PURPOSE: To determine the main contraceptive methods adopted by users of the public and private health sectors in the city of Aracaju (SE), Brazil, with a secondary focus on orientations for their use and reasons for interruption. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 210 women, 110 from the public service and 100 from the private sector. The data were collected by applying a questionnaire to sexually active patients who agreed to sign a consent form. The software Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 15.0 was used for statistical analysis, with the <img border=0 width=32 height=32 src="../../../../../img/revistas/rbgo/v33n7/a05x.jpg">test for categorical variables and the Student's t-test for independent samples. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of contraceptive use in this study was 83.3%. The main methods used in the public and private sectors, were the hormonal (41 and 24%, p=0.008) and permanent (20 and 26%, p=0.1) ones, respectively. The rate of condom use was 17.3% in the public sector and 12% in the private sector, with no significant difference (p=0.12). Medical orientation about the correct use of the method chosen and/or indicated was provided to 37.3% of users from the public sector and to 48% of users from the private sector. Discontinuation of the use of contraceptive methods was 14.5% in the public sector and 12.0% in the private sector, mainly because of side effects and the desire to become pregnant. CONCLUSIONS: The main contraceptive methods adopted by users of the public and private sectors were hormonal contraception and permanent contraception. It is important to highlights the low frequency of use of male condoms in the two groups studied.
Contraception; Women's health; Family planning; Socioeconomic factors; Prevalence
