Knowledge, attitude and practice of progestin-only emergency contraceptives among female students of Jimma Teachers Training College, Jimma, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Emergency contraception (EC) is the safest strategy for prevention of unintended pregnancy following unsafe sex provided that users have sufficient knowledge & awareness of EC. Objective: The main objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of progestin-only emergency contraceptives. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from February 16 to April 18, 2017, among students of Jimma teacher's training college. Chi-square test was run to identify the association between variables. Variables with the critical value P<0.05 at CI of 95% were considered as statistically significant. Results: A total of 270 female students were involved in the study; of which 53.70% of them had knowledge about ECs. A significant association was found between knowledge on ECs & age distribution (p<0.001) and also the sexual activity of the participants (p=0.013). More than half of the respondents agreed that widespread use of ECs would increase the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STIs). Of the total study participants, 121 (44.81%) have used ECs and the utilization practice has a significant association with age distribution (p<0.001 and religion of the study participants (p=0.002). Conclusion: Generally, nearly half of the study participants had knowledge about ECs and used EC at least once in their lifetime. Most of the students agreed that relying on EC pills and its accessibility would promote the spread of HIV/AIDS and STIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]