Contraceptive knowledge and interpregnancy interval among women attending a tertiary care hospital in Malaysia

Globally, a short interpregnancy interval occurs in 20–65% of women and significantly affects maternal and child health. Adequate knowledge empowers women to make informed decisions regarding family size, birth spacing, appropriate contraceptive use, and maternal health outcomes. This study aims to identify factors associated with good contraceptive knowledge and determine the association between interpregnancy interval and knowledge of contraception among women attending care in a tertiary hospital. A cross-sectional study was conducted among women of childbearing age (18 to 50 years) in the antenatal and postnatal wards at Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia. Primigravida mothers were excluded. Sociodemographic, obstetric data, and contraceptive knowledge were collected over 3 months via face-to-face interviews. A validated Malay version of the Knowledge on Method of Contraception questionnaire, with good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha 0.71), comprising 25 items across 4 categories of knowledge of contraception methods, was used to assess knowledge of contraception. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were conducted using SPSS version 28.0. A total of 217 women participated in this study, with a response rate of 100%. The prevalence of short interpregnancy interval was 26.3%, and 77% of women had good contraceptive knowledge. Modern contraceptive use (Adjusted OR [95% CI]: 4.86 [1.78, 13.22]) and duration of contraceptive use (Adjusted OR [95% CI]: 0.97 [0.95, 1.00]) were significantly associated with good knowledge. No significant association was found between interpregnancy interval and contraceptive knowledge. Continued strengthening of structured contraceptive counseling, access to services, and postpartum education is vital to optimize birth spacing and reduce short interpregnancy intervals.