Intention to Accept Vasectomy among Married Men in Kathmandu, Nepal

Objective: This descriptive cross­sectional study was undertaken to describe the factors affecting the intention to accept vasectomy among married men. Materials and Methods: Simple random sampling was employed to interview 200 married men aged 20­49 years in Khadka Bhadrakali Village development committee (VDC), Kathmandu, during February 2007. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 35.7 years and mean duration of marriage 13.4 years. 39.0 % had an intention to accept vasectomy and were between 20­29 years of age, married for less than ten years, had two living children. The average number of desired children of the respondents was 2.42. The researchers selected factors that influence the intention to accept vasectomy by using backward logistic regression. The study found that the age of the respondent was associated with the intention to accept vasectomy (OR 6.77, 95% CI: 1.02­ 44.81). Beliefs about vasectomy were also found associated with intention to accept vasectomy (OR 5.37, 95% CI: 1.57­18.35). Emotional and material support from parents were associated with intention to accept vasectomy (OR 4.89, 95% CI: 1.09­22.06) and (OR 15.46, 95% CI: 2.75­87.02) respectively. Appraisal support from health personnel was also significantly associated with the intention to accept vasectomy (OR 9.34, 95% CI: 1.55­56.47). Conclusion: The study suggests that focus should be on social support (emotional, material, appraisal and informational) and couple counseling for vasectomy to combat the misconceptions regarding the consequences of vasectomy, especially those regarding sexual problems.