Educational Contraception Posters: Making a Good Tool Better

For raising contraceptive knowledge, a patient-centered poster performed better than the CDC's current standard.

Informative posters in clinical settings can help convey preventive health messages. To compare the educational efficacy of a patient-centered contraception poster versus the CDC's standard version, investigators conducted a trial involving 990 women (age range, 18–44) who were recruited online and randomized to view either poster for as long as desired (but at least 1 minute). Contraceptive knowledge was assessed before and after exposure.

Before viewing the posters, most participants believed they had very low chances of getting pregnant (only one quarter had accurate perceptions of their pregnancy risk). Many who were not using prescription contraception (64%) and most who were not using any contraception (72%) believed they had low or ve…

Reviewing Author

Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, MD, MS

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPlanned Parenthood Federation of America

Grant/Research SupportSociety of Family Planning; California Department of Public Health Tobacco Control Program

Editorial BoardsContraception; Journal of General Internal Medicine

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCouncil Member, Society of General Internal Medicine