Background Contraception is essential for women with diabetes to reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, the contraception rate among this high-risk group remains low. This study explored the determinants of contraceptive practices among multi-ethnic Asian women with diabetes.
Methods This exploratory qualitative study on the preconception care of multi-ethnic, reproductive-age women with diabetes was conducted at four public health clinics in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted, audio-recorded, and transcribed. An interpretive thematic analysis was performed on data regarding contraception among 19 women who expressed no desire for pregnancy.
Results Health concerns, perceived susceptibility to pregnancy, lack of knowledge regarding contraception and conception, and prevailing pregnancy norms influenced contraceptive practices. Many factors affecting pregnancy planning were unrelated to diabetes, such as perceived pregnancy susceptibility, religious orientation, societal norms, husband’s preferences, and inadequate contraception knowledge.
Conclusion Family planning and reproductive health must be included in routine clinical consultations for women with diabetes. While this study re-emphasizes the influence of diabetes on women's decisions to use contraception, their choices are also shaped by personal and social factors. Healthcare providers must adopt a more open approach toward women’s perspectives on pregnancy planning and further explore their values and underlying issues to promote effective contraception, considering the benefits.
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Family medicine for all stages of life: turning knowledge into actionable care Joung Sik Son Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2026; 47(2): 95. CrossRef
Background Few studies have investigated the association between religion and health behaviors in Korea, where various religions coexist. The present study aimed to investigate the association between religion and health behaviors among primary care patients in Korea.
Methods We analyzed data from the Family Cohort Study in Primary Care. Among the 1,040 participants in the cohort, 973 of those who had reported their religion were included in the analysis. Participants completed standardized questionnaires that included religious status and lifestyle factors, such as physical activity, smoking status, drinking status, and dietary habits. The association between religion and health behaviors was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression models.
Results Among the 973 participants, 345 (35.5%) were Christian, 153 (15.7%) were Roman Catholic, 308 (31.7%) were Buddhist, and 163 (16.8%) did not have any religion. Compared with those without a religion, the odds ratio (OR) for vigorous physical activity (OR, 1.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–2.28) increased, and that for binge drinking (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.46–0.78) and problematic drinking (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.35–0.99) decreased among participants with a religion. Compared with those without a religion, Catholics were more likely to engage in vigorous physical activity (OR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.31–3.67), whereas Christians were less likely to engage in heavy (OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.30–0.84), binge (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.22–0.54), and problematic drinking (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.25–0.86). Smoking, meal regularity, and breakfast consumption were not associated with religion.
Conclusion The status of drinking and physical activities were different according to religion. As religion is one of the psychosocial characteristics of patients, knowing patients’ religion can be helpful for primary physicians.
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Background : In Korea, there has been a few medical studies on the relationship between religion and health. In future, active research is anticipated in this area. However, the validity and methods of performing religious inquiry should be tested beforehand. This study was designed to look into the attitudes of patients about religious inquiries by their physicians and to suggest better methods of religious approach to aid future researches on the effect of religion on health.
Methods : A survey was performed on the religious attitude among 177 patients among which 92 were randomly selected from an outpatient clinic of tertiary teaching hospitals and 85 from two local family practice offices on August, 2002. Χ2 test was used to verify the difference of results between the subgroups.
Results : As a whole, more than half of patients disagreed with religious inquiries by their physicians regardless of medical situation; however, there was a trend that a critical health reasons produced a higher percentage of patients accepting religious inquiry than in ordinary patients. There was no significant difference in answer between the two practice settings but a significant difference among the subgroups with strong religious belief and among those with a particular type of religion existed.
Conclusion : The results of this study may be used as data on the method of approaching patients with religious inquiries for future studies on the relationship between religion and health, and also should encourage active researches on this subject.
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