Contraception use in Malta

Abstract

Temporal surveys of family control methods being used within the Maltese setting carried out in the 1970's and 1990's had shown a definite shift towards the more effective methods of contraception. The present study was carried out on a mixed gender population of 211 individuals with a strong bias towards the highly educated sector of the population. The respondents reported a higher rate of family control that in previous studies with a greater reliance on the effective methods particularly the barrier method, hormonal manipulation, and sterilisation. The latter appeared to be an option limited to the older age groups rather than in the young. There has been a further significant decrease in reliance to the natural methods of contraception including the rhythm method supported by the Roman Catholic Church and coitus interruptus. The study further confirms the increasing secularisation and distancing from traditional values that is occurring in the Maltese population.