Knowledge, Attitudes and Use of Emergency Contraceptives among Female Students of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka

Abstract

Emergency contraception prevents pregnancy after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure. The objective of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and use of emergency contraceptives among female undergraduates in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). This study was a cross-sectional, descriptive survey conducted among female undergraduates in UNN from June to August 2016. Data were collected by the 34-item structured, self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using the IBM Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0 (IBM Corp, Version 20.0, Armonk, NY, USA). A total of 635 questionnaires were completed and returned (63.5% participation rate). Overall, 40% of the students had adequate knowledge of emergency contraceptives (ECs) while 85.4% had positive attitudes towards ECs. About 70% were recommended ECs by friends/partners, mostly for withdrawal fail (32.0%). Sixth year students had significantly better knowledge on ECs than second (P = 0.035), third (P = 0.020) and fourth year students (P = 0.022) respectively. More pharmacy students had adequate knowledge of ECs (61.3%) compared to the other faculties (P = 0.011). Although majority of the students had positive attitudes towards EC use, less than half had adequate knowledge. The two major sources of information on ECs were formal education and the internet. Students in higher years of study had better knowledge on ECs and pharmacy students were the most knowledgeable. About half of the respondents had unprotected sex in the past with a similar percentage using ECs mostly recommended by their friends or partners.