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Sexual and Reproductive Health Educational Needs in Engaged Couples in Tehran in 2010

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Abstract

Performing needs assessment is an essential step for developing and designing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) educational programs. In Iran, there is little information about couples’ SRH educational needs. This research aimed to describe engaged couples’ SRH educational needs in Tehran in 2010. In a cross-sectional study, 450 engaged people participating in a premarital educational course were selected by randomized stratified sampling with two-gender strata. A questionnaire was developed as a new measurement tool to determine the need for education in the SRH field using a 5-point Likert scale. A high percentage of both men (44.8 %) and women (56.6 %) mentioned a high or very high need for education in SRH, and the mean reported need for SRH education was significantly higher in women (42.29 ± 10.35) than men (39.74 ± 10.84) (P = 0.02). “Healthy sexual relationships” was the most important topic for both men and women, with 51 % of men and 62 % of women reporting a high to very high need. Our findings demonstrate that engaged Iranian couples wish to receive information about SRH matters, particularly in topics related to sexuality. The results suggest a need for developing comprehensive and culturally sensitive marital education for engaged Iranian couples.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge with grateful appreciation the kind assistance and financial support provided by the Research Deputy at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences. We also thank the Education and Health Promotion Unit of the Health Deputy at Tehran University of Medical Sciences and of the Health Centre of Western Tehran and the staff of Hasheminezhad Health Center for their kind cooperation. We sincerely appreciate the participation of the engaged individuals in this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guilan University of Medical Sciences (GUMS), Rasht, Iran

    Davoud Pourmarzi

  2. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), Tehran, Iran

    Shahnaz Rimaz

  3. Department of Health Promotion, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran

    Effat al-sadat Merghati khoei

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  1. Davoud Pourmarzi
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  2. Shahnaz Rimaz
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  3. Effat al-sadat Merghati khoei
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Correspondence to Shahnaz Rimaz.

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Pourmarzi, D., Rimaz, S. & al-sadat Merghati khoei, E. Sexual and Reproductive Health Educational Needs in Engaged Couples in Tehran in 2010. Sex Res Soc Policy 11, 225–232 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-014-0159-4

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