Fertility-care readiness among healthcare students and workers in Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.
- 1Department of Public Health, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Baha University, Al Baha, 65779, Saudi Arabia. [email protected].
Abstract
Background
Saudi Arabia has experienced a marked fertility decline alongside health-system reforms under Vision 2030, yet evidence on healthcare workforce readiness for fertility and reproductive health (RH) counselling remains limited at the provincial level. Most Saudi studies have examined community demand, married women in primary care, or specialist groups in major urban centres. Demand-side evidence from Al-Baha indicates limited exposure to family-planning counselling and greater reliance on media than healthcare providers for RH information, highlighting the need to assess provider-side readiness in transitional provinces.Methods
A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from December 2024 to February 2025 among healthcare students enrolled at Al-Baha University and active healthcare workers employed by Al-Baha Health Cluster across Public Health, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Laboratory Medicine. A 23-item instrument assessed four domains: Knowledge and Education, Access and Practice, Beliefs/Attitudes/Cultural Norms, and Lifestyle and Health Status.Results
Among 577 respondents, the mean age was 25.7 ± 9.0 years and 406 (70.4%) were students. Only 75 (13.0%) had attended a fertility/RH workshop, 126 (21.8%) reported full familiarity with international RH guidelines, and 209 (36.2%) were very confident in cross-cultural counselling. In multivariable analysis, high counselling confidence was associated with workshop attendance (adjusted OR [aOR] 10.78; 95% CI 4.92-23.62), cultural-value alignment with family planning (aOR 6.10; 95% CI 3.28-11.35), city residence (aOR 3.21; 95% CI 2.04-5.06), and above-median knowledge (aOR 1.71; 95% CI 1.05-2.79). Healthcare worker status showed a negative adjusted association (aOR 0.37; 95% CI 0.17-0.81), requiring cautious interpretation.Conclusion
Fertility-care readiness in Al-Baha was uneven and was associated mainly with modifiable factors, notably workshop attendance, cultural-value alignment with family planning, and knowledge level, as well as the contextual factor of urban residence, rather than professional role alone. Structured fertility/RH training, culturally responsive counselling education, and capacity building beyond urban centres may strengthen workforce readiness for RH counselling.Clinical trial number
Not applicable.
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BibTeX
@article{albanghali2026fertilitycare,
title = {{Fertility-care readiness among healthcare students and workers in Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.}},
author = {Mohammad A Albanghali},
journal = {Contraception and reproductive medicine},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s40834-026-00467-7},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42894204},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Fertility-care readiness among healthcare students and workers in Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.
AU - Mohammad A Albanghali
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Contraception and reproductive medicine
DO - 10.1186/s40834-026-00467-7
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42894204
AB - Background Saudi Arabia has experienced a marked fertility decline alongside health-system reforms under Vision 2030, yet evidence on healthcare workforce readiness for fertility and reproductive health (RH) counselling remains limited at the provincial level. Most Saudi studies have examined community demand, married women in primary care, or specialist groups in major urban centres. Demand-side evidence from Al-Baha indicates limited exposure to family-planning counselling and greater reliance on media than healthcare providers for RH information, highlighting the need to assess provider-side readiness in transitional provinces.Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from December 2024 to February 2025 among healthcare students enrolled at Al-Baha University and active healthcare workers employed by Al-Baha Health Cluster across Public Health, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Laboratory Medicine. A 23-item instrument assessed four domains: Knowledge and Education, Access and Practice, Beliefs/Attitudes/Cultural Norms, and Lifestyle and Health Status.Results Among 577 respondents, the mean age was 25.7 ± 9.0 years and 406 (70.4%) were students. Only 75 (13.0%) had attended a fertility/RH workshop, 126 (21.8%) reported full familiarity with international RH guidelines, and 209 (36.2%) were very confident in cross-cultural counselling. In multivariable analysis, high counselling confidence was associated with workshop attendance (adjusted OR [aOR] 10.78; 95% CI 4.92-23.62), cultural-value alignment with family planning (aOR 6.10; 95% CI 3.28-11.35), city residence (aOR 3.21; 95% CI 2.04-5.06), and above-median knowledge (aOR 1.71; 95% CI 1.05-2.79). Healthcare worker status showed a negative adjusted association (aOR 0.37; 95% CI 0.17-0.81), requiring cautious interpretation.Conclusion Fertility-care readiness in Al-Baha was uneven and was associated mainly with modifiable factors, notably workshop attendance, cultural-value alignment with family planning, and knowledge level, as well as the contextual factor of urban residence, rather than professional role alone. Structured fertility/RH training, culturally responsive counselling education, and capacity building beyond urban centres may strengthen workforce readiness for RH counselling.Clinical trial number Not applicable.
SN - 2055-7426
ER -