Abstract

Background:
No-scalpel vasectomy (NSV) is a newer vasectomy technique that is less invasive than traditional vasectomy. The uptake of NSV among eligible males in India and West Bengal remains unacceptably low. Community health workers play a pivotal role in motivating and providing counseling for family planning programs.

Aim:
We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a planned teaching program on knowledge and perception regarding NSV among community health workers in an urban area of Murshidabad, West Bengal.

Methods:
We conducted a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design during January-March’2024, among all 44 community-level health workers in Berhampore Municipality, Murshidabad. The baseline knowledge and perception of the participants was assessed through a structured questionnaire; followed by imparting a planned teaching program using the NSV teaching module and post-intervention assessment through the same questionnaire after 2 weeks. The paired t-test and McNemars chi-square test were applied.

Results:
The overall mean post-test knowledge score (12.27) of participants was significantly higher than the overall mean pre-test score (4.41) [t = 26.77, p < 0.0001]. Wrong perceptions were also favorably changed after the planned teaching program. McNemars chi-square test revealed, there was a significant association between the planned teaching intervention and variation of correct responses during the post-test phase.

Conclusion:
Improvements in knowledge and perception regarding NSV indicate the need for a planned teaching program to promote and accept NSV in the community. Further research with larger samples and longer follow-up periods is necessary to confirm the long-term impact of such programs on NSV uptake.

Key words: Effectiveness, Planned teaching program, Quasi-experimental study, No-scalpel vasectomy, Community health workers.