Table 2. Comparison of first- and final-year healthcare students’ knowledge of the circumstances in which access to abortion is legal in Argentina
Circumstances to access abortion Legal Not considered legal by current law
Life risk* Rape of woman with developmental disability* Rape Health risk* Mental health risk Severe foetal malformations Any foetal malformation*
Medicine First year N = 234 n 192 153 141 55 46 88 9
% 82.10 65.40 60.30 23.50 19.70 37.60 3.80
Final year N = 423 n 384 375 283 112 57 250 2
% 90.90 88.60 67.10 26.50 13.40 59.50 0.50
p value <0.05 <0.001 <0.05 <0.001 <0.05
Nursing First year N = 59 n 53 43 42 23 15 22 4
% 89.80 72.90 71.20 39 25.40 37.30 6.80
Final year N = 42 n 34 34 33 7 9 20 5
% 79.90 80.80 79.00 16.90 21.40 47.50 12.30
p value <0.05
Midwifery First year N = 33 n 22 20 26 4 8 9 0
% 66.70 60.60 78.80 12.10 24.20 27.30 0.00
Final year N = 56 n 46 44 42 15 8 38 1
% 82.10 78.60 75.00 26.80 14.30 67.90 1.80
p value <0.001
Other Studies First year N = 65 n 45 42 39 16 10 24 3
% 70 65.50 61.20 26 16.30 37.60 5.30
Final year N = 71 n 55 55 48 29 13 36 5
% 79.60 77.20 65.10 42.30 18.80 53.10 7.40
p value <0.05 <0.05
TOTAL First year N = 391 n 312 258 248 98 79 143 16
% 79.10 66.20 62.40 25.80 19.50 37.30 4.50
Final year N= 592 n 519 508 406 163 87 344 13
% 87.40 85.40 67.90 29.00 15.20 57.40 2.90
p value <0.001 <0.001 <0.001

*Circumstances in which there is a significant difference among final-year students by fields of study (p < 0.05)

Int J Med Educ. 2016; 7:95-101; doi: 10.5116/ijme.56e0.74be