Journal of School of Public Health and

Background and Aim: Considering that the knowledge of, and attitude towards, sexuality is a key factor influencing sexual behavior, the main objective of this survey was to determine the bases of sexual knowledge and formation of attitude towards sexual script in women of reproductive age in Kashan City, Iran.

Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study including 500 women of reproductive age referring to all health centers in Kashan Iran, selected by simple random sampling,. The data collection tool was the Sexual Knowledge and Attitude Scale (SKAS). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation and regression model.

Results: The age range of the majority of the participants (51.9%) was 26-35 years, and the educational level of 39.9 % of them was high school education. The majority of them had a high level of sexual knowledge and attitude (51.4% and 62.9% respectively). The Pearson correlation test showed a significant positive correlation between knowledge and attitude of the women (p<0.05), and based on the multivariate regression analysis their knowledge score correlated with education and economic status and their sexual attitude scores with age and education.

Conclusion: The participating women were young and educated and their knowledge and attitude scores were high. However, they had erroneous attitudes and ideas, such as a feeling of shame and anxiety at intercourse, considering initiation in sexual relation responsibility of the man, and considering childbearing as the main purpose in sexual relations. It is essential to design and implement appropriate educational programs to help the women change their attitudes and ideas.