compare the contraceptive behaviour of Christian and Muslim adolescents who had an abortion in Thrace, Greece, and to examine whether extensive contraceptive counselling at the time of abortion modified their subsequent contraceptive practices.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adolescents, aged 14-19 years, who had undergone an elective abortion in our department, were included in a prospective 12-year study. Extensive contraceptive counselling was offered before discharge from the hospital. Attitudes to contraception were assessed by means of a simple questionnaire at the time of abortion and at 1-year follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study population comprised of 95 Christian Orthodox adolescents (Group A) and 79 Muslim adolescents (Group B). At the time of abortion, contraceptive behaviour differed significantly between the two groups (p = .004). Contraceptive methods used in Group A in comparison with Group B were as follows: oral contraceptives (27.4% vs. 12.7%), condoms (22.1% vs. 38.0%), interrupted coitus (18.9% vs. 20.3%), periodic abstinence (16.8% vs. 25.3%) and emergency contraception (14.7% vs. 3.8%). The commonest source of information on contraception in Group A was the gynaecologist (17.9%) and family planning clinic (15.8%), whereas in Group B it was the individual's partner (25.3%) and parents (16.4%). Contraceptive behaviour was significantly modified in both groups at post-abortion follow-up (both p < .001). The original difference between the groups, however, persisted (p = .006). In Group A, oral contraceptives were the dominant method (48.4%), followed by condoms (30.5%), whereas in Group B, the order was still the reverse (24.1% and 46.8%, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cultural differences significantly affect the contraceptive behaviour. Nevertheless, interventions that promote contraception can still be successful in different populations.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology , Democritus University of Thrace , Alexandroupolis , Greece.
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tsikouras
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology , Democritus University of Thrace , Alexandroupolis , Greece.
authors.forename: Zacharoula
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Koukouli
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology , Democritus University of Thrace , Alexandroupolis , Greece.
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Psarros
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology , Democritus University of Thrace , Alexandroupolis , Greece.
authors.forename: Bachar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Manav
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology , Democritus University of Thrace , Alexandroupolis , Greece.
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tsagias
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology , Democritus University of Thrace , Alexandroupolis , Greece.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Galazios
mesh_terms: D000028:Abortion, Induced / Q000523:psychology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D000328:Adult; D002835:Christianity / Q000523:psychology*; D003267:Contraception / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D003376:Counseling; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005193:Family Planning Services; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Q000208:ethnology; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007514:Islam / Q000523:psychology*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Abortion; Muslim; Thrace; adolescents; contraception; teenagers