Only 12 percent of Chinese women fully understand the methods of contraception, and the lack of awareness has brought about a high rate of multiple abortions, according to a survey released Wednesday.
The survey of 1,000 Chinese women aged 20 to 35 was conducted as part of the World Contraception Day, which falls Sep 26 every year, the China Daily reported.
Women in the country also overrated the efficiency of withdrawal, periodic abstinence and emergency contraceptive pills, the survey showed.
From 33 percent to 68 percent of the women surveyed believed one of those three methods were “effective”. But the failure rate of those methods were up to 27 percent, said Wu Shangchun, a researcher with the National Population and Family Planning Commission.
“Periodic abstinence is unreliable because the time of ovulation can change and eludes prediction, and couples sometimes do not abstain from sex during that period,” she said.
The survey indicates misunderstandings about are largely rooted in the lack of quality and authoritative sources, Wu said.
“TV seldom airs programmes on contraception. Papers and magazines publish relatively more articles. Such information is most available on the internet. However, the online information varies in quality, and it’s necessary to publish such information through an authoritative channel,” she said.